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NEW ORLEANS — An oil platform exploded and burned off the Louisiana coast Thursday, the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in less than five months. This time, the Coast Guard said there was no leak, and no one was killed.

The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide had begun to spread from the site of the blast, about 200 miles west of the source of BP's massive spill. But hours later, Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said crews were unable to find any spill.

The company that owns the platform, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the fire. Mariner Energy's Patrick Cassidy said he considered the incident a fire, not an explosion.

"The platform is still intact and it was just a small portion of the platform that appears to be burned," he said.

Mariner officials said there were seven active production wells on the platform, and they were shut down shortly before the fire broke out.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said the company told him the fire began in 100 barrels of light oil condensate.

The Coast Guard said Mariner Energy reported the oil sheen. In a public statement, the company said an initial flyover did not show any oil.

Photos from the scene showed at least five ships floating near the platform. Three of them were shooting great plumes of water onto the machinery. Light smoke could be seen drifting across the deep blue waters of the gulf.

By late afternoon, the fire on the platform was out.

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The platform is in about 340 feet of water and about 100 miles south of Louisiana's Vermilion Bay. Its location is considered shallow water, much less than the approximately 5,000 feet where BP's well spewed oil and gas for three months after the April rig explosion that killed 11 workers.

Responding to any oil spill in shallow water would be much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles to access equipment on the sea floor.

A Homeland Security update obtained by The Associated Press said the platform was producing 58,800 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200 gallons of oil.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration has "response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water."

All 13 of the platform's crew members were rescued from the water. They were found huddled together in life jackets.

UPDATE: Hailey has responded to Jon's accusation that she is lying.

"Look, the documents and the evidence speak for itself," she told Radar.

Jon declined to comment on the story before it was published, Radar reports.

PREVIOUSLY: Jon Gosselin allegedly threatened to report ex-wife Kate to Child Protective Services if she pay him off, Radaronline.com reports.

Jon's ex-girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, tells Radar that Jon tried to extort Kate when their daughter Mady hurt her arm. Jon planned to tell CPS that Kate had caused the injury by yanking on Mady's arm.

"We were in bed and Jon called Kate on speaker phone," Hailey said. "He wrote down what he wanted to say to her and then he read from his notes. He told her, 'You either give me money, or I'm going to call CPS.'"

Hailey provided Radar with handwritten notes, allegedly from Jon, that support her story. The notes (see part of one below, click here for the rest) say things like "Need 50k or 100k now. 24/48 hours go to DA" and "Jon giving Kate ultimatums. He privately extorts Kate. If you don't do what I want, I'll do this..."

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"He always referred to himself in the third person," Hailey said. "I found it so strange. It was almost like he thought he was still on camera."

Jon took to Twitter Wednesday to deny Hailey's claims.

"Radaronline has been duped again by Hailey Glassman, who is apparently without a job and desperate for money," he wrote. "This article contains so many lies, they are too numerous to count. It is completely false and without any merit."

MEXICO CITY — A former Texas high school football player and petty street dealer who allegedly rose to become one of Mexico's most savage assassins became the third major drug lord brought down by Mexico in less than a year, and could provide intelligence on even bigger kingpins.

Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as "the Barbie" for his fair complexion and green eyes, grinned broadly Tuesday as police described a life of luxury and violence that made a battleground of central Mexico, where he waged a war for control against his slain boss's brother.

The 37-year-old Valdez faces charges in three U.S. states for trucking in tons of cocaine. As a U.S. citizen living illegally in Mexico, Valdez could be deported to the United States if Mexico agrees, or he could face prosecution in Mexico for drug-related crimes. Mexican authorities say he could be responsible for dozens of murders.

The arrest was portrayed by the Mexican and U.S. governments as a victory for President Felipe Calderon, who is trying to recover public support for his war on organized crime in the face of escalating violence.

Valdez's capture Monday on a ranch outside Mexico City was the culmination of a yearlong pursuit after police made some key arrests at XXXoticas, an Acapulco tourist bar owned by Valdez, who passed himself off there as an entrepreneur.

Mexican police said they chased Valdez across five Mexican states for a year, a pursuit that intensified in recent months as they raided home after home owned by the drug lord, missing him but nabbing several of his allies. Among those taken into custody was his girlfriend and her mother, Valdez's U.S. lawyer said.

"This has been going on for quite a while," attorney Kent Schaffer told The Associated Press. "So you figure it's just a matter of time."

The arrest also yielded computers, telephones and other equipment authorities said would likely provide more information about his group.

Born in the border city of Laredo, Texas, Valdez grew up in a middle-class subdivision popular with Border Patrol agents, police officers and firefighters. His father was a nightclub and bar owner.

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Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich would be "the last person" he'd vote for in a presidential election when speaking at a town hall meeting in his home state last week, the Tusla World reports.

"[Gingrich] "is a super-smart man, but he doesn't know anything about commitment to marriage," explained the conservative Senator. "He's the last person I'd vote for for president of the United States. His life indicates he does not have a commitment to the character traits necessary to be a great president."

