Just days after ex- husband announced his engagement to Vanessa Minnillo, pop singer, actress and fashion designer herself got engaged to her boyfriend of a few months, Eric Johnson, People magazine confirmed Sunday. " Yes, we are excited to confirm that they are engaged! " a rep for the couple said. The former NFL player Johnson proposed November 11 and on Saturday Simpson was seen sporting a massive diamond ring at an event in Kansas City, sources told the celebrity magazine. The couple began dating in May and in July they were photographed getting affectionate in Italy to celebrate the “ The Dukes of Hazzard” actress’ s 30th birthday. When the two realized their relationship was more than just a summer fling, the ex- San Francisco 49ers player reportedly decided not to pursue an M. A. at the University of Pennsylvania’ s prestigious Wharton business school in order to stay close to Simpson in L.

It will be the second marriage for both. Johnson, 31, is recently divorced having officially ended his first marriage to his wife of five years in October - - six months after he began dating Simpson. In five seasons with the and , Johnson, a tight end out of Yale, had 240 receptions for 2, 178 yards and nine touchdowns.

Simpson went through a public divorce from her first husband - - the former 98 Degrees singer. At the age of 22, the Texas native married Lachey in October 2002 and their relationship was profiled on the reality show " Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, " which ran for three seasons. The pair filed for divorce in December 2005. On November 4, Lachey, 37, confirmed he had proposed to his girlfriend of four years.

The now- engaged couple met in 2006 when Minnillo, 29, starred in Lachey' s music video for his single " What' s Left Of Me" - - the song that told the story of his recovery from his split from Simpson. The next Mrs. Lachey has been a correspondent on " Entertainment Tonight" and also hosted the MTV show " Total Request Live" from 2003 to 2007.

nominated a long- awaited director Monday for his new consumer protection bureau, teeing up a fight between his administration and Republicans who want that agency fundamentally changed. & # 160; " We' re not going to go back to a time when our whole economy was vulnerable to a massive financial crisis, " Obama said Monday, as he announced his choice. " That' s why this bureau matters. " The president tapped former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In doing so, he passed over Treasury adviser , a favorite of the left.

But Warren and Obama made clear Monday that Cordray has their full support and called on Republicans to drop their opposition to the new group. & # 160; Obama pledged to " fight any effort to repeal or undermine" the bureau. & # 160; " This agency still has enemies in Washington, D.

C. , " Warren wrote on the blog. " I remain hopeful that those who want to cripple this consumer bureau will think again and remember that the financial crisis . . . began one lousy mortgage at a time. " & # 160; She called Cordray a " strong leader" for the agency and noted that the bureau will start Thursday putting " cops on the beat" by reaching out to 111 big financial institutions to start monitoring them. & # 160; But Republicans were not appeased by Obama' s decision to pass over Warren for the top spot. & # 160; " Until President Obama addresses our concerns by supporting a few reasonable structural changes, we will not confirm anyone to lead it.

No accountability, no confirmation, " Sen. , R- Ala. , ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement. & # 160; Republicans fought fiercely against the creation of the bureau last year and have been trying to place restrictions on the agency.

In May, all Senate Republicans joined in a letter to Obama threatening to withhold their support for any nominee to the position if the White House didn' t seek significant changes to the agency. & # 160; Among the changes would be to replace a single director with a board and to make the bureau' s finances subject to congressional approval. & # 160; " The White House has not yet addressed the need to bring accountability and transparency to the bureau, " Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Republican leader , said Sunday. & # 160; Though Democrats control the Senate, Republicans could block the appointment through a filibuster. Warren warned about this possibility in her blog Monday. & # 160; In pushing for changes in financial regulations last year, Obama focused on the popular appeal of a consumer bureau, which he had proposed as an independent agency. It was during that debate that Obama referred to bankers as " fat cats, " a characterization he has since abandoned. & # 160; The regulatory overhaul was a response to the financial crisis of 2008 that helped plunge the country into a recession. & # 160; In a compromise, the consumer agency was placed within the Federal Reserve, but will act autonomously from the central bank. & # 160; In his statement, Obama thanked Warren " for her many years of impassioned leadership, and her fierce defense of a simple idea: ordinary people deserve to be treated fairly and honestly in their financial dealings. " & # 160; Obama also said: " This agency was Elizabeth' s idea, and through sheer force of will, intelligence, and a bottomless well of energy, she has made, and will continue to make, a profound and positive difference for our country. " & # 160; Meanwhile, Warren may be courted to run for Senate in Massachusetts against freshman GOP Sen. . Majority Leader Harry Reid, D- Nev. , has reportedly been courting Warren to make a go of it. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Taliban in Afghanistan insisted Wednesday that their leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was alive, saying a text message and Internet posting announcing his death were fake.

The Taliban in Afghanistan insisted Wednesday that their leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was alive, saying a text message and Internet posting announcing his death were fake. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that the early morning announcement about Mullah Omar was the result of a hack. " He is overseeing operations in the country, " Mujahid told The Associated Press. " Outsiders must have hacked into Taliban phones and the website. " Mujahid blamed U.

S. intelligence agencies, saying they were trying " to demoralize the Taliban. " Mullah Omar has led the decade- long insurgency against the U. S. - led military coalition and the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai. He ruled most of Afghanistan as leader of its Taliban government before the United States and its allies invaded on Oct. 7, 2001, in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Violence has spiked recently as Afghan security forces start to take charge of security in seven areas - - a process that is to continue until. . .