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Courts-martial: U.S. Army photos of Jeremy Morlock and Andrew Holmes who have been accused of murdering innocent Afghan civilians_________________________________________________________________________
'Repugnant': U.S. army apologizes for graphic photos of soldiers with civilian corpses as violence is feared in Afghanistan
U.S. army forced to issue an apology over 'trophy' photos of soldiers grinning over bloodied Afghan corpses.
Commanders in Afghanistan bracing themselves for public fury and possible riots
German newspaper Der Spiegel, who obtained the photographs, said there are thousands more showing other victims
The U.S. Army has been forced to apologise over what they have deemed as 'repugnant' photographs of grinning American soldiers standing over bloodied and partially-naked Afghan bodies they had allegedly killed.
The pictures were published by German news organisation Der Spiegel and were among 4,000 they have obtained.
Meanwhile, commanders in Afghanistan are bracing themselves for a public backlash and possible riots over the 'trophy' photographs, especially since it has been alleged that the Afghan civilians were unarmed and innocent.
Senior officials at Nato's International Security Assistance Force in Kabul have compared the pictures published by the German news weekly to the images of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq which sparked waves of anti-U.S. protests around the world.
It is feared that these pictures - which show the aftermath of the murders at the hands of a rogue U.S. Stryker 'kill team' - could be even more damaging as the trials of the 12 accused men are currently under way in Seattle.
On Sunday night, many organisations employing foreign staff - including the United Nations - ordered their staff into a 'lockdown', banning all movements around Kabul and requiring people to remain in their compounds.
Army officials attempted to keep the photographs under wraps as part of the war crimes probe fearing it could inflame feelings at a time when anti-Americanism in Afghanistan is already running high.
In their statement, the U.S. army said the photographs depicted 'actions repugnant to us as human beings and contrary to the standards and values of the United States Army.
'The actions portrayed in these photographs remain under investigation and are now the subject of ongoing U.S. court-martial proceedings, in which the accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.'
Der Spiegel magazine says it has identified one of the soldiers in the photographs as Cpl Jeremy Morlock of Alaska.
He is one of five soldiers accused of the premeditated murder of three Afghan civilians earlier this year.
Morlock agreed to plead guilty in late February and get a shorter prison term if he testified against the other accused soldiers.
Four other soldiers based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord have been charged with murder and conspiracy in the case - they deny the charges.
Seven others have been charged with conspiracy to cover up the alleged murders.
Other charges include the mutilation of corpses, the possession of images of human casualties and drug abuse.
In one of the photos, Morlock is seen grinning as he lifts up the head of a corpse by the hair, turning it towards the camera.
Oil rising again; gasoline prices flat, but experts say they should keep climbing this spring
Chris Kahn, AP Energy Writer, Tuesday March 22, 2011
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices pushed above $105 per barrel Tuesday, as traders focused on a series of international crises that could tighten global supplies at a time when consumption is expected to increase.
Benchmark West Texas Intermediate for May delivery rose $1.88 to settle at $104.97 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. At one point it was as high as $105.18. In London, Brent crude gained 73 cents to settle at $115.64 per barrel.
Energy economists continued to gauge how recent unrest in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria will affect exports from a region that produces 27 percent of the world's oil. Libya, which sits on the largest oil reserves in Africa, has almost totally stopped petroleum shipments as rebels battle pro-Gadhafi troops. The addition of international forces, including the U.S., could mean that the country will be embroiled in a protracted conflict that will keep oil fields offline much longer than previously expected, energy experts said.
In Yemen, embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh pledged to step down more than a year early, but his refusal to leave immediately infuriated tens of thousands of demonstrators. Yemen is an important transfer point for global oil supplies.
"Tensions are still pretty high in that entire region, so prices are going to stay above $100 per barrel for a while," PFG Best analyst Phil Flynn said.
Iraq's new oil minister said Tuesday that he expects oil to reach $120 a barrel. Iraq produces about 2.4 million barrels of oil per day.
