Newsmakers: Joe the Plumber shifts occupation to journalism

TOLEDO, Ohio — Joe The Plumber is putting down his wrenches and picking up a reporter’s notebook.

The Ohio man who became a household name during the presidential campaign said he is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for the conservative Web site pjtv.com.

Samuel J. Wurzelbacher said he’ll spend 10 days covering the fighting.

He told WNWO-TV in Toledo that he wants to let Israel’s ” ‘Average Joes’ share their story.”

Wurzelbacher gained attention during the final weeks of the campaign when he asked Barack Obama about his tax plan.

He later joined Republican John McCain on the campaign trail. At one stop, he agreed with a McCain supporter who asked if he believed a vote for Obama was a vote for the death of Israel.

Pitt says he stayed faithful to Aniston

LOS ANGELES — Brad Pitt insists he didn’t cheat on Jennifer Aniston with Angelina Jolie.

In a story posted on W magazine’s Web site, the 45-year-old actor defends both women and says his relationship with Jolie didn’t begin until after he and Aniston split in 2005.

Jolie revealed last year that she and Pitt fell in love on the set of the 2005 film “Mr. &Mrs. Smith.” In November, Aniston called Jolie’s comments “really uncool.”

Pitt tells the magazine for its Jan. 20 issue that filming continued after he and Aniston split, and that his relationship with Jolie wasn’t “some kind of dastardly affair.”

“I’m very proud of the way it was handled,” he says. “It was respectful.”

Associated Press

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