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TULSA, Oklahoma - Police closed streets around the federal courthouse in downtown Tulsa Thursday morning. Tulsa Police told News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright, three Middle Eastern men parked a car near the federal courthouse at 3rd and Denver and ran off. Police said they found a backpack in the car and are treating it as a possible bomb. Police say the backpack is in the backseat of a gold BMW. The department's bomb squad is on scene and bomb techs are not examining the backpack. Police tell Lori Fullbright the men who ran have been located and are...

Surprised nobody has started this. Hearing currently underway, with witnesses new IRS Commissioner Werfel and IG George. Currently, George is giving his opening statement...

My self-explanatory e-mail to the Corporate Petsmart website: "Yesterday I made what will be my last Petsmart purchase, at your store in Chino Hills, and tomorrow I will be divesting myself of the Petsmart stock that I own. I'm not one of these people who has a chip on their shoulder about the use of the phrase "Happy Holidays" as a means of being inclusive during this season, unless it's accompanied by a PC-based prohibition against employees saying "Merry Christmas" when similarly greeted. However, when I arrived at your store, I was greeted by a sign that said (listed top...

Protestors pushing a boycott against the state of Arizona in reaction to a new immigration law there have taken their fight to the AriZona Beverage Company—apparently without realizing that the company is based in New York. The new law, which will allow state police to request citizenship papers from people they believe could be illegal immigrants, has sparked broad outrage and led to calls to boycott Arizona-based companies. AriZona Beverage Company, however, was founded by two men from Brooklyn—Don Vultaggio and John Ferolito—in 1992. Its headquarters have been on Long Island for the past 16 years. The company's Web site...

NEW YORK – Prolific mystery writer Donald Westlake has died at the age of 75. Westlake's wife, Abigail, tells The New York Times the author collapsed as he headed to a New Year's Eve dinner while on vacation in Mexico. His wife says he apparently had a heart attack. He and Dortmunder will be missed.

WASHINGTON - The most liberal member of Congress running for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination isn't Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. It's Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. And the Republican candidate who's grown less conservative over his years in Congress? Sen. John McCain of Arizona. The study, released this month by the National Journal, a respected inside-the-Beltway research report, will help voters cut through the spin and hype of TV sound bites in coming months and judge these candidates for themselves. Those are among the interesting findings in a recent analysis of votes by all the members of Congress who...

Earlier this week, I did a phone interview with Congressman Duncan Hunter, a former Chairman of the Armed Services Committee and a former ranger in Vietnam, who is one of the Republican contenders vying for the presidency in 2008. What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation. PS: I can tell you from talking to Hunter that he is VERY PASSIONATE about building a fence on the border and about any and all things related to the military. He also seems to have a pretty good sense of humor. John Hawkins: Talk to us about the war in Iraq....

WASHINGTON - The House's debate over Iraq turned deeply personal Thursday as opposing groups of warriors-turned-lawmakers recounted their own riveting stories from World War II through Iraq. Eager to trade on the veterans' credibility, Republican and Democratic leaders yielded microphones on and off the House floor to veterans whose private pain gave the discussion the weight of experience. The war storytelling was expected to continue through the week, with floor speeches Thursday from such Republican veterans as Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) of California, a decorated Vietnam veteran who is running for president.

Take note, presidential prognosticators: Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R) may have earned a rousing reception at the California GOP convention last weekend, but Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has more public supporters in Congress.

1. Duncan Hunter was born on May 31,1948, in Riverside, Calif., where his father was a real estate developer. He and his wife, Lynne, have two sons–one a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq–and several grandchildren. 2. He dropped out of college to serve in the military, where he was an Army Ranger paratrooper in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971. He received a Bronze Star for his service in 24 helicopter combat assaults. 3. While attending night school to earn his law degree from Western State University through the GI Bill, he supplemented his income by working in...

I need the help of someone versed in military insignia. I'm trying to I.D. a ribbon lapel pin which I believe to be Army-issued, and one that could have been awarded in WWII. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find it in any of my Internet searches of merchants who deal in such things. The pin in question is red, with six white vertical stripes, three at each end. Can anyone tell me what this pin signifies? Thanks to anyone who can.

Two trains have collided in the Atwater Village area of Glendale, CA. One appears to be a Union Pacific engine, and the other a southbound Metrolink passenger train. Currently reporting one dead, two critical. Unclear at this point if the Union Pacific engine was moving or stationary at the time of the collision. Developing...

A screening of Fahrenheit 9/11 followed by a Q&A with writer/director Michael Moore (moderated by Creative Screenwriting Magazine's Jeff Goldsmith) When: Wednesday, December 1st, at 7:30 pm Where: Fahrenheit 9/11 will be at DGA Theater #1 (600 seats) located at 7920 Sunset Blvd. 90046. There is free parking underneath the building. If parking on the street, please read all posted signs as there is permitted residential parking near the theater.

Is it any wonder HP has seen their fortunes fall? If my recent experience is any indicator, I'm not surprised. A couple of months ago I bought an HP OfficeJet 5510 for my wife to use. In trying to hook it up, I discovered that a fundamental item for connecting it was missing from the box; the USB cable. I called the HP "Customer Support" (quotes are intentional and appropriate) line, and was told that the device isn't shipped with a USB cable. Sure enough, when I looked at the tiny-type inventory of contents on the box, no USB cable...

Just heard on the bottom-of-the-hour newsbreak on KOGO. Arrest warrants have been issued for San Diego City Council members Michael Zucchet, Charles Lewis, and Deputy Mayor Ralph Inzunza. This comes after FBI raids of their offices in tandem with raids on strip clubs believed to have been involved in bribing said Democrats to water down laws regarding such clubs.

Anti-war protestors are holding a protest at the Federal Building in Westwood, and have shut down Wilshire Boulevard, blocking access to the 405. The hilarious thing about this is that they've chosen about the most anti-war area in the country for this protest, so they're mostly inconveniencing their own.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- John Hartford, a versatile and wry performer who wrote the standard "Gentle On My Mind" and turned his back on Hollywood to return to bluegrass music, died Monday at a hospital after a long battle with cancer. He was 63. The singer-songwriter, comedian, tap-clog dancer, television performer and riverboat enthusiast had cancer for more than a decade. He died about 4:45 p.m., said hospital spokesman Russ Gannon. "Gentle On My Mind" has been broadcast on radio or television more than 6 million times, according to Broadcast Music Inc., which collects song royalties. It has been recorded more ...

Apparently it was just reported that Robert Ludlum, author of assorted espionage thrillers, died today at his home in Naples, Florida, of a heart attack at age 73.

In anticipation of the November 14 DVD release of The Perfect Storm, Warner Home Video will honor the men and women who risked their own lives to save those lost and stranded at sea, and those who worked tirelessly to rebuild the ravaged New England coast. To raise awareness for the round-the-clock bravery of the American Red Cross, Warner Home Video has launched of an international 'Tell-a-Friend' e-mail campaign. The e-mail message and 'The Perfect Storm' Web site will provide a way for the public to help the American Red Cross disaster relief programs. Every time the e-mail is passed ...

Opening her show today, Dr. Laura read a letter from a listener in Maine who was disturbed over the reports of the Bush DUI incident. It prompted her to question whether or not she could vote for him as a man of integrity. Dr. Laura responded by pointing out the Clintonesque fingerprints all over this report and its timing, and said that even if she had previously been planning to vote for Gore or an independent, she would now be voting for Bush as a way of protesting the sleaze. She is going on to talk about the fact that ...