Retail gasoline prices in the U.S. held steady on Tuesday at a national average of $3.547 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. They're still the highest ever for this time of year. A gallon of regular has jumped 37.9 cents in the last month and is 72.7 cents more expensive than a year ago.
OPIS gasoline analyst Fred Rozell said gasoline prices may continue to rise this spring to a national average of $3.75 per gallon. "With everything happening around the world, we're not going to see prices fly backward anytime soon," Rozell said.
Demand for oil and gas should rise as the U.S. and global economies continue to recover. China shows little sign of reducing its thirst for petroleum. Platts reports that China's oil demand in February rose 10.1 percent from a year ago, to the second strongest level on record. It hit an all-time high in December. China is the world's second biggest oil consumer behind the U.S.
Meanwhile, Japan continues to stabilize the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex that was damaged and leaking radiation following this month's earthquake and tsunami. The government will release more than 56 million barrels of oil from the country's reserves -- enough to cover 22 days of demand, analyst Addison Armstrong said. Japan previously released three days' supply of oil from its reserves.
Bank of America analyst Sabine Schels said Japan will rely on other power generators that run on liquefied natural gas and oil to make up for the loss of its nuclear facilities.
Schels estimated that Japan will increase imports of liquefied natural gas by 706 million to 848 million cubic feet per day to partially replace power lost from damaged nuclear reactors. Royal Dutch Shell is among oil companies shipping more crude and LNG to Japan to help offset power shortages.
Japan's increased imports are expected to push world natural gas prices higher, though large global supplies should prevent them from spiking above $13 per 1,000 cubic feet as they did in 2008. Schels expects natural gas prices to average around $4.48 per 1,000 cubic feet this year. Natural gas for April delivery gained 9.3 cents to settle at $4.254 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Both crewmen injured after ejecting but in safe hands
Villagers told them 'Don't be scared, we are your friends'
Father of boy whose leg may have to be amputated bears coalition troops no malice
Minister refuses to rule out use of ground troops
Friction between allies as Italy brands command structure 'anarchic' and threatens to withdraw use of air bases
Algeria calls western military intervention 'disproportionate'
Gaddafi snipers on murderous spree in Misarata and guns turned on rebels in Adjabiyah
Qatari jets joining no-fly zone nearly run out of fuel and have to land in Cyprus
Six Libyan villagers are recovering in hospital after being shot by American soldiers coming in to rescue the U.S. pilots whose plane crash-landed in a field. The helicopter strafed the ground as it landed in a field outside Benghazi beside the downed U.S. Air Force F-15E Eagle which ran into trouble during bombing raid last night. And a handful of locals who had come to greet the pilots were hit - among them a young boy who may have to have a leg amputated because of injuries caused by a bullet wound. The first confirmed casualties of the allied operation, the Channel Four's International Editor Lindsey Hilsum confirmed the civilian casualties. The crew of the fighter plane had enjoyed a miraculous escape after suffering suspected mechanical failure during the third night of air strikes on Colonel Gaddafi's military positions. As one crew member was surrounded by locals, he held his arms out, calling 'okay, okay', according to the Evening Standard - but the grateful Libyans queued to thank him and give him juice. Younis Amruni told the newspaper: 'I hugged him and said "Don't be scared, we are your friends". We are so grateful to these men who are protecting the skies.' The plane, based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, had set off from Aviano in Italy but came down at Bu Mariem, some 24 miles east of Benghazi. The jet's wreckage is set to be recovered or destroyed by the Americans, to prevent the plant coming into Gaddafi's hands, while the crew were seen by a doctor in the rebel stronghold before being taken to a U.S. ship.
NFL passes replay, kickoff rules changesBY JIM THOMAS STLtoday.com March 22, 2011
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NEW ORLEANS -- Kickoffs will take place from the 35-yard line and all scoring plays will be subject to a booth review under two rules changes approved by NFL owners Tuesday.
