A raging fire that broke out in Reno, Nevada on Thursday has so far destroyed 26 homes and torched roughly 3,900 acres, officials said on Friday, confirming that the fire was only 50 percent contained. More than 10,000 people had to evacuate their homes on Thursday as upwards of 320 firefighters worked to contain the flames. The blaze has been fueled by heavy wind gusts and dry conditions, as the region had gone a record 56 days without precipitation before a snowfall early in the week.

Time to start hunting for a new place to watch TV: Megaupload, one of the world’s largest file-sharing sites, was shut down Thursday, and its founder and several others were charged with breaking piracy laws. Kim Dotcom, Megaupload’s founder, was arrested in New Zealand along with several executives at the request of the U.S. Justice Department. An indictment accused the site of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue. Megaupload hosted television shows, movies and music that it allowed users to download for free and sold subscriptions for faster downloading privileges. A statement from the site ahead of the arrests said, “The fact is that the vast majority of Mega’s Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue.” Shortly after the site was shuttered, the Justice Department site went down. The hacking group Anonymous claimed responsibility.

We knew this was coming. CNN’s John King gave Newt Gingrich the first question of the night, asking about his wife’s interview in which she says he requested an open marriage, among other things. When asked whether he would like to respond to the allegations, Gingrich responded, “No, but I will.” He continued, “I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.” He called the question “as close to despicable as anything I can imagine.”

Newt Gingrich may be at a debate, but that doesn’t mean he can’t multitask. He kept at least one vow, and released his tax return for 2010 during the debate. Gingrich paid federal taxes of $994,708 on an adjusted gross income of $3,142,066. On Wednesday, Gingrich said he paid an effective tax rate of 31 percent in 2010. Mitt Romney admitted earlier this week that he pays “closer to the 15 percent rate.” Newt also said that if he were to debate Obama, it would be a battle between knowledge and a teleprompter. Romney, despite boos, said he'll release his tax returns all at once if he's the nominee. Ron Paul's too embarassed to show his numbers next to Mitt and Newt. Santorum's taxes, by the way, are on his computer at home. Right.

The Obama administration’s eight-week hiatus from unmanned drone strikes is definitely over. U.S. officials said Thursday that a “senior operations organizer” for al Qaeda was targeted and eliminated by a drone strike in Pakistan last week. Aslam Awan was killed near the border of North Waziristan. He is believed to be the last member of a Pakistan-based al Qaeda cell that Pakistani police have been trying to eliminate since 2008.

Search-and-rescue operations aboard the stranded Costa Concordia resumed Thursday—and a Coast Guard spokesman said the ship has stabilized. Recovery efforts for the more than 20 people who remain missing ground to a halt a day earlier as the cruise ship shifted. According to the spokesman, divers are using microexplosives to breach the ship’s hull and continue the search. Salvage operators are on hand to pump fuel from the ship’s tanks to avoid an environmental disaster. Eleven people have officially been declared dead, and another 29 are considering missing. The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest and has been accused by prosecutors of fleeing the ship while evacuations were ongoing.

Responding to Newt Gingrich’s comment earlier this week that both Rick Santorum and Rick Perry should get out of the race, Santorum said it was an example of the dangers of Newt Gingrich—he could say and do anything at any time. “These are not cogent thoughts,” he said. Santorum said he did not want to read about something strange the nominee has said come November. Gingrich responded by describing his long conservative career.

Sarah Burke, the 29-year-old freestyle superstar and Winter X Games gold medalist, died Thursday after holding on for more than a week after an accident at the Park City Mountain Resort in Utah sent her into cardiac arrest. Burke lobbied for years to have her signature event, the freestyle halfpipe, included as an Olympic event, an ambition that will come true at the 2014 Games. Burke’s accident and death have again raised concerns about the safety of extreme sports; her fall was on the same halfpipe where Kevin Pearce, a snowboarder, suffered a nonfatal brain injury in 2009.

Musician Johnny Otis, the man known as the “godfather of rhythm and blues,” has died, his manager confirmed Thursday. He was 90. Otis’s first foray into the music world was in the 1940s, when he was part of a 16-member band that combined jazz, gospel, and the blues. In 1948, he and a partner opened an R&B nightclub in the Watts section of Los Angeles, and Otis became a DJ on a local radio station. In the 1970s, he began a local television program that continued into 2005. He helped foster such talent as Etta James, Jackie Wilson, Esther Phillips, and Big Mama Thronton—whose version of “Hound Dog” came out four years before Elvis Presley's and featured Otis on  drums. As a musician—he played drums, piano, and vibraphone—he contributed to dozens of songs on the Billboard R&B Top 40.

