The builders of the Sen. Marco Rubio brand

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Marco Rubio is on a breathless rise, a testament to his political skill and demographic appeal that last week saw him delivering the Republican State of the Union response and appearing on the cover of Time as “The Republican Savior.”But behind the scenes is a relentless, methodical effort to build the Rubio brand, aided by a team of strategists and media...

Read More..

Mindy McCready Dies of Apparent Suicide

Sources confirm to ET that country music singer Mindy McCready has died. She was 37 years old.RELATED: Stars We LostAccording to a police report from the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office in Arkansas, deputies responded to a report of gun shots fired on Sunday afternoon. Upon arriving, officers reportedly found Mindy McCready's body on the front porch and pronounced her dead at the scene from what...

Read More..

A Mayor unplugged from reality

Mayor Bloomberg wants to double down on electric vehicles, but it’s a bad bet for New York.In his State of the City speech last week, Bloomberg said he wants to add 10,000 new electric-vehicle charging stations over the next seven years. To that end, he wants the City Council to amend building codes so that 20 percent of all new parking spaces must be “wired...

Read More..

The Miami Beach cop and the meth dealers: a tawdry tale

While other cops strived for the big bust or sergeant’s stripes, George Navarro Jr. had other aspirations. The Miami Beach patrolman yearned for the ultimate score, his friends told investigators: to engineer an epic drug deal, one that would make him rich and allow him to leave law enforcement behind.They called it the “Coke Dream.”That dream is dead now, as may be Navarro’s...

Read More..

Hugh Grant is a Dad Again

Hugh Grant confirmed Saturday that he is a dad again.PICS: Celebs and Their Cute KidsThe 52-year-old British actor tweeted, "In answer to some journos. Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother. Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum."Hugh and actress Tinglan Hong welcomed a daughter named Tabitha in 2011. No word yet on what Tabitha's little brother is named.Related: Hugh Grant...

Read More..

Required Reading

Middle Menby Jim Gavin (Simon & Schuster)The guys (mostly Southern Californians) in Gavin’s first story collection are not at the top of the heap. They are trying to at least achieve fine middle-class lives. With a sharp, witty eye, Gavin gives us a game-show assistant whose high-powered host sends him to steal his dog back from an ex-wife (“Elephant...

Read More..

State’s flawed contracting process comes under fire

TALLAHASSEE -- In the last two years, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater has agreed to let the state lose $48 million. That’s the amount of taxpayer money Atwater spent to settle dozens of bad contracts and grants that he said could have been avoided had the state done a better job cutting the deals. “We could have built two elementary schools with that money,’’...

Read More..

'Escape from Planet Earth' Interview

Jessica Alba, Rob Corddry, William Shatner, Sofía Vergara and George Lopez are among the all-star voice cast creating laughs in the fast-paced, animated comedy-adventure Escape from Planet Earth, and they tell ET's Brooke Anderson that it's the perfect film for the whole family.Pics: 13 Must-See Movies of 2013 In theaters now, the out-of-this-world 3D comedy is told from the alien point of view, following...

Read More..

Pull the Plug On Chuck Hagel

Linda Chavez Chuck Hagel’s nomination to be secretary of defense is in trouble — as it should be. The former Republican senator has so much baggage, it is amazing that the administration hasn’t dumped him, as they did Susan Rice when her proposed nomination ran into trouble. Unfortunately, having won that battle, the GOP may be in weaker...

Read More..

Credit reports still not error-free

Lucky you if you’re one of the many consumers who recognize an error in your credit file and are able to successfully dispute it, get it removed and receive the credit rating you deserve.But woe to those who find errors and still have trouble getting corrections from any of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion.That’s the conclusion of a long-awaited...

Read More..