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Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resorts to the slippery slope argument against gay marriage.
 
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Published: May 22, 2013 at 2:58 PM
By CAROLINE LEE, UPI.com

Donald Rumsfeld talked about his good civil rights record with Larry King on ORA TV on Monday but did not include same-sex marriage as one of those civil rights.

Rumsfeld, 80, is the former secretary of defense. Rumsfeld opposes gay marriage -- he said that letting gay adults marry might lead to polygamy. "You know, I listen to some of the Supreme Court justices and think, 'What's next? Is it two people?...'" Rumsfeld said in the interview.

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When children of two of the most prominent Hasidic Jewish families in the world were wed in Jerusalem, thousands of guest turned out to witness the ceremony.
Published: May 22, 2013 at 2:55 PM
By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com

The wedding between members of two prominent Ultra-Orthodox Jewish families in Jerusalem drew a remarkable 25,000 guests from all over the world.

Guests had to use binoculars to see the ceremony in which 18-year-old Shalom Rokeach wed 19-year-old Hannah Batya Penet.

According to the Independent, Rokeach is the only male heir to the Blez Rebbe aristocratic dynasty, which can trace its roots to 14th-century Poland and leads one of the largest communities of Ultra-Orthodox Jews in the world.

The videos below give some sense of the scope of the massive ceremony.

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The 21-year-old "Teen Mom" star confirms she'll be starring in a new "reality docu-soap."
Published: May 22, 2013 at 2:32 PM

Farrah Abraham is set to star in a new TV show.

The former "Teen Mom" star broke the news Tuesday in a tweet where she confirmed the rumors claiming she was partnering with Spinboi Films.

According to Spinboi Films' Facebook page the show will be a "a new reality docu-soap."

Abraham's new deal comes a month after the reality star made headlines for appearing in a sex tape with porn star James Deen.

The 21-year-old mother rose to fame in 2008 while starring on MTV's "Teen Moom." When the show ended after four seasons Abrahams said she was already close to having a new TV deal.

On Wednesday, Abraham was spotted having lunch with Spinboi Films's vice president Patrick Hartz. She tweeted a photo of the meeting calling him her "boss."


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Two men carried out a vicious attack on a man described as a soldier, raising fears of a possible terror attack in London.
One of the suspects, captured in this footage obtained by ITV, holds a bloodied knife. Watch the video
Published: May 22, 2013 at 2:07 PM
By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com

The brutal killing of a man in south-east London Wednesday is being described by police as a "frenzied machete attack" and treated as an act of terrorism.

Eyewitnesses described a brutal attack in which two men approached the victim with knives and guns.

"They were hacking at this poor guy, literally," said one witness, named only as James. "They were hacking at him, chopping him, cutting him."

"These two guys were crazed," he said, according to the Guardian. "They were just animals. They dragged him from the pavement and dumped his body in the middle of the road and left his body there."

A spokeswoman for MP Nick Raynsford said the dead soldier was stationed at Woolwich barracks. Those reports have been unconfirmed by the Ministry of Defense.

"Two men, who we believe from early reports to have been carrying weapons, were shot by police, said Metropolitan police Commander Simon Letchford in a statement. "They were taken to separate London hospitals, they are receiving treatment for their injuries."

The British Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has raised the terrorism threat level to "substantial," the third of five possible levels, and Home Secretary Theresa May called a meeting of the government's emergency response committee, Cobra.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who was in France for a meeting with French President Francois Hollande and planned to stay in Paris overnight, said he would return to London Wednesday.


Eyewitnesses described the two suspects as standing around as if they hoped to "be on TV or something." ITV obtained footage of one of the suspects, with bloodied hands, holding a knife.

"We swear by Almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you," the man says in the video. "The only reasons we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day."

"This British soldier is an eye for an eye a tooth for tooth. We apologise that women had to see this today but in our lands our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don't care about you."



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Massachusetts Lt. Governor Timothy Murray is resigning, set to take job at Chamber of Commerce.
Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. (CC/TWP)
Published: May 22, 2013 at 1:53 PM
By KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com

Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray is resigning his post in June, and is expected to accept a position as CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The resignation comes amid campaign finance allegations, with WBZ-TV reporting in February that Murray continued to raise campaign funds despite deciding not to run to succeed Governor Deval Patrick in 2014. At the time Murray said he may be a candidate in the future, noting he "will continue to be politically active over the next couple of years."

Questions have also surrounded a 2011 early-morning car crash in a state vehicle, and Murray’s connection to Michael McLaughlin, who pleaded guilty to four felony counts of understating his annual salary by about $140,000 while working as the director of the Chelsea Holding Authority.

The Boston Globe reports that Murray was well-liked within the administration, which actively helped him find a job in the private sector.

Murray, a former mayor of Worcester, will reportedly be paid $200,000 per year in his new position there, up from $125,000 in office. The state constitution does not provide for an appointment to replace Murray, meaning Gov. Patrick will operate without a lieutenant governor until his term expires in January 2015. Secretary of State William F. Galvin will serve as acting governor when Patrick is out of state.

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The fifth-grade class of Highcrest Middle School has everyone seeing double.
Published: May 22, 2013 at 1:45 PM
By CAROLINE LEE, UPI.com

A Wilmette, Ill. school has contacted the Guinness Book of World Records to see if their fifth-grade class has the most sets of twins in history.

One parent thought they might have a record when he was looking through the school directory, CBS Chicago reported.

