'The Voice' kicks off results show with emotional Oklahoma tribute

“The Voice” set aside its usual flashiness and kicked off with a call to action on Tuesday's results show.Coach Blake Shelton and wife Miranda Lambert opened the program with a touching version of “Over You,” dedicated to the people of Oklahoma, Blake's home state, which was devastated by a deadly tornado Monday. The performance stripped away all the show’s usual extravagance and replaced it with

Winner of 'Dancing With the Stars' is ...

Updated at 12:24 a.m. ET: It's over! Kellie Pickler is the winner of the 16th season of "Dancing With the Stars." The confetti rained down on the "American Idol" alum and country-music star as she was awarded the coveted (though some might call it a little tacky) mirror-ball trophy on Tuesday night. It's an honor she shares with her pro partner, Derek Hough, who now has the distinction of being th

Most expensive house ever hits market at $190M

There's Versace's former home, priced at $100 million, Steven Cohen's $115 million apartment and a Manhattan penthouse listed at $125 million. But none of them hold a candle to an estate that spans 50 acres of waterfront in Greenwich, Conn. that recently hit the market at $190 million, becoming the most expensive residential listing in the U.S.While the house is impressive — public records measure

North Korea sends top military official as 'special envoy' to China

North Korea says that a "special envoy" for leader Kim Jong Un has left for China.The North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a short dispatch Wednesday that the envoy was Choe Ryong Hae.There were no other details. Choe is the North Korea military's top political officer tasked with supervising the 1.2-million-strong force.China is North Korea's only major political and economic be...

Ex-Cincy IRS official doubts agency's explanation for Tea Party scandal

A former manager at the IRS Cincinnati office at the center of the controversy over the targeting of conservative political organizations seeking tax-exempt status tells NBC News she doesn’t think low-level employees acted on their own in flagging them for further scrutiny. But she also said that in her time at the IRS she has never known politics or partisan motivations to play any role in the o.

Blogger to Abercrombie & Fitch: A&F means 'Attractive & Fat'

When Jes Baker heard that Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries wasn't interested in customers her size, she decided to respond by showing him what he was missing.In an open letter to Jeffries posted on her blog "The Militant Baker" this week, Baker took aim at the CEO's remarks about his brand's target audience, and reinterpreted Abercrombie & Fitch's signature "A&F" letters to stand ...

Man commits suicide inside Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral

A man committed suicide inside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Tuesday, prompting the clearing out of hundreds of tourists, who had been waiting in a snaking line to visit the 850-year-old landmark.Before pulling a gun and shooting himself in the head, the elderly man placed a letter on the altar, The Associated Press reported. Its contents were not known.The man said nothing before he pulled the

Share your stories of heroism in Oklahoma

Heroic action was in no short supply Monday as a massive tornado blazed a trail of destruction through Moore, Okla.Did you witness ordinary people doing extraordinary things? Share your stories, photos and video with us by email, or on Twitter using hashtag #OKheroes -- but only if it is safe to do so. Selected responses may be used in an upcoming story.

Oklahoma twister among five costliest in history

The worst of it lasted for about an hour. But the human, physical and economic toll of the Oklahoma tornado will rank among the most devastating weather events of its kind. "This is going to be one of the top five costliest tornadoes in U.S. history," said Evan Gold, senior vice president of client services at Planalytics, a weather consulting firm.The full impact of the human loss was still u...

Tornado survivors: A 48-hour window of opportunity

Search teams, including some with trained dogs, are scouring the rubble left behind by the monster tornado that flattened miles of homes, schools and businesses in Oklahoma City and its suburbs Monday. More than 100 people had been found alive by rescuers as of Tuesday afternoon.While it's uncertain exactly how many people are still missing, rescuers are up against the clock to find survivors, exp

Okla. school survivor: Teacher threw herself over us and 'saved our lives'

A fourth-grader at a school that took a direct hit from Monday’s deadly tornado in Moore, Okla., described the heroic actions of a teacher who saved his life and others by covering several students with her body to shield them from the storm.Damian Britton, a student at Plaza Towers Elementary School, recounted a harrowing scene to Savannah Guthrie on TODAY Tuesday. He also had an emotional reunio

What you're seeing: Videos, images from the ground

Related:'Major damage' as huge tornado slams Oklahoma

Before and after: Tornado cuts devastating path through Oklahoma

Explore the Bing map, or Google map of Moore, Okla.More on the Oklahoma tornado:Slideshow: Tornadoes ravage PlainsPhotoBlog: Aerials show destructive path of Oklahoma tornado‘The school started coming apart’: Trapped students had nowhere to hideCurse or coincidence? Scientists study Tornado Alley's past and future

Moore officials: Federal grants to help build 'safe rooms' delayed by red tape

Officials in the Oklahoma City suburb ravaged by deadly tornadoes Monday complained earlier this year about FEMA’s foot-dragging over $2 million in federal grants for “safe rooms” in 800 homes that would protect people from severe weather.“Our countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan still has not been approved by the State and FEMA,” said a statement posted in February on the City of Moore’s website. It

Mysterious respiratory illness strikes 7 in Alabama; 2 dead

Two people have died and five others have been hospitalized in a mysterious cluster of respiratory illnesses in southeast Alabama, state health officials said. The victims, all adults, had symptoms including fever, cough and shortness of breath, but the cause of the illnesses is unknown, said Dr. Mary McIntyre, the acting state epidemiologist for the Alabama Department of Public Health. The hospit

