AP - President Barack Obama said Tuesday he'll bring in high-tech bounty hunters to help root out health care fraud, grabbing a populist idea with bipartisan backing in his final push to overhaul the system.

AP - The government sent investigators Tuesday to examine a Prius that sped out of control on a California freeway, and Toyota said it wanted to interview the driver as the besieged automaker dealt with a high-profile new headache that raised questions about the safety of its beloved hybrid.

AP - Israel's new plan to build 1,600 homes for Jews in east Jerusalem is overshadowing Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the West Bank.

AP - The Taliban claimed responsibility Wednesday for a suicide bombing inside a U.S.-Afghan base in eastern Afghanistan that killed two NATO service members.

AP - Suspected militants armed with grenades attacked the offices of an international aid group in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing five people working for the organization, police said.

AP - Former Rep. Eric Massa, who resigned from Congress amid sexual harassment allegations, offered contradictory explanations for his behavior Tuesday, acknowledging he groped a male staffer in a non-sexual way but later denying any groping.

AP - A suburban woman "desperate to do something" to help suffering Muslims has been accused of using the Internet to recruit jihadist fighters and help terrorists overseas, even agreeing to move to Europe to try to kill a Swedish artist, prosecutors said Tuesday.

AP - Hundreds of construction workers raised a rallying cry of "Build it now!" on Tuesday, gathering with elected officials at the World Trade Center site to urge a quick rebuilding of the complex.

AP - The executive director of the film academy said Tuesday that Farrah Fawcett wasn't included in the Academy Awards' In Memoriam segment because the actress was better known as a TV star.

AP - Mike Dunleavy and the Los Angeles Clippers parted company for good Tuesday, barely a month after he relinquished his head coaching duties to focus solely on being general manager.

Reuters - Congressional Democrats on Tuesday cast doubt on their chances of meeting the White House's March 18 deadline for voting on a stalled healthcare overhaul, but said they are moving as fast as they can.

Reuters - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned Israeli plans to build 1,600 more homes on occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood, announced in the middle of his visit to help revive peace negotiations.

Reuters - U.S. safety regulators and Toyota dispatched teams on Tuesday to inspect a Prius that sped out of control on a California freeway a day earlier, as the automaker struggled to reassure consumers shaken by its recall crisis.

Reuters - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sees risks to the economic recovery and says it is not the moment to change course as he prepares for an election by June.

Reuters - The leader of the House of Representatives -- a persuasive arm-twister and deal maker -- faces her toughest challenge yet in the coming weeks: getting 216 votes to pass final legislation revamping the U.S. healthcare system.

Reuters - U.S. economists raised their forecast for economic growth in 2010 in March, the third straight monthly rise, while trimming their growth forecast for 2011, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

Reuters - President Barack Obama, making a final push for healthcare reform, will back bipartisan plans to stamp out waste in government-run medical programs for the old and needy, the White House said on Tuesday.

Reuters - A television producer pleaded guilty Tuesday to trying to extort $2 million from U.S. talk show host David Letterman by threatening to reveal his affairs with women who worked on his late-night program on CBS.

AFP - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flew into Kabul on Wednesday for summit talks on a visit overlapping with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was in Afghanistan to review a US troop surge.

AFP - Militants armed with guns and grenades stormed the offices of a US-based Christian charity in Pakistan Wednesday, killing up to five people and sparking clashes with police, officials said.

I'll be honest...texting while driving freaks me out. I wish I could say that reaction is melodramatic, but it's not - we should all be freaked out. Texting makes you 23 times more likely to get into an accident.

23 times! I've gotten myself into two stupid accidents without any help from texting at all.

AT&T agrees with me. They've started a campaign called It Can Wait to remind teens that the text you want to send isn't really that important. If you wait to send it as soon as you park, the world won't stop spinning and you'll be a whole lot safer.

If you agree, too, you should take AT&T's Pledge Not to Text & Drive. Then send it your friends. Let's make this happen, people! Texting while driving is such a dumb idea, this should be a no-brainer.

How Important Is That Text, Really? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 12:37:24.

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A wild spring break party, circa 1915.

I can't remember too much about spring breaks when I was in high school, but I'm pretty sure I spent most of them sleeping in, wearing pajamas and assuming everyone else in my class was having way more fun than me.

If you're in the same boat, I recommend making your own spring vacation a little more memorable. And since spring is the season of rebirth, I put together this list of 7 Feel-Good Things to Do During Spring Break to freshen up your karma.

On the other hand, if you're spending your week of freedom out in Cancun or Puerto Vallarta or one of those other hot spots, promise me you'll stay safe. Start by reading this Spring Break Safety Plan.

What are You Doing for Spring Break? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 03:36:48.

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Are you gonna be watching the Academy Awards on Sunday? I sure will be...and I think it's awesome that so many movies about teens are up for big awards.

3 of the movies nominated for Best Picture - Precious, An Education and The Blind Side - are centered around the lives of high schoolers. Though between all the incest, statutory rape and homelessness, I'd say these high schoolers have it pretty rough, wouldn't you?

