Remark

Bob Costas, who has been heavily criticized in some quarters for his remarks about guns Sunday in the wake of the murder-suicide committed by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, said Tuesday night that he was not calling for gun control but rather wanted to push for a candid conversation about America's gun culture. Costas told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, “Where some people may have misunderstood my comments was I took one aspect of it .... I do not think this is the only aspect or possible aspect.

It's an award that any NFL player would be proud of, but none would choose to endure. Comeback player of the year. The field is especially crowded this season, with an inordinate number of standout players returning from season-ending injuries, the type of infirmities that in another era would have terminated a career. There's Peyton Manning, of course, the Denver Broncos quarterback who sat out his final season with the Indianapolis Colts and underwent four neck procedures.

Rather than launch a follow-up to Charlie Sheen's "Violent Torpedo of Truth" live tour, "Two and a Half Men" star Angus T. Jones is partially apologizing for his recent comments against the successful CBS sitcom. The 19-year-old actor made headlines Monday after appearing in a testimonial posted by the Forerunner Christian Church in which he labeled the long-running program "filth" and urged people not to watch it - in addition to noting his desire to no longer be part of the series.

WASHINGTON - Susan Rice would seem to have everything going for her: close ties to President Obama, charter membership in the Washington foreign policy establishment, and seasoning after four years as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. But her path to becoming America's top diplomat looks increasingly rocky. White House officials circulated word three weeks ago that the former Rhodes scholar was Obama's top pick to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton when she steps down next year.

Toyota Motor Corp. appears poised to regain its position as the world's largest automaker, a remarkable turnaround after years of safety recalls, huge federal fines and the Japanese earthquake last year. In short order, surging sales have put that all in the rearview mirror. Toyota is likely to sell 9.7 million vehicles this year, surpassing second-place General Motors Co. by more than 1 million vehicles and setting a record for annual auto sales. That's generating huge profits, with earnings tripling in the latest quarter to $3.2 billion and sales surging almost 20% compared with a year earlier.

Max Wittek and Matt Barkley huddled briefly Tuesday after practice, the USC quarterbacks sharing a laugh and perhaps strategy before facing a phalanx of reporters and camera operators in separate interviews. Wittek wore a grin on his bearded face, Barkley a black sling on his injured right arm. For Wittek, a redshirt freshman who will start in place of Barkley on Saturday against Notre Dame, it was a first turn in the spotlight. While Barkley met with reporters, Wittek did a radio interview.

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers on Sunday targeted U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's talking points about the Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, vowing to find out who changed the original language and why. The incident left four Americans dead, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Days later, Rice said the administration's preliminary view was that the attack was a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Islamic video, rather than a planned terrorist attack. But Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

Mitt Romney, who just two weeks ago was the Republican Party's standard-bearer, seen by many as the all-but-elected president of the United States, has turned into a punching bag for fellow Republicans looking to distance themselves from his controversial “gifts” remark. “What the president's campaign did was focus on certain members of his base coalition, give them extraordinary financial gifts from the government, and then work very aggressively to turn them out to vote,” Romney said during a call with campaign donors Wednesday . Whether it's an instance of politicians smelling blood in the water as the party, following Romney's defeat, finds itself without a figurehead, or genuine outrage, a number of Republicans have eagerly castigated their former nominee.

In the House of the Interpreter A Memoir Ngugi wa Thiong'o Pantheon: 256 pp., $25.95 "In the House of the Interpreter," the new memoir by the celebrated African writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o, takes us to the hopeful and turbulent world of 1950s Kenya. And it begins with a startling image. Ngugi is a teenager, returning home from his prestigious boarding school. He's finished his first term at the top of his class and is still wearing his khaki school uniform and blue tie. Carrying his belongings in a wooden box, he reaches the ridge where his village should come into view.

This post has been updated. Please see details below. NEWINGTON, N.H. - [ Updated, 10:19 a.m.: Mitt Romney seized on a remark President Obama made about voting against the GOP nominee as the “best revenge,” highlighting the comment on the stump and planning to air an ad on it as he launched a three-state, four-rally day on Saturday.] The dust-up is over a comment Obama made on Friday while stumping in Springfield, Ohio. When the president mentioned Romney's name, the crowd booed.