The kickoff return rule was designed to improve player safety by limiting injuries on such plays, particularly concussions by members of the coverage team. Besides moving the kickoff line from the 30 to the 35, all members of the coverage unit other than the kicker must line up no more than five yards behind the kickoff line.
Traditionally, coverage unit members had lined up 10 to 15 yards behind the line. By eliminating such running starts, and shortening the field with the kickoff at the 35, the league hopes to limit injuries.
There were a couple of changes made in the original proposal; touchbacks will still result in the ball being placed at the 20. (The original proposal would have moved the touchback spot to the 25.) And the use of a two-man blocking wedge remains legal. (The original proposal would've banned the wedge.)
The change in the replay system takes the challenge system out of the hands of coaches on all scoring plays. As is the case with the final two minutes of each half, as well as overtime, a referee review can now be initiated by a replay official upstairs at press box level.
Part of the replay proposal was also tweaked in New Orleans. The original proposal would have stopped the awarding of a third challenge by a team if the first two coaches challenges were successful. The proposal as passed keeps the third challenge possibility.
The kickoff measure was approved 26-6; the vote on instant replay was 30-2.
BY TIM LOGAN STLtoday.com March 22, 2011
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Home sales in metro St. Louis took another dive in February, the latest sign of a housing market still strugging to find its footing.
Sales were off 12.7 percent on the month, compared to the same time last year, in 11 counties tracked by the Post-Dispatch. And the median price fell in much of the region.
The numbers echo data released Monday by the National Association of Realtors, which saw sales fall 2.8 percent from last year, and 9 percent in the Midwest.
Sales here had grown in December and January, but fell for six straight months before that.
Realtors say tight credit and the weak job market are still keeping buyers on the sidelines, while the ongoing glut of foreclosures is dampening prices.
This second dip in housing is happening across much of the country, and most economists expect it to continue through the rest of the year.
Here are the numbers (courtesy of MARIS, Realtors Assn. of SW Ill., Kelsey Cottrell Realty and the Greater Gateway Assn. of Realtors).
Mo. gets $26.9 million in federal money for small biz
Tim Logan and Lisa Brown STLtoday.com March 22, 2011
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Last fall, the federal government said Missouri would get $26.9 million to help boost small business. Tuesday, Gov. Jay Nixon outlined exactly how.
Most of the money, allocated through the Treasury Department's $1.5 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative, will be used to plug what's long been called a gaping hole in Missouri's high-tech sector: Early-stage financing for startups.
In a visit to the Center for Emerging Technologies in St. Louis, Nixon said that $16.9 million of the federal money will be used to create a new set of state funds to help high-tech startups grow, "from seed capital to venture capital." The other $10 million will be put into a loan fund for general businesses with fewer than 500 employees, to help them expand.
The high-tech funding has long been a priority of St. Louis-area business groups and high-tech incubators, who note that Missouri spends far less on state seed capital than most of its neighbors. That in turn makes it more likely that medical and biotech companies must leave Missouri to attract the kind of private venture capital they need to grow. This federal money is a chance to start to change that, Nixon said.
"Seed capital, early-stage funding, venture capital, these are all areas where there are huge needs," he said. "These are the areas where dollars are directly needed."
Marcia Mellitz, vice president for business development at the Coalition for Plant and Life Sciences, agrees. She and others have been pushing for this kind of money for years, and, while it wouldn't replace broader initiatives like the proposed Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act, it's a big step in the right direction.
"If you don't invest in these companies, they're not going to grow here," she said. "This fund enables us to make some big investments in companies where we're going to see a return."
The other loan program - the Grow Missouri Loan Participation Fund - is geared towards small businesses of all kinds, to help them expand and add employees.
Both are designed to attract private investment as well; the Treasury Department hopes that $10 in private money will come for every $1 in public money. The public money must be lent out within two years. Businesses can apply beginning April 8.
U.S. Jet Crashes in Libya, Pace of Strikes to Slow
MARCH 22, 2011
online.wsj.com
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The pace of U.S. and allied airstrikes in Libya should slow in the next few days, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday, as the coalition experienced its first setback after a U.S. jet crashed in northeast Libya and two pilots safely ejected.
