World/Nation
More than 4 million people watched 1st dog telethon
LOS ANGELES - More than 4,400 people filed adoption papers for homeless dogs during what was billed as the first all-star dog adoption telethon, producers say.
"If only half of those result in adoptions, that would be huge," director Michael Levitt said.
Seventy dogs from rescues across the country were featured on the two-hour Thanksgiving night telecast - a show the producers see becoming a fixture in the future.
More than 4 million people tuned to the show, which was co-hosted by actresses Hilary Swank and Jane Lynch, and aired on donated time from the Fox Network.
Besides the permanent homes offered, 250 people signed up as foster parents for homeless dogs, Levitt said.
Swank said for her, the magic of "Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular" was "watching the dream of saving hundreds of dogs turn into the reality that became thousands as the awareness was raised of the severe homeless pet problem."
Obama: Sony erred in shelving film after pressure by hackers
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama declared Friday that Sony "made a mistake" in shelving a satirical film about a plot to assassinate North Korea's leader, and he pledged the U.S. would respond "in a place and manner and time that we choose" to the hacking attack on Sony that led to the withdrawal. The FBI blamed the hack on the communist government.
Speaking of executives at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Obama said at a year-end news conference, "I wish they had spoken to me first. ... We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship."
Obama said he imagined situations in which dictators "start seeing a documentary that they don't like or news reports that they don't like."
Sony said it had no choice but to cancel distribution of the movie since theaters were refusing to show it. North Korea denied anew that it had hacked the studio.
"There is not any connection," U.N. diplomat Kim Song told The Associated Press. Song criticized the film but disputed his government hacked Sony and orchestrated the movie's shutdown: "It defamed the image of our country. It made a mockery of our sovereignty. We reject it. But there is no relation" to the hacking.
Fidel Castro silent amid historic thaw in Cuba-US relations
HAVANA - Everyone in Cuba is talking about the startling turn in relations with the United States, with one notable exception: Fidel Castro.
So far, the larger-than-life retired Cuban leader has made no public comment on the biggest news in years - that the U.S. and his island nation will restore diplomatic relations after more than 50 years of hostility.
His brother, President Raul Castro, announced the historic shift in a surprise television appearance Wednesday and there was speculation he could address it again during the Cuban National Assembly, which started one of its twice-annual sessions Friday.
Among those speaking on the topic was Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela Castro. She said moves by President Barack Obama to ease some travel and trade restrictions with the island are welcome but won't lead to the downfall of the communist system.
"If the U.S. thinks these changes will bring Cuba back to capitalism and return it to being a servile country to hegemonic interests of the most powerful financial groups in the U.S., they must be dreaming," she told The Associated Press.
Parents of Colorado theater shooting suspect plea for his life
DENVER - The parents of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes begged Friday for his life to be spared through a plea bargain - a move that rekindled the long-running, emotional debate about whether the horrific details of the mass killing should be played out during his upcoming trial.
The statement released by Robert and Arlene Holmes emphasized a key legal issue in the tortured history of the case - James Holmes' mental state when he killed 12 people and injured 70 others, and whether he should die if convicted of the crime.
"He is a human being gripped by a severe mental illness," the parents wrote in just their second public comments since the 2012 attack. "We have always loved him, and we do not want him to be executed."
The statement also thrust the mass shooting into the spotlight once again at a time of heightened concerns over theater safety. The hackers who prompted Sony to withhold the release of "The Interview" had threatened violence against theaters.
Prosecutors previously rejected at least one proposed plea deal made by attorneys for Holmes, criticizing the lawyers for publicizing the offer and calling it a ploy meant to draw the public and the judge into what should be private plea negotiations.