Withdrawal

Kylie Fitts, a defensive lineman from Redlands East Valley High who was once committed to USC, announced Tuesday night that he would attend UCLA, the final stab on a tumultuous day for Trojans Coach Lane Kiffin and his staff on the eve of national signing day. Fitts' announcement came after three out-of-state recruits - defensive back Jalen Ramsey of Tennessee and defensive linemen Jason Hatcher of Kentucky and Torrodney Prevot of Texas - reportedly...

Amid partisan questioning from both sides in former Sen. Chuck Hagel's confirmation hearing last week, a major opportunity was lost. Hagel's fellow Republicans grilled the Defense secretary nominee on past statements about Israel and his opposition to President George W. Bush's 2007 surge in Iraq. Democrats, defending their president's choice, tossed him softballs. What Hagel wasn't asked about in any depth was Afghanistan, where about 66,000 U.S. troops are still risking their lives for a mission that no longer seems clear.

Citing a back injury, Vijay Singh withdrew from the Phoenix Open on Thursday, a day after saying he used deer-antler spray, but was unaware that it contained a banned substance. “In fact, when I first received the product, I reviewed the list of ingredients and did not see any prohibited substances,” Singh said Wednesday. “I am absolutely shocked that deer-antler spray may contain a banned substance and am angry that I have put myself in this position. I have been in contact with the PGA Tour and am cooperating fully with their review of this matter.

LA JOLLA -- Torrey Pines lost a heavy hitter Thursday morning when Masters champion  Bubba Watson , citing illness, announced he was withdrawing from the  Farmers Insurance Open . Watson pulled out before his 9:30 a.m. tee-time grouping with  Phil Mickelson  and  Brandt Snedeker . "Pulling out of tourney this morning, don't have energy for golf," Watson tweeted. "Feel the same as Maui. " Watson recently had suffered a stomach illness at the Tournament of Champions event in Kapalua.

WASHINGTON - President Obama nominated John F. Kerry, the five-term Democratic senator from Massachusetts, to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State, but delayed naming a new Defense chief amid growing criticism of the expected nominee for that post. Appearing with Kerry at the White House, Obama said Friday that the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had "played a central role in every major foreign policy debate for nearly 30 years.

Instagram has said it will remove language from its new terms of service that would have allowed users' photos to be part of advertisements that would run within the photo sharing social network. Kevin Systrom, the social network's co-founder, said Instagram doesn't currently have plans to run such ads, so it will remove that language from the terms of service that kick in Jan. 16. "We do not have plans for anything like this and because of that we're going to remove the language that raised the question," Systrom said in a blog . QUIZ: What set the Internet on fire in 2012?

It's no secret that Senate Republicans, led by John McCain, took aim at Susan Rice. The only question is, why? It wasn't primarily her views on foreign policy; Rice and McCain actually aren't that far apart on many issues. (They both pressed for U.S. intervention in Libya's civil war, for example.) Officially, the GOP crusade against Rice was over her statements on what Washington calls simply "Benghazi," the Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. consulate that left four Americans dead. But the controversy over Rice's recitation of White House talking points on Sunday television shows was flimsy at best.

  NEWTOWN, Conn. - When he was a student at Newtown High, Adam Lanza would sometimes have what a school employee referred to as "an episode. " No one knew what might bring it on. The shy teenager "would just shut down," said Richard Novia, a former advisor to the school tech club. He said Lanza would get together with other technology-minded students to play fantasy role-playing video games and for sleepovers at school. The thin, gangly boy would take part with enjoyment. At school, Lanza would shuffle through the halls, clutching his briefcase to his chest and avoiding eye contact.

WASHINGTON - President Obama dropped embattled United Nations envoy Susan Rice from consideration as his next secretary of State, signaling the start of a broad reshuffling of his Cabinet and senior staff. Bowing to a barrage of criticism by Republican members of Congress over Rice's response after armed militants overran a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, Obama said Thursday he had agreed to her request to withdraw her name from consideration. Obama said he deeply regretted "the unfair and misleading attacks" on Rice, and he praised his ambassador to the U.N. as "an extraordinarily capable, patriotic and passionate public servant.