[U.S.] Fiscal cliff: Barack Obama cuts short Christmas holiday to tackle crisis

Fiscal cliff: Barack Obama cuts short Christmas holiday to tackle crisis
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/26/fiscal-cliff-barack-obama-holiday
Barack Obama is preparing to cut short his Christmas holiday to return to Washington to make a final effort to solve the fiscal cliff budget crisis before the year-end deadline.

Pa. Man to Police Dog: 'I'm Gonna Kill Fido'
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/12/man_arrested_after_threatening.html
Authorities responding to a call about gunfire in Pennsylvania encountered a man walking out of a home where the door was kicked in and the porch was littered with shell casings, and they say he threatened to bite a police dog, barked at it and yelled "I'm ...

Sandy-Flooded Inland Towns in NJ See No...
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/northeast/2012/12/sandy_flooded_inland_towns_nj_see_no_solutions
Images of New Jersey's devastated shoreline captivated the nation in the days after Superstorm Sandy. Less noticed was the enormous damage caused inland when a mile-and-a-half-long earthen barrier along and near the Hackensack River was breached, ...

Elizabeth Marriott Update: Second suspect arrested in connection with death of ...
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57560823-504083/elizabeth-marriott-update-second-suspect-arrested-in-connection-with-death-of-missing-n.h-student/
(CBS/AP) CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire police made a second arrest Monday in connection with the death of 19-year-old University New Hampshire student Elizabeth Marriott, CBS Boston reports.

US storm's toll up to 6 dead as system heads east
http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/US-storm-s-toll-up-to-6-dead-as-system-heads-east-4145652.php
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The death toll has risen to six from winter storms in the nation's midsection. Two passengers in a car on a sleet-slickened Arkansas highway died Wednesday when the vehicle crossed the center line and struck an SUV head-on.

LA moves up annual gun buyback program
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8932055
LOS ANGELES The city of Los Angeles has moved up its annual gun buyback program, originally scheduled for May, to Wednesday following the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

DC police investigating incident in which 'Meet the Press' host displayed ...
http://www.ammoland.com/2012/12/26/david-gregory-breaks-gun-law-while-insisting-on-more-gun-laws/
WASHINGTON - District of Columbia police say they are investigating an incident in which NBC News reporter David Gregory displayed what he described as a high-capacity ammunition magazine on “Meet the Press.

Dick Armey Leads Armed Coup of Tea Party Group, Gets Bought Off With $8 ...
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/12/dick-armey-leads-armed-coup-tea-party-group-gets-bought-8-million
You may have heard about the internal problems at FreedomWorks, one of the country's biggest tea party groups. Long story short, CEO Matt Kibbe (you've probably seen his porkchop sideburns on TV) had a falling out with Dick Armey (one of Newt ...

Same-sex marriage plan boosts Tory support among gay voters
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/dec/26/same-sex-marriage-tory-gay-voters
Backing gay marriage has helped David Cameron, but not Nick Clegg, gain extra support from gay and lesbian voters, according to research by PinkNews.

Newspaper sparks outrage for publishing names, addresses of gun permit holders
http://fox4kc.com/2012/12/25/newspaper-posts-names-addresses-of-gun-owners/
An interactive map showing the names and addresses of all handgun permit holders in New York's Westchester and Rockland counties has infuriated many readers since it was posted Saturday on a newspaper's website.

5 dead, including 4 kids, in Oklahoma City house fire
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/26/oklahoma-city-fire-house-five-dead-children/1791763/
Five members of an Oklahoma City family -- including four kids under the age of 8 -- were killed in a house fire early Wednesday, KOKH-TV reported.

Craig R. Whitney's 'Living With Guns' Nods to Both Sides
http://blog.nj.com/njv_john_farmer/2012/12/farmer_second_amendment_must_b.html
In “Living With Guns” Craig R. Whitney, a former correspondent and editor for The New York Times, writes that he is motivated by the belief that “Americans on both sides of the debate about guns can and must find common ground.