Pentagon: North Korea could launch warhead

WASHINGTON - A U.S. intelligence report concludes that North Korea has advanced its nuclear knowhow to the point that it could arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead, a jarring revelation in the midst of bellicose threats from the unpredictable communist regime.

President Barack Obama urged calm, calling on Pyongyang to end its saber-rattling while sternly warning that he would "take all necessary steps" to protect American citizens.

The new American intelligence analysis, disclosed Thursday at a hearing on Capitol Hill, says the Pentagon's intelligence wing has "moderate confidence" that North Korea has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles but that the weapon was unreliable.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., read aloud what he said was an unclassified paragraph from a secret Defense Intelligence Agency report that was supplied to some members of Congress. The reading seemed to take Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, by surprise, who said he hadn't seen the report and declined to answer questions about it.

In a statement late Thursday, Pentagon press secretary George Little said: "While I cannot speak to all the details of a report that is classified in its entirety, it would be inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested, developed or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced" in Lamborn's remarks.

Stabbing suspect fantasized about cannibalism

HOUSTON - A man accused of stabbing more than a dozen people at a Houston-area college told investigators that he had fantasized about cannibalism and necrophilia and about cutting off people's faces and wearing them as masks, according to a court document made public on Thursday.

Dylan Quick also told an investigator that he had researched mass stabbings on his home computer about a week before the attack at Lone Star College in Cypress, according to a search warrant affidavit.

"He stated that he had read numerous books about mass killings and serial killers which are also located at his residence," the affidavit said.

Quick is being held without bond on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for Tuesday's attack that injured 14 people. Only one person remained hospitalized Thursday, and that person was listed in good condition.

Off-duty paramedic thwarts suicide at Home Depot

LOS ANGELES - Fire Capt. Art Hurtado was making an off-duty visit to a home improvement store when he encountered a horrific sight - a man had deliberately cut his own arms to the bone with handsaws.

As others screamed, the veteran paramedic used materials from store shelves to stanch the bleeding.

"I kind of MacGyver-ed it," Hurtado said Thursday, referring to the old TV drama about a secret agent who used whatever materials he could find to solve problems.

The incident occurred Wednesday inside a Home Depot store in West Covina, a suburb east of Los Angeles. The man was all by himself when he injured himself, West Covina police Cpl. Rudy Lopez said.

The victim of the self-mutilation remained hospitalized as investigators tried to determine why he hurt himself. As of now, the incident is being investigated as an attempted suicide.

Jodi Arias profits from notoriety in boyfriend killing

PHOENIX - Jodi Arias is apparently profiting from the notoriety she has received since killing her one-time boyfriend, selling drawings from jail on a website operated by a third party.

The website, which also accepts donations, purports to offer her original artwork, noting authenticity in the form of the following: "All pieces created after January 26, 2013 are authenticated with Jodi Arias' right thumbprint."

Her mother, Sandra Arias, said the site is, indeed, Jodi's. The money is being used to help pay for family expenses while attending the trial, she said Thursday.

Asked if the drawings are selling well, Sandra Arias replied, "Oh yeah.

Two killed,dozens hurt in Dallas bus crash

IRVING, Texas - At least two people were killed and more than 40 were hospitalized Thursday after a charter bus careened off a North Texas highway and flipped onto its side, drawing a large emergency response as rescue crews struggled to reach victims inside, authorities said.

The Cardinal Coach Line bus was carrying mostly senior citizens when it suddenly weaved across the busy highway, striking two concrete barriers, and toppled over in the center median, witnesses said. The wreck occurred along President George Bush Turnpike in Irving, just east of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Among those killed was the organizer of the trip.

"It was pretty bad, people screaming," said Ed Cluck, who stopped after driving by the wreck and seeing smoke. He said he popped the bus' roof hatches and helped six to eight people escape.

- The Associated Press