Mr. Gates comments in Moscow came as fighting on the ground continued in Libya and coalition members seek clarity on who will be in control of the next phase of military operations.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said Tuesday it had agreed to launch an operation to enforce an arms embargo against Libya and that it had finalized plans to help enforce the no-fly zone, but there were no signs of an agreement of the plans being put into operation.
U.S. and allied air patrols continue to expand the protective no-fly zone over the country Tuesday, as they enforce last week's United Nations resolution authorizing military action to stop Col. Gadhafi from attacking civilian opponents.
"As we are successful in suppressing the air defenses, the level of kinetic activity should decline…I assume in the next few days," Mr. Gates told reporters Tuesday after meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.
There have been no reports of new strikes Tuesday, and in some cases the pace of attack has already dropped off. Britain's Major General John Lorimer said that U.K. forces haven't fired a shot in over 24 hours and its planes have instead been conducting reconaissance missions. Gen. Lorimer said this was for a "variety of reasons" but declined to name them.
U.S. military officials said that the U.S. F-15 Eagle that crashed was based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the U.K., and was operating out of Aviano Air Base in Italy. U.S. military officials said they didn't think the crash was caused by enemy fire. Britain's Ministry of Defence said it scrambled Sentinel and E3-D reconnaissance planes to help in the search for the pilots.
"Both crew members ejected with minor injuries and are safe," said Vince Crawley, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command, which oversees the military campaign in Libya. "It is our understanding that the aircraft experienced equipment malfunction," he said.
The aim of the allied air patrols is to expand the no-fly zone from Benghazi, the eastern city that is the de facto capital of the beleaguered rebels, to the coastal oil-refinery city of Brega, to Misrata east of Tripoli, and eventually to Tripoli, U.S. Gen. Carter Ham, current commander of the military campaign, said Monday.
There is evidence in Tripoli that the allied bombing has been effective against targets considered key to Col. Gadhafi's military superiority.
The Arab League, not the U.S., should be responsible for containing Moammar Gadhafi's ambitions in Libya, Council on Foreign Relations President Emeritus Leslie Gelb says. In the "Big Interview" with the Journal's John Bussey, Gelb also warns against deepening U.S. involvement in that country.
Behind the walled compound at a naval yard located in the central district called Souq al-Jouma'a, hanger facilities were smoldering and white smoke was rising above what looked to be a working plant. Armed militia members loyal to Col. Gadhafi shooed cars filled with residents who stopped around midday Tuesday to gape at the destruction caused by the bombs.
Later in the afternoon, the Libyan government took journalists to view the wreckage caused when six Tomahawk missiles launched from the sea pounded the site. The 9 a.m. attack incinerated most of the infrastructure at the yard, according to Libyan Col. Fathi al-Rabiti.
BY STEVE PARKER STLtoday.com March 22, 2011
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Protests and unrest in the Mideast. The earthquake and tsunami and the resulting nuclear threat in Japan.
Largely because of those topics, overseas stories have dominated the nation's news agenda for seven of the past eight weeks,
reports a survey that tracks what news outlets across the United States are covering.
"From Jan. 24 (when the protests heated up in Egypt) until March 20, foreign news has accounted for more than 40 percent of the overall U.S. media newshole, about twice the usual level of attention," the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism reports. The Pew center's New Coverage Index monitors the media's newshole -- the amount of space devoted on Page One by newspapers, and the amount of time allocated by TV and radio stations.
The recent world events propelled many of those stories to the front page. Of 245 stories that started on Page One of the Post-Dispatch from Jan. 24 through March 20 -- 40 articles (16 percent) were about world events. (The Post-Dispatch wasn't among the media outlets monitored in Pew's News Coverage Index.)