The people have spoken—American Idol had fewer viewers for its Wednesday debut than last year, though it held its spot as the most-watched show of the night. The showcase of musical talent continues to keep Americans spellbound, and drew 21.9 million viewers as it entered its 11th season. There’s little indication that Idol, which has earned pride of place on Fox’s schedule, will be veering from its winning formula this go-round. Last year’s premiere gained a boost from buzz about Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez joining veteran Randy Jackson in the judges’ chairs.

We hate to think what other limbs they might stumble upon next. The LAPD has confirmed that two hands and two feet were found not far from the human head they discovered yesterday on a hiking trail below the Hollywood sign. A cadaver dog found one of the hands about 50 yards away from the head, and then sniffed out the three remaining parts. Police think the head belonged to a man in his 40s, and plan to identify him through dental records. The site where the severed appendages were discovered is a popular filming location (TV’s 90210 and Heroes both shoot there), adding another element of intrigue to the mystery, but the LAPD says they haven’t found any evidence suggesting the crime was committed in the area.

Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper company has agreed to pay damages to 36 people whose phones were hacked by the now-defunct tabloid News of the World. In doing so, the company also admitted guilt—and admitted it knew about the wide-scale phone hacking. Most of the 60 people who sued received settlements in the tens of thousands, but Jude Law was granted $200,000 for what his lawyer said was "considerable distress ... distrust and suspicion" and his ex-wife, Sadie Frost, received $77,000. Other payouts include $46,000 for former government minister Chris Bryant, $62,000 for former deputy prime minister John Prescott, and $62,000 for Guy Pelley, a friend of Prince William. One of Murdoch's own journalists, John Rowland, who worked at The Sunday Times, received $39,000 after News Corp. admitted to hacking his phone.

Eastman Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Friday, following a long slide for the 131-year-old inventor of the handheld camera. Kodak has seen revenue halved since 2005 as it has struggled to cope with new digital technologies. In a last-ditch effort to stay solvent, the company tried to break into the digital printer market, but with little success. As part of the bankruptcy, Kodak secured a $950 million credit lifeline to keep it going for 18 months while it tries to sell off its 1,100 digital patents.

Following reports that he’d signed a deal to play for Paris Saint-Germain, David Beckham has in fact chosen to stay on this side of the Atlantic. The British soccer re-signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday night, agreeing to a new two-year contract with the Major League Soccer Club. And it wasn’t for other teams’ lack of interest in the midfielder. "I had many offers from clubs from around the world,” Becks said in a statement, “however, I'm still passionate about playing in America and winning trophies with the Galaxy.'' His family brood also factored into the decision, as Becks said they were “incredibly happy and settled” in the States, and hope to spend “many more years here.”  

In new evidence of Iran's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. officials have discovered that Syria is shipping oil to Iran in order to avoid the American and European embargo. From Iran, the oil is sold on the international market, with funds going back to Damascus. Before the embargo, Syria got a third of its revenue from oil exports. Officials are also concerned that the Assad regime is spending that money on weapons from Russia. This week Moscow confirmed that a St. Petersburg-based ship delivered a cache of weapons to Syria.

It costs to protest. Indiana Republicans are trying to force Democratic lawmakers back to work by fining them $1,000 for every day they boycott legislative sessions over a right-to-work bill. Instead of attending yesterday’s session, the Democrats held a rally in the House rotunda yesterday protesting. The bill, which proponents call job-creating and critics call union-busting, would make it so workers at a union-represented workplace would not be required to pay dues. In response to the protest, Republicans voted to fine the Democrats. House Minority Leader Pat Bauer said Democrats would fight the fines in court.

Newt Gingrich’s ex-wife told ABC News that the Republican presidential candidate lacked the proper moral character to be president. In an interview that will air Thursday night on Nightline, Marianne Gingrich said her ex-husband had sought an “open marriage” when he admitted that he was having a six-year affair with his current wife, Callista. Marianne said Gingrich conducted his affair from “my bedroom in our apartment in Washington” during the time he led the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton—a time when Marianne defended his ethics. She said Newt proceeded with the divorce only months after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, when a doctor had advised she not have any stress. At the time of the divorce, Marianne said Gingrich told her that Callista was “going to help him become president.”

Well, this is the target demographic. A military prosecutor said that a copy of the al Qaeda linked magazine Inspire was found in a Guantanámo Bay prison cell. The announcement came at a hearing for a suspected al Qaeda bomber. During an exchange about mail security, the prosecutor said that there need to be new rules to prevent materials from getting in the camp. The magazine was sent by a lawyer representing a prisoner.

