Penalties

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John F. Kerry implored Congress on Thursday not to impose tough new sanctions on Iran, warning that such a move could disrupt diplomacy over Tehran's disputed nuclear program at a delicate moment. Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry said that because Iran is two months away from an election, new U.S. economic penalties could become an inflamed political issue and reduce the chances of a deal to curb the nuclear program. "There's an enormous amount of jockeying going on, with the obvious normal tension between hard-liners and people who want to make an agreement," he told committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)

NASCAR on Wednesday levied stiff fines against the teams of reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and teammate Joey Logano because their cars were found to have unapproved suspension systems before Saturday's race at Texas Motor Speedway. Keselowski's crew chief Paul Wolfe, Logano's crew chief Todd Gordon and some other team members of the two Penske Racing Fords were suspended for the next six points-paying races along with the non-points Sprint All-Star Race on May 18. The crew chiefs also were fined $100,000 each.

Tiger Woods has been the butt of many jokes since his marital meltdown in 2009, and new girlfriend Lindsey Vonn's ex-husband, Thomas Vonn, has joined the chorus of would-be comedians. Woods came under scrutiny on Friday night after he took a questionable drop following his watery approach at No. 15 during the second round of the Masters tournament. His original shot struck the flagstick on the fly and drew back into Rae's Creek in front of the green. It seems Masters officials took some phone calls from television viewers who called out Tiger for taking his drop from behind his original spot when he determined the designated drop zone was less than desirable.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - The ornery, tormenting course has taken so much back over two days, and now a brimming Sunday at Augusta National will give everyone everything they could want at the Masters. There is Angel Cabrera, the unaffected Argentine who brought coffee to the practice range on a sun-splashed Saturday morning and a pack of cigarettes to the interview room. There are three Australians lingering near the lead, swinging against the history of their countrymen's past failings on this ground.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — In the aftermath of Friday's controversial slow-play penalty at the Masters, there were many dueling opinions. We'll go with "Bravo, John Paramor. " He is the rules official from England, affectionately (or otherwise) known as Big John. He has been at this since 1976 and is known and properly feared worldwide by pro golfers. Over the years, the Masters has had several shots heard 'round the world. When Paramor walked up to 14-year-old amateur Tianlang Guan of China on the 17th tee Friday and informed him he was being assessed a one-shot penalty for slow play, it was another one. The news skittered through the magnolias and azaleas like a candy wrapper in the wind.

Some friends and relatives of the victims of July's movie theater shooting spree in Aurora, Colo., in which 12 people were killed and dozens injured, are pleased that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against alleged gunman James Holmes and have rebuffed his offer to plead guilty in exchange for life in prison. Should their opinions matter? My short, if politically unpopular answer, is no. It's natural that the victims' loved ones are talking in terms of an eye for an eye and a death for a death (actually many deaths)

WASHINGTON - In a lopsided vote, the Senate launched a debate Thursday over the most significant gun legislation in more than a decade, setting up a contest that could last weeks between reinvigorated advocates for stricter laws and conservatives who oppose them as a violation of the 2nd Amendment. The bipartisan 68-31 vote, which saw 16 Republicans join 52 Democrats and independents to begin consideration of gun legislation, was a setback for gun rights advocates who had threatened to block it. The bill includes provisions to spend more on school security and to increase penalties for selling guns to felons and others banned from ownership.

SACRAMENTO -- Just days after hoax 911 calls were made involving the homes of Justin Timberlake,  Rihanna and Sean Combs, state lawmakers acted Tuesday to advance a bill creating heavy financial penalties for those making false calls known as "swatting. " On Friday, the LAPD responded to calls of shots being fired at Timberlake's Hollywood Hills home but found no evidence to back the report, indicating he is a victim of a prank call. On Tuesday, the state Senate Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to approve a bill by Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance)

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- The murder trial of James E. Holmes, accused in last year's deadly attack on a suburban movie theater, will not start until 2014 and will go forward under a new judge, officials decided on Monday after the prosecution announced it will seek the death penalty and rejected a guilty plea offer by the defense. The defense was ready to allow Holmes to plead guilty in exchange for the prosecution taking the death penalty off of the table. But a grim George Brauchler, district attorney for Colorado's 18th Judicial District, formally rejected the offer in court on Monday.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - When the district attorney announced Monday that the suspect in the Aurora theater massacre could face the death penalty, one spectator pumped his fist in triumph. Others held their heads in their hands. George Brauchler, elected district attorney for Colorado's 18th Judicial District in November, said he had wrestled with the decision for months. "It is my determination and my intention that in this case, for James Eagan Holmes, justice is death," Brauchler said quietly.