WASHINGTON – At a time when the rest of the country is tightening its belt, members of Congress are trying to encourage the federal government to get rid of some of its own ungainly bloat — by offloading vacant, underused and dilapidated properties. “We must take action to stem this …

Michael Jackson|Sen. John Kerry Jacko Almost Hip-Hopped to Def Jam Michael Jackson almost left Sony for Def Jam Records last year. Jennifer Lopez almost didn’t strike up her musical collaboration with her rap savior, Ja Rule. And rap impresario Irv Gotti doesn’t take no for an answer. Those arejust three …

Russell Crowe | Beatles, Phil Spector | ‘The Producers’ | Halloween Boos Russell Crowe: Master of His Domain Russell Crowe is having his cake and eating it, too, these days. Or rather, not eating it any more. Rumors of Crowe’s tremendous weight gain proved false on Saturday night when the …

And now the most compelling two minutes in television, the latest from the wartime grapevine: FOX Fans: Missed the Grapevine? Watch it in the Screening Room! Disclosing Secrets? Michigan Democratic Sen. Carl Levin made what appeared to be an extraordinary disclosure on FOX News Sunday yesterday: Namely that when he …

AKRON, Ohio – Pregnant smokers in one northeast Ohio county can get free diapers in exchange for permanently kicking the habit through a new health program. Summit County’s Baby & Me-Tobacco Free program aims to reduce premature births and infant mortality, as studies have linked smoking during pregnancy to preterm …

DETROIT – A judge has scheduled a final day of testimony for a 13-year-old Detroit boy who was found in his basement after an 11-day search last summer. Charlie Bothuell is testifying against his father, also named Charlie Bothuell, and his stepmother, Monique Dillard-Bothuell. A judge must decide whether there’s …

DALLAS – A Texan who bid $350,000 to hunt a black rhinoceros in Africa in what was billed as a conservation fundraiser has killed one of the endangered animals. The Dallas Safari Club confirmed Thursday that Corey Knowlton killed a black rhino this week in Namibia. Executive director Ben Carter …

MADRID – Spain’s Constitutional Court has struck down a decree by a regional government that tried to protect people in economic difficulty by allowing empty houses owned by banks to be temporarily confiscated for use as homes. The country’s top court ruled Tuesday in favor of an appeal by Spain’s …

HONG KONG – Hong Kong regulators are investigating a leading Chinese solar panel maker owned by billionaire Li Hejun after its shares took a sudden and unexplained plunge. The Securities and Futures Commission’s announcement Thursday came a day after Li was quoted in Chinese state media saying there was no …

SINGAPORE – China vigorously defended its South China Sea land reclamation projects in the face of persistent criticism from U.S. leaders at an international security summit Saturday as the standoff in the Asia-Pacific region shows few signs of abating. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other officials sharply condemned the …