Foreclosure rates in St. Louis have increased for the month of December over the same period last year, according to the latest data available from CoreLogic. According to data from CoreLogic on foreclosures for the St. Louis area, the rate of foreclosures among outstanding mortgage loans is 1.76 percent for the month of December 2010, an increase of 0.42 percentage points compared to December of 2009 when the rate was 1.34 percent.
Foreclosure activity in St. Louis is lower than the national foreclosure rate which was 3.58 percent for December 2010, representing a 1.82 percentage point difference. Also in St. Louis, the mortgage delinquency rate has decreased. According to CoreLogic data for December 2010, 5.14 percent of mortgage loans were 90 days or more delinquent compared to 5.74 percent for the same period last year, representing a decrease of -0.60 percentage points. As of December 2010, 0.49 percent of homes with a mortgage in St. Louis were in REO (real estate owned) status, meaning after they were not sold at auction, they were returned to possession of the lender. This is an increase over one year prior when 0.41 percent of homes were in REO status.
Charlie Sheen's "Violent Torpedo of Truth" is growing.
Sheen is adding a dozen more dates to his live show, which is now set to stretch into Canada and continue through May 3.
The outspoken actor announced his first two live performances last week on his Twitter account. Those shows in Detroit and Chicago sold out quickly.
Earlier this week, Sheen added an additional five dates. He tacked on a dozen more late Thursday, including stops in Toronto, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Sheen has not revealed the content of the show, other than to call it "the REAL story."
Charlie Sheen gets back to work on a new venture with filmed segment for _Funny or Die_ at his home. Charlie wears a tiger striped chef_s hat and a cooking apron that reads _Winning Recipes_ as he filmed a skit as a host for a cooking show.
. EXCLUSIVE: CBS Wants Charlie Sheen Back Posted on Mar 21, 2011 www.radaronline.com
CBS wants Charlie Sheen back on its Two and a Half Men, and they want him back now, RadarOnline.com is reporting exclusively. PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen Introduces His 'Winning' Recipes
The top exec at the Eye network is ready, willing, and able to forgive and forget all of Sheen's recent antics and continue broadcasting the series, with Sheen back in the starring role, a well-placed insider tells us.
According to our source, CBS President and CEOLes Moonves has been speaking directly with top execs at Warner Bros. Television -- the company that produces Men and also fired Sheen.
Moonves has also spoken directly to 'Men' co-creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre, who has been the target of Sheen's "violent hatred."
Moonves wants a solution that brings Sheen back to the show in a situation everyone can live with. PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen Does A Drug Test For RadarOnline.com At His Home
"Moonves told Chuck Lorre that he should 'let us handle Charlie'," the source says.
Lorre produces two other huge CBS hits, The Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly. The prolific writer/producer also has several other projects in development for CBS. PHOTOS: Brooke Mueller Out With Her Twins By Charlie Sheen
"Moonves wants to get the show back on the air. He's all for it," the insider adds. "He says certain people need to forget anything and everything Charlie's done recently and just move on with the business at hand.
"The core issue is, as he put it, the volatile relationship between Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre. He believes that if CBS and Warner Bros. TV honchos can find a way to get Chuck and Charlie to speak again, cooler heads will prevail." PHOTOS: Chuck Lorre Steps Out With Charlie Sheen's TV Ex
Discussions about the possibility of bringing Charlie back to Two and a Half Men have been going on in earnest the last couple of days.
As RadarOnline.com has been reporting, the actor was fired earlier this month, with CBS and Warner Bros. TV issuing a statement that "Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen's services" for their hit sitcom.
Since then, in several exclusive interviews with RadarOnline.com, Sheen's spoken about his "winning" attitude, life with his "goddesses" and regularly referred to everyone connected with 'Men' as "trolls." PHOTOS: See All Of Charlie Sheen's Porn Star Girlfriends
He also filed a $100 million lawsuit against Lorre and Warner Bros. TV.
