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HENRY:I talked to a couple of his classmates from the class of '79. He was on the basketball team that won the state championship. And a couple of funny things, one the basketball court, they say he was a slasher, and one of his colleagues, it was the point guard, told me that that sort of slashing, take no prisoners attitude he thinks is carrying over into the presidency because this is why Barack Obama is now not afraid to make tough decisions. He also said he's a real trash talker on the court, even today, because some of friends...

Negotiations between Fox and Time Warner Cable continued beyond a midnight deadline. The two television giants were negotiating over fees in Los Angeles. They had agreed to a three-hour extension beyond the deadline, Fox-owned WOFL-Channel 35 announced shortly before midnight.Time Warner represents programming partner Bright House Networks, which serves 850,000 subscribers in Central Florida.The three-hour extension means the Fox signal will stay on Bright House at least until 3 a.m. With no deal, Fox could go dark on Bright House as the new year begins. Fox later today will present the Sugar Bowl between Cincinnati and the University of Florida....

SACRAMENTO (AP) — A California judge on Thursday ruled that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger abused his discretion in ordering furloughs of state workers, dealing a blow to his administration’s efforts to cope with California’s fiscal crisis. The judge, Frank Roesch of Alameda County Superior Court, said the administration must halt the furloughs for workers represented by three unions, including Service Employees International Union Local 1000, which represents 95,000 state employees.Judge Roesch ruled against Mr. Schwarzenegger’s furlough orders on two fronts: He said the administration could not take the action against employees in so-called special fund agencies, or those that receive money...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Florida Democrat Rep. Alan Grayson issued a written apology Tuesday evening for a comment for a month-old comment that has stirred controversy on Capitol Hill in recent days. During a September radio interview, Grayson called Linda Robertson, an aide to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke who has also worked as a lobbyist, a "K Street whore."In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Grayson said his comment was inappropriate."I offer my sincere apology," Grayson said in the statement, "I did not intend to use a term that is often, and correctly, seen as disrespectful of women. "This characterization of...

With the series between the Rockies and Phillies tied at a game apiece, Game 3 has been rescheduled for Sunday at 8:07 p.m. MT. Game 4 has been moved to Monday, with game time to be announced prior to the start of Sunday's contest. Snow began falling Friday night in the Denver metro area as the temperature dropped to 17 degrees in the Mile High City overnight, breaking the record low of 25 for the date, set in 1905. Coors Field was blanketed in snow by Saturday morning, and the white stuff was expected to keep coming down into the...

Happy New Year! But leave the hats and horns in the closet. There's nothing to celebrate. Today marks the start of the 2010 federal fiscal year. The only thing good about it is that FY'09 is finally over. It was the fiscal year in which the U.S. suffered the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and government numbers reflected that. It was as if a fiscal tsunami struck and flooded the nation with red ink. By the time the final numbers are in for the fiscal year just ended, the federal deficit will have hit an all-time high in...

Lawmakers pass an extension of the popular program aimed at boosting auto sales. By Jennifer Liberto and Ben Rooney, CNNMoney.com staff writers Last Updated: August 6, 2009: 8:21 PM ETWASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) -- The Senate voted 60-37 passing a $2 billion extension of the popular Cash for Clunkers program Thursday evening, as lawmakers rushed to finish business before their August recess. The House had already voted to extend the program, which blew through its $1 billion in initial funding, before it adjourned for the summer last Friday."Thank you so much for allowing this important stimulus to continue throughout the month of August,"...

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ____________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               July 30, 2009 Statement from the President following his conversation with the Vice President, Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley"I am thankful to Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley for joining me at the White House this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation.  Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them.   I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. I am confident...

From this interview with ABC News...........The president said he understands the sergeant who arrested Gates is an "outstanding police officer." But he added that with all that's going on in the country with health care and the economy and the wars abroad, "it doesn't make sense to arrest a guy in his own home if he's not causing a serious disturbance."

From the transcript.........OBAMA: They're going to have to give up paying for things that don't make them healthier. And I -- speaking as an American, I think that's the kind of change you want.

