Washington, D.C.

Hacker breaks into T-Mobile network

A hacker broke into a wireless carrier’s network over at least seven months and read e-mails and personal computer files of customers, including the Secret Service agent investigating the hacker, the government said Wednesday.

The break-in targeted the network for Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile USA, which has 16.3 million customers in the United States. It was discovered during a broad Secret Service investigation, “Operation Firewall,” which targeted underground hacker organizations.

Nicolas Lee Jacobsen, 21, of Santa Ana, Calif., a computer engineer, has been charged with the break-in in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The hacker was able to view the names and Social Security numbers of 400 customers, all of whom were notified in writing about the break-in,

Nevada

Storm destroying houses in Southwest

The torrential storm that caused the deadly mudslide in California is leaving a path of destruction in other Western states, bringing flooding that has gobbled up houses and roads and forced hundreds to flee.

The heaviest flooding was concentrated in the area where Nevada, Arizona and Utah meet. No serious injuries were reported, but one man was missing in Utah. A skier was missing for a third day in the deep snow of rugged western Colorado.

Floodwaters from a swollen river rose Wednesday in Overton, about 50 miles from Las Vegas, even as evacuated residents started returning home.

An estimated 100 homes were flooded, and 350 had been evacuated in the Overton area. A police helicopter had to rescue five people, including two children, when they became trapped by rising water.

Washington, D.C.

Government emphasizes calories, exercise

Eat less. Exercise 30 to 90 minutes a day.

“It is not too hard,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson insisted Wednesday in issuing new federal dietary guidelines that also urge people to eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and stick to fat-free or lowfat milk.

The guidelines bring the government one step closer to revising the familiar food pyramid, which in the next two months will be updated for the first time since its creation 12 years ago.

The question is whether people will follow the advice. Most people know about the current pyramid, but very few heed its suggestions, and two in three Americans are overweight. It’s possible the old pyramid will give way to a new shape.

Thompson said the new guidelines were common-sense and should be easy to follow.