Sheen is now taking his rant on the road, and has 20 concert dates planned, including one at New York's Radio City Music Hall. READ MORE
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Charlie Sheen Files $100 Million Lawsuit Against Warner Bros., Chuck Lorre
3/10/2011
The actor also sues on behalf of the "Two and a Half Men" cast and crew, and asks for punitive damages
Charlie Sheen filed a $100 million lawsuit against Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros. in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday.
He's also suing on behalf of the Two and a Half Men cast and crew, and asking for punitive damages. Read it here (PDF). STORY: Five things you didn't know about Chuck Lorre
"Chuck Lorre, one of the richest men in television who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, believes himself to be so wealthy and powerful that he can unilaterally decide to take money away from the dedicated cast and crew of the popular television series, Two and a Half Men, in order to serve his own ego and self-interest, and make the star of the Series the scapegoat for Lorre's own conduct," writes his lawyer, Marty Singer. VIDEO: Charlie Sheen's bizarre television interviews
Singer blames the cancelation of the remaining eight episodes of this season on, "Warner Bros. capitulating to Lorre's egotistical desire to punish Mr. Sheen...." and having nothing to do with Sheen's controversial comments about Lorre. The suit alleges that Lorre wanted to quit the show so he could work on his other series, Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly. PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen's career ups and downs
Singer also says they fired Sheen when he was "willing, ready and able to proceed" taping, but if they had used his "condition" as cause to terminate his contract, it would have been a violation of state law.
The lawsuit points out that Warner Bros. renegotiated Sheen's contract when he was facing felony charges for allegedly assaulting his ex wife Brooke Mueller-- which pokes holes in Warner Bros' allegation that he violated his contract's "moral turpitude" clause, which the studio cited to abruptly terminate Sheen’s services in a bombshell 11-page letter messengered to Singer's office on March 7. (The letter pre-emptively initiated an arbitration proceeding against him.)
The star’s “dangerously self-destructive behavior” -- including the “disturbing rampage” at the Plaza Hotel in New York, the “banging 7-gram rocks” of cocaine and the all-night parties with porn-star “goddesses” that caused him to have “difficulty remembering his lines and hitting his marks”-- rendered Sheen incapable of working on the show, Warners said, and, thereby, in default on his contract. STORY: First interview with Marty Singer
Within minutes of its delivery, the letter had been leaked to the website TMZ, owned by WB parent Time Warner, and Singer promised to file his own lawsuit against Warners and Lorre, as the current issue of The Hollywood Reporter reports.
Warner Bros. litigator John Spiegel, in his first interview since taking on the case with partner Ron Olson, told THR earlier this week, “This is not about Chuck Lorre. It’s about a serious health issue that has rendered Charlie Sheen unable to perform the essential duties of his position.” Lorre has signed his own lawyer, Howard Weitzman, a veteran of Hollywood disputes. Asked about Singer’s position, Weitzman tells THR, “That’s not a ‘winning’ argument.
“The conspiracy theory is a pure fantasy,” he continues. “Chuck is very concerned for Charlie’s health. We all believe Warner Bros. did the right thing given the situation Mr. Sheen created.”
After weeks of erratic behavior, Charlie Sheen finally admits--in an interview with Life & Style--that he's falling apart.
"I'm really starting to lose my mind," he confesses to Life & Style. I'm ready to call anyone to help."
It's a shocking turnaround --the first sign of vulnerability he's shown throughout this whole circuslike period. But when estranged wife Brooke Mueller was granted temporary custody of their 2-year-old twins, Max and Bob, it sent Charlie into a tailspin. "She can't keep them from me," Charlie tells Life & Style. "I won't let her -- I'll do anything to get them back."
And he's apparently become so desperate and ravaged by the effects of addiction, his words are becoming more and more frightening.
"I'm really trying to contain myself right now," Charlie tells Life & Style. "My lawyer wants to come over to my house and take the bullets out of my gun."
Loved ones fear that having his kids taken away along with the news of being fired from Two and a Half Men could push him over the edge. "It's crazy over here at the house," says a source who was with him on March 7, the day the news broke. "Charlie's losing it. He's really mad about the show, and dealing with the kids and Brooke is getting to be too much. Charlie is a ticking time bomb, and we all fear he could do something drastic like committing suicide or falling back on hard drugs."