Apple CEO Tim Cook: 'We pay all the taxes we owe'

Apple CEO Tim Cook is disputing assertions by a Senate panel that the company avoids billions of dollars in U.S. taxes by shifting profits to foreign affiliates.Cook testified at a hearing Tuesday by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which released a damning report Monday on Apple's tax practices."We pay all the taxes we owe — every single dollar," Cook said. "We don't depend on

Shocking new theory: Humans hunted, ate Neanderthals

By Larry O'HanlonDiscovery NewsHumans today eat gorillas and chimpanzees, so why would our prehistoric ancestors flinch at sitting down to a nicely roasted Neanderthal?That's the shocking new hypothesis being raised by anthropologists in Spain who wonder if our closest extinct relative was exterminated in the same way as 178 other large mammals, so called megafauna, which are suspected of going at

Health workers strike at UC California medical centers

SAN FRANCISCO -- Thousands of healthcare workers walked off the job at the University of California's five medical centers on Tuesday, delaying surgeries, diagnostic procedures, treatments and emergency care throughout the state. The union representing nearly 13,000 vocational nurses, respiratory therapists and radiology technologists said they staged the strike -- scheduled to last two days ...

Court strikes down Arizona 20-week abortion ban

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal court in San Francisco Tuesday struck down Arizona's ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law violates a string of U.S. Supreme Court rulings starting with Roe v. Wade that guarantees a woman's right to an abortion before a fetus is able to survive outside the womb. That's generally considered to be about...

How to help Oklahoma tornado victims

By Suzanne Choney, Contributing Writer, NBC NewsThe loss of life and stunning devastation in Oklahoma City suburbs after a monster tornado ripped through the area are heart-wrenching. "The streets are just gone. The signs are just gone," said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, after she toured the area by helicopter Tuesday. And many, many relief organizations are getting the message out on how to help.Am

Some US utilities say they're under constant cyberattack

Several power utilities say they face a barrage of cyberattacks on their critical systems, a report by two Democratic lawmakers found, echoing warnings from the Obama administration that foreign hackers were trying to bring down the U.S. power grid.Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., released the report, co-authored with Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., at the House Energy and Commerce Committee's cybersecurity

IRS official to invoke Fifth Amendment at hearing

A top IRS official scheduled to testify Wednesday before the House Oversight committee has notified Congress that she will invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer questions.Lois Lerner, head of the IRS unit which handled tax exempt organizations, won't answer questions about what she knows about the improper screening of conservative groups or about why she repeatedly failed to tell Congre

Army general suspended from duties amid adultery investigation

Army Brigadier General Bryan T. Roberts, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Jackson, located in Fort Jackson, S.C., is being investigated for adultery and for being involved in a physical altercation, the Army announced Tuesday. Roberts has been suspended from his duties.The altercation allegedly involved Roberts and an unidentified woman he is now being investigated

Leahy withholds amendment to include LGBT couples in immigration reform

Acknowledging that it would jeopardize the passage of a sweeping immigration reform bill, a top ally of LGBT rights advocates will not call for a committee vote on an amendment that would include the spouses of LGBT individuals with the same standing as heterosexual couples in immigration law. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy announced "with a heavy heart" that he would withhold h

Microsoft reveals Xbox One, the 'new generation' console

On Tuesday at the company's campus in Redmond, Wash., Microsoft unveiled the new Xbox One console, along with plenty of content plans, including a "Halo" live-action TV show from Steven Spielberg, and an exclusive deal with Activision for "Call of Duty: Ghosts."After a thumping welcome video — carrying the message that in the next generation, gamers will "stop watching and start feeling ... alive"

Delivery room drama: Has birth become a spectator sport?

Expectant moms thankfully no longer have their mother’s delivery room experience, with Don Draper era dads sitting in waiting lounges until a doctor reports that baby has arrived. But the pendulum may have swung too far in the other direction.These days, delivery rooms can be rife with drama as grandparents-to-be vie for the best camera angle, or a mother-in-law angles to be the one feeding ice ch

Man kills biggest Burmese python ever in Florida

Just call him Python Dundee.A Miami man pulled an 18-foot Burmese python out of roadside brush and wrestled with it for 10 minutes before cutting its head off with a knife.The 128-pound specimen turned out to be the biggest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, besting the previous record by more than a foot, wildlife officials said."I was pretty exhausted and I didn't want to get bit," Jason L

'Confirmed casualties' at Oklahoma school flattened by tornado, fire chief says

There are "confirmed casualties" at an elementary school that was flatted by a tornado Monday, and rescuers were searching for survivors in the rubble as night fell, officials said.Several children and teachers were pulled alive from the ruins of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore after the building took a direct hit Monday afternoon.A little girl was lifted out of the debris by rescuers, whi

How to help tornado victims

By Devin Coldewey, Contributing Writer, NBC NewsThe tornadoes in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and other states are wreaking havoc, but relief efforts are underway. Local schools, churches and community organizations lucky enough to escape damage are coordinating food and shelter for displaced residents and accepting donations of food, blankets and other much-needed items.The scope of larger recovery an

Sleep-deprived teens cause crashes, study shows

The dangers of texting while driving gets more headlines and drunk driving remains one of the main causes of automobile accidents, but a large, new study published Monday helps explain why so many teens and young adults are involved in motor accidents.They're sleepy.Report after report shows it -- sleepy drivers cause car crashes. In the new study, researchers at The George Institute for Global H.