WASHINGTON (CNN — The Liberty Sun, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship bound for Mombasa, Kenya, was attacked Tuesday by Somali pirates, according to a NATO source with direct knowledge of the matter. It was an unsuccessful attack, and the pirates never made it onto the ship. The vessel is now being escorted by a coalition ship, still bound for Mombasa.

ANAHEIM - A Disneyland-area shuttle bus fueled by propane exploded into flames this morning as the driver was pulling out of a parking lot, but no one was on the bus and the driver was uninjured, authorities said. The 28-passenger shuttle operated by Coach America and emblazoned with Disney ads caught fire just before 7 a.m. near a company lot in the 2000 block of Manchester Avenue, Maria Sabol of the Anaheim Fire Department said. The driver noticed flames near her feet and got out of the vehicle before flames, apparently fueled by propane, shot some 50 feet into the...

PHOENIX -- Barack Obama was not able to accept the White Sox invitation to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Monday's Opening Day contest against the Royals. -------------------------snip--------------------------- President Obama will not get a chance to tour this new area on Monday, with the White Sox receiving the official news from the White House on Tuesday. But, according to White Sox vice president of communications Scott Reifert, Obama has a standing offer for the first pitch anytime during the 2009 season. "It's wide open for him," said Reifert with a laugh of President Obama throwing out the first pitch....

The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles is pursuing the theory that the prelate deprived parishioners of 'the right of honest services' by failing to protect their children from predatory clerics. By Scott Glover and Jack Leonard 4:44 PM PST, January 28, 2009 The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles has launched a federal grand jury investigation into Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in connection with his response to the alleged molestation of children by priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the case. The probe, in which U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O'Brien is personally involved,...

RANDSBURG - Heaps of toxic mine waste rise like church steeples over this wind-swept desert town, threatening the health of residents and of thousands of off-road bikers. Tests on dust samples have revealed some of the highest arsenic levels in the country - as much as 460,000 times the level deemed safe by the federal government. But while the poison can cause cancer in people and harm wildlife, little has been done to remove the costly waste here or similar hazardous waste at thousands of other abandoned mines around the nation. "Worst-case scenario, we'll have to clean up everything, which...

RIVERSIDE-- Sheriff's deputies arrested L.A. County Fire Chief Glynn Johnson today in connection with the beating death of a neighbor's dog. The Riverside County District Attorney's office filed felony charges against Johnson for a Nov. 3rd incident in which Johnson allegedly beat a neighbor's six-month-old puppy. Johnson is said to have hit the puppy, named Karly, with his fist and a 12-pound rock. Karly was later euthanized because of the severity of his injuries.Johnson says the dog nearly bit off his thumb and that he acted in self-defense. But a witness says the attack was the result of a violent...

<p>LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Former football great O.J. Simpson, convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping, deserves leniency in sentencing as he is a first-time offender who showed no criminal intent, his attorney says in court papers.</p> <p>O.J. Simpson should receive a six-year sentence in a 2007 hotel room confrontation, his attorney says.</p>

Hey mom, how clean is that Chuck E. Cheese? The answer is "not very". MomLogic.com conducted a down and dirty investigation with the help of "Dr Germ" himself, famed microbiologist Charles Gerba. Dr. Gerba went to three locations in California and swabbed a variety of surfaces in the restaurant and arcade areas, such as play mats, trays, chairs, tables, and games. Among the discoveries from the analyses were: --Serratia Rubidaea, a rare cause of respiratory tract infections, wound and blood infections, found on the Yellow Bus Ride in Pasadena. --Enterobacter sakazakii, which can cause necrotizing enterocolitis, bacteremia, and infant meningitis,...

ST. LOUIS - Under the Gateway to the West, the St. Louis arch, Barack Obama addressed an estimated 100,000 people in the “red” Show Me State just 17 days before the general election - his biggest rally to date in the United States.

Civil rights icon and Georgia congressman John Lewis is accusing John McCain and Sarah Palin of stoking hate, likening the atmosphere at Republican campaign events to those featuring George Wallace, the segregationist former governor of Alabama and presidential candidate. "What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history," Lewis said in a statement issued today.  "Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse." Lewis didn't accuse McCain of imitating Wallace, but suggested there were similarities. "George Wallace...