Charlie Sheen was fired Monday from "Two and a Half Men" by Warner Bros. Television following the hard-living actor's bouts of wild partying, repeated hospitalizations and a bitter media campaign against his studio bosses.
The action was taken after "careful consideration" and was effective immediately, the studio said in a statement. No decision has been made on the show's future without its star, Warner spokesman Paul McGuire said.
Sheen, 45, who has used TV, radio and social media to create a big megaphone for himself, was not silent for long.
In a text to The Associated Press, he responded by referring to his bosses with the F-word and, "They lose," followed by the word "Trolls." Asked if he planned to sue, Sheen texted back, "Big." As for his next move, Sheen texted, "A big one."
A call to his attorney, Marty Singer, seeking comment was not immediately returned Monday. CBS declined to comment.
The firing capped a rare, raging public battle between a Hollywood star and those who employ him, with Sheen claiming the right to live as he pleased _ including the acknowledged use of illegal drugs, although he's said he is currently clean _ as long as he showed up sober and ready to work.
"Two and a Half Men," which debuted in 2003, stars Sheen as womanizing bachelor Charlie Harper, who creates an ad hoc family with his neurotic brother, the divorced Alan (Jon Cryer) and Alan's son, Jake (Angus T. Jones).
The show was co-created by veteran producer Chuck Lorre, who contributes two other comedies to the top-rated CBS lineup, "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mike & Molly." Like "Men," both are produced with Warner.
Sheen focused many of his attacks on Lorre, and in the end the studio "went with the hit-maker," said media industry analyst Shari Anne Brill.
Several news camera crews were camped out Monday across the street from Sheen's gated neighborhood, Mulholland Estates, in hopes that he'd emerge to discuss his dismissal. A few news helicopters also surveyed the scene from above the Hollywood Hills.
Warner and CBS had long faced a balancing act with Sheen as he underwent rehab and two ugly splits from wives No. 2 (Denise Richards) and No. 3 (Brooke Mueller Sheen). On one side was the wayward star, on the other was TV's most successful and highly lucrative sitcom, anchoring Monday for CBS and making hundreds of millions of dollars for Warner.
Last month, Warner canceled the remaining eight episodes of what was intended to be a 24-episode season of "Men," citing Sheen's public behavior and rants against Lorre.
In a series of interviews, including with ABC's "Good Morning America" and NBC's "Today" show, Sheen boasted about his "epic" partying, said he's fueled by "violent hatred" of his bosses and claimed to have kicked drugs at home in his "Sober Valley Lodge."
He glorified himself as a "rock star from Mars" with "fire breathing fists" and "Adonis DNA" and talked about his home life with two women he nicknamed his "goddesses."
The actor, who was among TV's highest-paid at a reported $1.8 million per episode for "Men," brashly said at one point that he would ask for $3 million if he signed a new contract for future seasons.
There was public fascination with the gloves-off battle. When Sheen added Twitter to the arsenal, he gained 1 million followers in an unprecedentedly brief 25 hours, leading Guinness World Records to establish a new category and crown him the champion. He now has well over 2 million followers.
But Sheen's professional conflict devolved into a custody battle over his 23-month-old twin sons with estranged wife Mueller Sheen. She used his public remarks, as well as conduct she claimed was threatening and violent, to seek a court order removing the children from his home last week.
While Sheen's text to AP suggested his next major role could be that of plaintiff in a lawsuit, the immediate question for Warner and CBS was whether to keep the show alive by bringing in a new cast member to join Cryer and Jones _ the one-and-a-half men left.
"They didn't say the show was canceled. They said he was canceled," said analyst Brill. "So the door is still open for another season."
Shows have replaced stars before and lived to fight for ratings another day. When Valerie Harper left "Valerie" after the 1986-87 season in a dispute with producers, the show was renamed "The Hogan Family," Sandy Duncan was brought in to play a new character and the sitcom continued until 1991.