Thirty-four votes is good enough for Rick Santorum. The ex-senator has officially declared himself the winner of the Iowa caucuses after a new tally by the state's Republican Party showed him with a slim lead. The final count has Santorum ahead by 34 votes, but the results of eight precincts are missing and will never be counted or certified. Furthermore, the GOP discovered inaccuracies in 131 precincts, and changes in one precinct shifted the vote by 50. With such a large margin of error and so many remaining holes in the vote, Chad Olsen, the party's executive director, declared it a “split decision."

Washington state had a little bit harder time digging out Thursday when an ice storm hit—on top of the snow that fell at rates of up to an inch an hour in some parts of the state. Officials said up to 100,000 homes and businesses had lost power, and downed trees could cause some to be without power in the freezing temperatures until Saturday. The National Weather Service issued a storm warning for much of the area that is expected to lift around noon, but Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is enduring a temporary shutdown, and the dicey conditions caused a semi truck to roll on Interstate 5 in the early hours of the morning. Seattle’s forecast calls for freezing rain through the morning and up to an inch of fresh powder later in the day.

Five Moroccan men set themselves on fire Wednesday in Rabat, the nation’s capital, to protest the scarcity of job opportunities for university graduates, sending at least three to the hospital. The city has been a hotbed of civil unrest as the government reacts to a movement of “unemployed graduates” who have butted heads with police across the country. Morocco’s unemployment rate is 9.1 percent nationally, but reportedly jumps to about 16 percent for graduates. Self-immolation as a protest tactic has spread in North Africa since a Tunisian man lit himself on fire in December 2010 to bring attention to police harassment.

At least 20,000 people demonstrated Thursday in Istanbul to remember slain journalist Hrant Dink, who was killed five years ago. Dink was shot dead outside the Istanbul offices of the Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, after he described the mass killing of Armenians in 1922 as genocide. Dink’s killer, Ogün Samast, has been sentenced to 22 years in jail. On Tuesday, a Turkish judge sentenced another man to life in prison for incitement to murder Dink, and two others were given 12 years. But these three men, as well as 16 other defendants, have been found not guilty of being members of a criminal organization, although many believe Dink was a victim of “organized crime.” While the Turkish prosecutor has vowed to appeal the ruling, Turkish President Abdullah Gül called it “just.”

Despite the drumbeat of doom ahead of his ex-wife’s ABC News interview on Thursday night, Newt Gingrich is enjoying a last-minute rise in South Carolina, just two days before the state’s primary vote. Gingrich pulled ahead of Mitt Romney 33 percent to 31 percent in a new Rasmussen poll, and also has a narrow lead in new polls from Insider Advantage and Public Policy Polling. Romney is still ahead in Real Clear Politics’ poll index, but only by a hair’s breadth: he leads Gingrich overall by 1.2 percent.

Rick Perry officially suspended his campaign for president Thursday and endorsed his former foe Newt Gingrich. "I've concluded there is no viable way forward for this campaign," Perry said in a speech in Charleston, S.C. Perry said that it was important to continue the "ultimate objective" of not just getting President Obama out of the White House but also to "bring it about with a real conservative leader who can bring real change." In his endorsement of Gingrich, Perry said, "Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?" and alluded to Gingrich's marital history by saying, "The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God." A new NBC News/Marist poll found that among likely Perry voters in South Carolina, 34 percent said Gingrich would be their second choice, 20 percent said Ron Paul, 19 percent said Rick Santorum, and 18 percent said Mitt Romney—but together these account for only 4 percent of all South Carolina voters.

POTUS has a very good reason to like Mickey Mouse. President Obama is visiting Disney World in Florida Thursday, announcing that he plans to expand and accelerate visa-application processing for countries like Brazil, India, and China, saying that “America is open for business.” This will make it easier for international travelers to head to the states--and more money for the nation to get "Americans back to work." He also opened his speech like this: “It’s always nice to meet someone who has bigger ears than me.” Can Mickey expect to be the next chief of staff?

Two powerful senators said Thursday they are considering changing a massively unpopular bill aimed at stopping online piracy. Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Jon Kyl of Arizona are reaching across the aisle to make the bill, known as Protect IP Address, more palatable by cutting search-result blocking from the act. PIPA and its House equivalent, Stop Online Piracy Act, were the subject of protests Wednesday that pressured senators to reverse their position on the bills—which a number of cosponsors, including Florida’s Marco Rubio and Utah’s Orrin Hatch, did late in the day.