In the directory, children have their grade level listed next to the names. Mike Novosel, the father of twins Ryan and Luke, was flipping through and saw a surprising number with 5-5 next to them, meaning that the children were both in fifth grade. He counted 23 sets of twins.

Novosel contacted the Guinness Book of World Records editors before telling anybody about it. The record-keeping series requested multiple forms of proof: birth certificates, school registration information and a photo of the twins together: all 46 children.

Of the 23 sets of twins, only one pair is identical. The rest are fraternal. And one set of twins has different birthdays, each born within minutes of midnight.

The twins make up 46 children out of the grade's 480 -- nearly 10 percent of the class. Nationally, the birth rate of twins has jumped, thanks in part to advancements in fertility drugs. One in 30 children in the United States is born a twin.

So far, Guinness has not come upon any exceptions that would keep the school from hitting the record. Novosel plans to keep track of their class as they finish middle school and are fed into a bigger high school -- and an even bigger potential for more twins.

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A Ryan Gosling film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival was booed during its initial screening.
Ryan Gosling File/UPI/Jim Ruymen 
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Published: May 22, 2013 at 1:30 PM
By CAROLINE LEE, UPI.com

Ryan Gosling couldn't make it to the Cannes Film Festival this year despite starring in one of its premieres, "Only God Forgives."

Gosling, 32, wrote a letter to Cannes director Thierry Fremaux apologizing for his absence. The Canadian actor was directing a movie of his own in Detroit, he wrote. It will be Gosling's directorial debut. Fremaux said he was sad Gosling couldn't make it.

It might have been better this way, though, as the film was booed, presumably for its violent content and tragic plot, the Globe and Mail reported.

"Only God Forgives" stars Gosling as a boxing club owner in Bangkok, whose mother pushes him to avenge his brother's murder. It was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, who said he understood why Gosling had to miss the premiere.

“I would never even do it if I was in his situation,” Refn said. “When you’re directing, it’s another arena."

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What happens in Biebs's house stays in Biebs's house. Or else.
Justin Bieber File/UPI/Jim Ruymen 
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Published: May 22, 2013 at 1:26 PM
By CAROLINE LEE, UPI.com

After rumors swirled about Justin Bieber going out with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez in Las Vegas, he found out the hard way that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there.

But Bieber is trying to make sure that shenanigans at his house will fare better on the privacy scale than those in Vegas. He says he will sue anyone that leaks details of his house parties.

TMZ reported that Bieber has all of his guests sign a non-disclosure agreement before entering his Calabasas, Calif. home.

The terms of the agreement say that anyone who violates it will be served a suit for $5 million in damages. Further charges stack up if partygoers tweet or Instagram the parties.

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Brian Urlacher has decided to retire rather than pursue other teams upon leaving the Chicago Bears.
 
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Published: May 22, 2013 at 1:15 PM
By CAROLINE LEE, UPI.com

Brian Urlacher will not play in the NFL in 2013, according to his post on WhoSay.

Urlacher, 34, became a free agent after the 2012 season, his 13th for the Chicago Bears. He earned numerous honors as a Bear, including Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000. He was selected for eight pro bowls.

For the 2013 period, Urlacher was offered a deal that was just over the veteran minimum, and Urlacher elected to decline the offer.

He was reported to be in talks with the Broncos and the Vikings earlier this year, but has decided to leave football.

"I'm not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that's up to my standards," Urlacher said in his statement. "When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after a 13-year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear."

See his full statement here.

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Zakia and Makia Clark were prompted to leave the King of Prussia mall for wearing controversial hats in mourning over the death of their mother.
Updated May 22, 2013 at 3:02 PM
Published: May 22, 2013 at 1:14 PM

Two sisters were kicked out of a Philadelphia mall for sporting controversial hats that read "Fu*k Cancer." The letter "C" was replaced by a pink ribbon, an international symbol of breast cancer awareness.

ABC News reports that Zakia and Makia Clark were wearing the hats at the King of Prussia mall when security approached them and asked them to take the hats off or leave.

"I said, 'I'm not leaving. I spend money here and I'm not going to leave,'" said Zakia. "He said, 'You know what? Shut your mouth. That was your cue to stop shopping.' So I removed my hat."

The Clark sisters were reportedly shopping for dresses for their mother's funeral. Jackie Underwood, 51, died last Tuesday after a long battle with breast cancer.

According to Zakia, management told her and her sister that the mall was a family destination and that certain words or images could offend many of the visitors. However, the sisters claim that many stores in the building, Urban Outfitters being one of them, often sell apparel and accessories with expletives on display.

"To say they don't want that in their mall, but they sell it... it just wasn't right," said Makia. "It wasn't right to kick us out, and you sell things with curse words on them."

Mall officials approached the sisters after the incident and reportedly offered to donate to a cancer charity of their choosing.

In addition, the mall released an official statement regarding the incident.

King of Prussia Mall would first like to express its condolences to the young women regarding the loss of their mother. King of Prussia Mall is a proud supporter of breast cancer awareness and other important causes however, the mall is first and foremost a family destination. Certain words and images, whether obvious or suggested, spoken or written on clothing, are considered profane and can offend many people. In keeping with the mall's Code of Conduct, security approached the women who were first asked respectfully to remove their caps and when they refused, were asked to leave. King of Prussia Mall is dedicated to providing a family-friendly atmosphere for all our shoppers and such profanity is not tolerated.

-Robert Hart, Mall Manager

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