Drew Carey, who starred in and co-created "The Drew Carey Show," was asked about the possibility recently, before Sheen's firing.
"All you have to do is bring in someone you can plug into a Charlie Sheen-like character and deliver those kinds of lines. There are 100 actors who could do it," said Carey, host of "The Price Is Right."
Carey said he wasn't dismissing Sheen's comedic talent and acknowledged that ratings might suffer if viewers are reluctant to accept a new actor in a new role. But Holland Taylor, who plays Sheen's mother, called him "the brand of the show" in an interview last summer.
The studio, however, could save money by paying the substitute far less than Sheen's salary and extend the life of the lucrative series by another season or two.
CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves, interviewed at an investors' conference Monday morning, sidestepped the Sheen controversy when it was brought up by Deutsche Bank analyst Doug Mitchelson.
When Moonves discussed controlling series' costs by making "adjustments," such as "let's say, not renewing some high-priced actors," Mitchelson asked if Moonves had ever successfully replaced a show's lead actor before. Moonves remained silent, and the analyst apologized and said he'd promised "no Charlie Sheen questions."
Despite his troubled personal life, or perhaps because of it, Sheen found an on-screen niche as the bad boy audiences loved, especially in "Two and a Half Men."
But he had an ugly history, with allegations of violence against women, including Mueller Sheen. On Christmas Day 2009 in Aspen, Colo., she told police that Sheen threatened to kill her and brandished a knife after she asked for a divorce. Sheen said they argued but denied threatening her.
In a plea deal, Sheen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor third-degree assault in exchange for the prosecution dropping two more serious charges, and was sentenced to 30 days in a rehabilitation center and 30 days of probation.
CBS is owned by CBS Corp., whose shares were up 6 cents at $23.68 in after-hours trading Monday after closing down 34 cents, or 1.4 percent, at $23.62 in the regular session. Shares of Warner Bros. parent Time Warner Inc. were down a penny at $36.77 in the extended session after losing 47 cents, or 1.3 percent, to close at $36.78.
The market had closed before the statement about Sheen's firing was released by Warner.
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DALLAS (AP) -- Charlie Sheen could soon have a home on Mark Cuban's HDNet station. Cameras already are rolling, although plenty of details still need to be worked out -- such as what kind of show it might be. Cuban said Sunday a decision of whether to make it a reality show, a talk show or something else will be up to Sheen. Photo Gallery:Charlie Sheen Photos Charlie Sheen's Goddesses: Photo Gallery:Bree Olsen pictures Photo Gallery:Natalie Kenly pictures Sheen has become a media phenomenon lately with off-beat rantings filled with lines that have become catchphrases, such as "tiger blood" and a drug called Charlie Sheen. It's all part of a campaign to disprove that he is a drug-using, reckless playboy. The future of his hit CBS show "Two and a Half Men" is uncertain. Cuban described Sheen as "somebody that everybody has a whole lot of interest in who is doing some interesting things, to say the least."
Last week faux conservative and shameless self-promoter Ann Coulter went on the Bill O’Reilly Show and said “radiation is good for you” in response to questions about the Fukushima nuclear reactors (see video below).
She claimed that a growing body of evidence shows exposure to high levels of harmful radiation actually reduces cancer.
On her website, Coulter wrote an article entitled A glowing report on radiation, in which she wrote: “With the terrible earthquake and resulting tsunami that have devastated Japan, the only good news is that anyone exposed to excess radiation from the nuclear power plants is now probably much less likely to get cancer.”
She declared “excess radiation operates as a sort of cancer vaccine.”
On his nationally syndicated radio show today, Alex Jones offered to foot the bill and send Ms. Coulter to Fukushima where she might deliver a speech on the benefits of radiation.
Let’s encourage Coulter to take Alex up on his offer. She can be reached through Premiere Speakers Bureau.
Send Coulter a message and encourage her not to miss this opportunity to defend her ideas.
