Seth Meyers starts new show

The monologue jokes were mostly thin and the host seemed stiff delivering them early Tuesday. But Seth Meyers seemed to soon gain control of his inaugural edition of "Late Night." Part of his subsequent comfort level stemmed from his savvy choice of guests. Amy Poehler, his longtime pal and former "Weekend Update" deskmate on "Saturday Night Live" was the first guest of NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers." His other guest: Vice President Joe Biden, who's a talk show all by himself. Poehler joked that she and Biden now plan to make a film together called "Snakes on a Train." Then she declared that she was running for president in two years. But when Meyers asked Biden what his own 2016 political plans might be, he sidestepped the question. He said he had meant to make a major announcement on the show, but changed his mind. As he explained to Meyers, "Tonight's YOUR night. So I hope you'll invite me back." Lloyd Webber's show to close after brief run It's curtains for Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical in London's West End. Producers say "Stephen Ward," a tale of sex and scandal based on a real Cold War episode, will close March 29 after run of less than four months.

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Holder calls for Congress to pass national data breach alert requirement for retailers

Attorney General Eric Holder has called on Congress to require retailers to immediately report data breaches to customers and law enforcement. Holder's push comes in the wake of a massive data breach suffered by Target during the holiday shopping season late last year. The retailer and investigators estimated that approximately 40 million people had their debit and credit card information stolen, while as many as 70 million people had their personal information accessed. As we’ve seen – especially in recent years – these crimes are becoming all too common," Holder said in a video message posted on the Justice Department's website Monday. "And they have the potential to impact millions of Americans every year. Target was criticized for not informing customers of the issue sooner. The retailer disclosed the breach on December 23, but the data was accessed and stolen between November 27 and December 15. This [standard] would empower the American people to protect themselves if they are at risk of identity theft," Holder said. "It would enable law enforcement to better investigate these crimes – and hold compromised entities accountable when they fail to keep sensitive information safe." Shortly after the Target breach was reported, upscale retailer Neiman Marcus confirmed that it had been hit by similar data breaches dating back to July of last year, but had waited until this past January to notify customers. Executives from both stores were called before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month to give testimony on their response to the data breaches.

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US general calls for more China-Japan

US Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno on Saturday said Beijing and Tokyo must enhance communication to avoid "miscalculations" amid a simmering territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea. Odierno, a four star general, spoke during a visit to China, where he has held talks with military officials aimed at establishing a formal high-level dialogue between the US and Chinese armies in the coming months. "We reinforced the importance of dialogue and discussion between the Japanese and the Chinese regarding this issue," Odierno told reporters. "We have to be careful and ensure that there are no miscalculations along the way." Tensions between the two nations dramatically intensified after Japan "nationalized" Diaoyu Islands in September 2012, with ships and aircraft from both countries regularly patrolling waters around the contested territory. "We do have a treaty with Japan, a defense treaty, but the most important piece is that we in fact emphasize the importance of this continued dialogue to solve this problem," Odierno said. Dialogue between China and Japan, however, has come to a virtual standstill as the island dispute has intensified. China's President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have never held a formal bilateral summit, only short encounters at global and regional meetings. "For me, we had frank, honest, important discussions about security, stability in the Asia-Pacific region" as well as beyond, Odierno said of the discussions in Beijing. But Odierno emphasized the talks centered on establishing "army-to-army dialogue" and were spurred by meetings held between Xi and President Barack Obama last year. The comments come as a source said Sunday that Japan has drafted new guidelines that would reverse a decades-old ban on weapons exports, a move by Abe's government that could further strain ties with China and South Korea. The Japanese government is aiming to bolster the self-reliance of the military. Under the new guidelines, arms exports would be approved upon "rigorous review" if they were to serve peaceful missions or if joint development of a weapon was deemed to enhance national security, the source told Reuters.