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A new analysis of national crash data published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that between 1986 and 2007, the rate of fatal accidents involving 16-year-old drivers was 26% lower in states that prohibited teens from driving at night and carrying certain passengers, compared to states with neither restriction. Among 18-year-olds, however, strong graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs were associated with a 12% increase in the fatal crash rate, which effectively cancelled out the benefits among younger drivers. When teen drivers of all ages were pooled together, the link between these programs and the rate of fatal crashes was statistically negligible.

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Nurses Association says hundreds of the city's nurses will rally with the Occupy Boston protesters on Wednesday. The association says the protest will be part of the opening day activities for a national nursing convention in Boston.

"Nigerian Man Pleads Guilty in Qaeda Plane Bombing Case DETROIT - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a commercial airliner with a bomb in his underwear in 2009, abruptly pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to each of the eight counts against him, officials said. Enlarge This Image U.S. Marshals Service, via Associated Press Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Related U.S. Says Man Admitted Plot to Blow Up Passenger Jet (October 12, 2011) Times Topic: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab National Twitter Logo. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @NYTimesNational for breaking news and headlines. Readers' Comments Share your thoughts. Post a Comment » Read All Comments (60) » The sudden reversal came before the start of the second day of proceedings in the jury trial of Mr. Abdulmutallab, who is not a lawyer but who was representing himself and had pleaded not guilty months ago. After officially entering his guilty plea, Mr. Abdulmutallab, dressed in a gold-shaded tunic, calmly read a six-minute speech to the courtroom in which he suggested that his crimes had been a fitting payback for American-led killings of people in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, and that he would never be judged as guilty under Islamic law. "I intended to wreck a U.S. aircraft for the U.S. wreckage of Muslim lands and property," the Associated Press quoted him as saying. "

"SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman hung out with North Korea's Kim Jong Un during his improbable journey to Pyongyang, watching the Harlem Globetrotters with the leader and later drinking and dining on sushi with him. "You have a friend for life," Rodman told Kim before a crowd of thousands Thursday at a gymnasium where they sat side by side, chatting as they watched players from North Korea and the United States face off in mixed teams, Alex Detrick, a spokesman for the New York-based VICE media company, told The Associated Press. Rodman arrived in Pyongyang on Monday with three members of the professional Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, VICE correspondent Ryan Duffy and a production crew to shoot an episode on North Korea for a new weekly HBO series."

"The trouble is that student editors actually do have that right. Americans young and old tend to remember that the First Amendment protects speech and the press. But Neshaminy officials and others seem to have forgotten what it protects free expression from: the government. When a public entity such as a school board interferes with the content of a student newspaper, it is engaging in exactly the sort of infringement the First Amendment prohibits. When student editors make decisions about the content of a newspaper, on the other hand, they are exercising their right to run a free and independent publication. The Pennsylvania School Press Association encourages student journalists to "recognize, uphold, and advocate First Amendment rights.""

"In an e-mail to the Pennsylvania School Press Association that was obtained by The Inquirer, adviser Tara Huber said that she was suspended without pay for "willful neglect of duties and insubordination," and that the newspaper would have $1,200 docked from its student activity fund. The suspension came after Huber failed to prevent students from printing a copy of the paper in June in which they removed an op-ed article containing Redskin, a word they maintain is discriminatory.  Neshaminy principal Rob McGee did not return messages Tuesday afternoon. Huber, reached by telephone, said she could not discuss the matter further."

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, accuses district officials of using a webcam on the school-issued laptop of a Harriton High School sophomore to spy on the boy in his home, and to snoop on other students at home." The case has riveted not only students and parents, but also privacy experts who called it unprecedented - and perhaps a harbinger of the future as the reach of technology expands beyond school walls. "This is the first one where we've seen this scenario," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. "This is definitely a new one."

The New Jersey Education Association said Gov. Chris Christie's plan to alter the benefit and pension system could mean an exodus of teachers, with as many as 30,000 veteran teachers retiring before the next school year, a report on NorthJersey.com said.

A person with knowledge of the names tells The Associated Press that Tennessee's Kenny Britt, Tampa Bay's Aqib Talib and Cincinnati's Cedric Benson and Adam "Pacman" Jones are among eight players who could be suspended under the league's conduct policy for incidents during the lockout.

House Republicans questioned Wednesday whether the White House rushed approval of a half-billion-dollar loan guarantee for a now-bankrupt solar panel manufacturer once cited as the kind of renewable energy company worthy of federal stimulus money.

Woodlawn Cemetery is recruiting thousands of volunteers to serve at more than 50 nonprofit organizations as a part of the organization's "United We Serve" effort. The volunteer associations of Woodlawn Cemetery will work to restore the cemetery, preserve historic records and cut through unwanted brushes and weeds.

"Nigerian Man Pleads Guilty in Qaeda Plane Bombing Case DETROIT - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a commercial airliner with a bomb in his underwear in 2009, abruptly pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to each of the eight counts against him, officials said. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab U.S. Says Man Admitted Plot to Blow Up Passenger Jet (October 12, 2011) The sudden reversal came before the start of the second day of proceedings in the jury trial of Mr. Abdulmutallab, who is not a lawyer but who was representing himself and had pleaded not guilty months ago. After officially entering his guilty plea, Mr. Abdulmutallab, dressed in a gold-shaded tunic, calmly read a six-minute speech to the courtroom in which he suggested that his crimes had been a fitting payback for American-led killings of people in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, and that he would never be judged as guilty under Islamic law. "I intended to wreck a U.S. aircraft for the U.S. wreckage of Muslim lands and property," the Associated Press quoted him as saying. "

"Issa proud of being a 'pain' to Democrats Washington (CNN) -- Since becoming chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Darrell Issa has made waves throughout Washington, at one point calling President Barack Obama's administration "one of most corrupt." Issa has made it clear since taking over the helm on the committee that he wants explanations from the Obama administration -- from the BP oil spill to issues regarding the Labor Relations Board to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The California Republican makes no qualms about his role in getting to the bottom of things, including his latest mission: the much-criticized "Fast and Furious" federal gun-running investigation."

hree people connected to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, were killed in two drive-by shootings, a senior White House official told CNN Sunday.

Delay Of Games? No progress was made at the latest labor talks, throwing the start of the NBA season into doubt

The N.B.A., like the N.F.L. before it, is embroiled in a full-scale labor battle, in part because professional basketball wants what football has: competitive balance, a healthy distribution of talent and a belief that every team, regardless of market size, should have the chance to win a title.