Which movie do you think deserves to win? Of all the nominees, I think Inglorious Basterds was the best, though everyone's saying that Avatar will probably win.

Related articles: The Best High School Movies Ever, Oscar Winners for Best Picture, This Year's Oscar Nominees

What Oscar Movie are You Rooting For? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 17:37:50.

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A new study out of New Zealand found that teens who spend too much time in front of the TV will likely "have poor relationships with their parents and peers." So the next time your folks flip off the TV, they might drag out some statistical evidence to back it up.

I really, really dislike studies like this. First of all, there's no proof that watching television causes teens to have relationship probems. It might just be that teens who have those problems to begin with are more likely to escape their troubles by watching TV.

Second of all, if I stopped watching TV, it wouldn't improve my social life - it would probably hurt it. How much less fun would phone calls with my friends be if we couldn't trash last night's "American Idol"? (Okay, I kid. A little bit.)

What do you think? How much TV is too much? Leave a comment!

Is TV Killing Your Social Life? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 02:56:21.

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This week's theme for Song of the Week: Fighting with Your Parents.

My recommendation: Father and Son by Cat Stevens. If you've never heard this song, check it out and listen to the lyrics. It's a conversation between a guy who wants to leave his parents' home to pursue his own life and his dad who doesn't understand why. When I was a teen, listening to it totally gave me the shivers (and it still does).

Have a song about parents that you can recommend to us? Leave a comment!

Or comment on last week's Song of the Week: Missing Your Ex.

Song of the Week originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 02:10:22.

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This past week, I got a pretty disturbing email from a girl who noticed a pregnancy boom at her high school.

The reason? Not some tragic mistakes, not some misinformation in health class about how you can get pregnant. Nope. These girls were trying to get knocked up.

Find out their very silly reasons to get pregnant as I knock them down one by one.

And then share your own stupid reason, whether you heard it from someone at school or just made it up off the top of your head.

Stupid Reasons for Teens to Get Pregnant originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 13:03:48.

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From the Teen Advice forum:

The question: I went to a party and smoked some weed, got a little drunk and flirted with one of my friends. I sat next to him just holding his hand, snuggled into his shoulder.

At around 4am everyone went to bed and me and him shared a sofa. I woke up an hour later to him moving around beside me. He moved his hand under my shirt and tried to put his hand on my breast. I didn't want to tell him to stop because other people were in the room and I was doing the ridiculous "I'm pretending to be asleep" thing. I woke up at least 4 different times to him touching me.

I want to know if I should confront him or tell someone about it. I feel used and hurt that a friend would betray me like this. And worst of all, I feel dirty. I want to tell him, "Just because a girl shows an interest to you, doesn't mean she wants you in her pants."

I realize that I shouldn't have lead him on by flirting and now I've been taught a lesson, but what am I meant to do?!

My answer is kind of long, so read it here. Then leave this poor girl some of your own advice.

Advice Question: I Led Him On and He Took Advantage of Me. Now What? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 03:16:09.

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2! 4! 6! 8! Who do we appreciate?

March 1-7 is National Cheerleading Week! Even if you're not on the squad, you can still celebrate all you want (although you might not be as peppy about it).

• Feel the burn by trying a cheerleading workout DVD. Cheering isn't as easy as it looks, and these ladies prove it!
  
  
• Watch the ultimate cheerleading movie - Bring It On with Kirsten Dunst.
  
  
• Learn some cheerleading chants. If you're not big on school spirit, swap out your school name with something else you're passionate about. (Drama club? Roller skating? Chili cheese fries?)
  
  
• A lot of non-cheerleaders are anti-cheerleading for no good reason. This is a great week to snap out of it! Reading up on these 10 Myths About Cheerleading and Cheerleaders might help.

Where do you fall on the cheerleading spectrum? Are you on the squad? Do you wish you were? Do you wish pep rallies would just go away? Leave a comment!

Happy National Cheerleading Week! originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 02:47:42.

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Come join the party over at the Teen Advice Facebook page! It's a quick way to get instant updates about all the latest stuff posted at Teen Advice.

You can also use it to get in touch with the rest of the community, asks me questions and leave some updates of your own.

Stop by the page and become a fan!

Be My Facebook Friend (Pretty Please) originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 02:32:06.

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"Hmm...I wonder if my bra fits the way it should."

As a teen, you're right smack in the middle of puberty. Your body's already gone through a bunch of changes (some temporary like acne, some permanent like body hair) but you're probably not done growing yet.

What more's in store for your bod - and what's normal? Get all your answers at the brand new Puberty Hub for Guys and Girls. Or if you don't like your info so coed, head to one of these pages:

• Puberty Info for Girls Only
• Puberty Info for Boys Only

Because the only shame in going through puberty is being too lazy to find out what the heck's going on down there.

Is Your Body Doing Everything It's Supposed to Do? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 03:11:57.

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