The criticism comes in the wake of reports that Gingrich is strongly considering making a bid for the White House in 2012.

Earlier this month, ex-wife of the former Speaker, Marianne Gingrich, offered a rare glimpse into the personal life and relationship history of the possible presidential contender.

In an Esquire profile she said of her one-time husband, now on his third marriage, "[He] believes that what he says in public and how he lives don't have to be connected" and added, "If you believe that, then yeah, you can run for president. ... He always told me that he's always going to pull the rabbit out of the hat."

MIAMI (AP) -- Forecasters say Earl has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it barrels toward several islands in the eastern Caribbean.

Meanwhile, the Category 1 Hurricane Danielle was bringing dangerous rip currents to the U.S. East Coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Earl could make landfall over the Northern Leeward Islands as soon as Sunday night. It could become a major hurricane by Tuesday.

Forecasters warn Hurricane Earl could bring battering waves and storm surge reaching up to 3 feet above normal tide levels in some areas. Hurricane warnings and watches had been issued for several islands, and heavy rains could cause flash floods and mudslides.

Earl was 225 miles (360 km) east of Antigua and had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph).

Tiger is on top of the leaderboard for the first time this year just days after his divorce!
Tiger Woods is looking like the #1 golfer in the world again just days after his divorce from Elin Nordegren as he topped the leaderboard at the Barclays Golf 2010 Tournament on Aug. 26. Tiger had one of his season best performances as he shot 6 under par, showing that he just needed the drama of his divorce and affairs to be over to get back to the top of his game!

Tiger has yet to even finish in the top 3 at a tournament this year, making his performance even more impressive. It looks like all the incredibly private golfer needed to return to form was all the stress and drama of his personal life to finally be lifted!

There are still three more rounds to play, but if this first round is any indication, Tiger could be winning his first tournament in a long time and start to dominate the PGA tour again!

Drew Barrymore gives an interview to the London Daily Standard in which she talks about her new romantic comedy 'Going the Distance' and what it was like working with her boyfriend, Justin Long.

Drew also rips into the previous reporter she had spoken with, calling her a bitch and discussing the violent things she wanted to do to the woman:

I gesture at the clippings on the table and say I'm exhausted reading about her "wild child" past. Does she ever lose patience talking about it?
She nods angrily. "You should have heard this bitch I had to do an interview with before you. God, I wanted to punch her, she would just not drop the youth thing. I have no problem talking about it. I am not someone who is ashamed of my past. I'm actually really proud. I know I made a lot of mistakes, but they in turn were my life lessons.

"It's actually good to get it done young and have a great life later. But yeah, man, I wanted to rip this woman's face off. She just would not shut up about it."

Drew is not known for being a closed book about her personal life. She recently talked about her success at phone sex.

Thomas Pridgeon had been faced with losing his home since 2009, when New York-based BNY Mellon filed an action against him in Cook County Court.

At a hearing on Monday, his home was to be sold to a lender in North Carolina, who bought the property at a tax auction. He would have had 30 days to leave his house on the 7300 block of South Laflin and turn it over to its new owners.

But instead of attending a foreclosure hearing, Pridgeon was immediately arrested at the Daley Center. He arrived to the court building carrying a fully loaded .45-caliber handgun.

According to a release from the Cook County Sheriff's Office, a courthouse deputy noticed the outline of the weapon on the X-ray image of Pridgeon's briefcase.

His motivations are unknown: though clearly in desperate straits, Pridgeon told officials that he simply forgot it was in the case.

There was one round in the chamber of the weapon, and seven more in the clip.

The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune report that Pridgeon was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a weapon.

WASHINGTON — A senior U.S. commander on Monday wouldn't predict when Afghanistan might take control of its own security and warned that NATO needs at least another year to recruit and train enough soldiers and police officers.

The assessment by Lt. Gen. Bill Caldwell, the head of NATO's training mission in Afghanistan, further dims U.S. hopes that the planned U.S. withdrawal next year will be significant in size.

President Barack Obama has said that troops will begin pulling out in July 2011, the size and pace of withdrawal depending on security conditions. Defense officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, have said they believe next summer's pullout would be modest.

In a Pentagon briefing, Caldwell told reporters that Afghan army and police forces won't reach sufficient numbers until Oct. 31, 2011 – three months after Obama's deadline to start U.S. withdrawals.

NATO has set the goal of creating an Afghan military and police force of 305,600 personnel – 171,600 army and 134,000 police.

There are currently 249,500 personnel – 134,000 army and 115,500 police.

But Caldwell predicted that desertion and injury rates are so high among Afghan forces that NATO will have to recruit and train 141,000 people to ensure it has the 56,000 additional personnel needed next fall.

Because Afghanistan is still scrambling to recruit and train its security forces, Caldwell said there was no accurate estimate on when Kabul might take control of even the more peaceful parts of the country.

"It doesn't mean in small isolated pockets that they can't have the lead with coalition" support, Caldwell said of Afghan forces. "But to say that they'll be able to do much more before October of next year would be stretching it, only because we haven't finished the development of their force."