[U.S.] Obama to Urge Vote in Senate if Parties Fail in Fiscal Talks

Obama to Urge Vote in Senate if Parties Fail in Fiscal Talks
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/us/politics/key-meeting-looms-as-scaled-back-fiscal-deal-is-explored.html
WASHINGTON - At the urging of President Obama, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate set to work Friday night to assemble a last-minute tax deal that could pass both chambers of Congress and avert large tax increases and budget cuts ...

Jean S. Harris, 89, Killer of Scarsdale Diet Doctor, Dies
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/nyregion/jean-s-harris-killer-of-scarsdale-diet-doctor-dies-at-89.html?pagewanted=all
Jean S. Harris, the private-school headmistress whose 1981 trial for the murder of a prominent Scarsdale, N.Y., physician galvanized a nation with its story of vengeance by an aging woman scorned, died on Sunday at an assisted-living center in New Haven.

Kerry throws support behind Markey
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Kerry-other-Dems-back-Markey-Mass-US-Senate-run-4152364.php
U.S. Sen. John Kerry is giving hearty backing to Congressman Ed Markey, who yesterday became the first Democrat to throw his hat in the ring in the race for Kerry's seat.

'Tragic number': Chicago reaches 500 homicides
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/What-Chicagos-500th-Murder-Means-185037341.html
CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says the city has logged its 500th homicide of the year. McCarthy issued a statement Friday calling the milestone a "tragic number that is reflective of the gang violence and proliferation of ...

EPA Chief to Step Down, With Climate Still Low Priority
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/27/3158258/epa-administrator-lisa-jackson.html
Lisa P. Jackson is stepping down as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency after a four-year tenure that began with high hopes of sweeping action to address climate change and other environmental ills but ended with a series of rear-guard ...

Family spokesman: George HW Bush improving
http://blog.al.com/wire/2012/12/family_spokesman_george_hw_bus_1.html
bush.jpg Former President George H.W. Bush, who has been hospitalized for more than a month, remains in intensive care but his condition continues to improve, a spokesman said Friday.

Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf's Military Legacy
http://abcnews.go.com/US/things-morning/story?id=18080923
It was last night here on the air that we learned of a loss. The death of general norman schwarzkopf. The story behind the nickname that he didn't like.

Woman Helped Firefighters' Killer Get Gun He Used in Ambush, Police Say
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/straw-buyer-guns-webster-shooting-arrested-article-1.1229180
The police arrested a woman in western New York on Friday who they said helped a man acquire the weapon he is believed to have used to kill two firefighters in an ambush that left two others injured.

Stopping bad guys
http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/poll-54-percent-view-nra-favorably-85545.html
According to Wayne LaPierre, vice president of the National Rifle Association, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun" ("NRA calls for armed police officer in every school," Tribune, Dec. 22).

Murder rate in New York City hits a record low with 414 homicides in 2012
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/murders-fall-record-city-article-1.1229273
The murder rate in the city plunged to a record low this year - and the number of shootings plummeted to their lowest point in 18 years, officials said.

Father Of Teen Shot On School Bus Commits Suicide
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/12/28/father-of-teen-shot-on-school-bus-commits-suicide/
MIAMI (CBS4) - A South Florida family reeling from the death of a 13 year old girl killed on a Homestead school bus has been dealt another devastating blow.

Winter storm lashes Northeast with snow, wind, rain
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/weather/inches-snow-expected-fall-nyc-article-1.1228816
CONCORD, New Hampshire - A winter storm that has killed more than a dozen people across the eastern half of the country moved into the Northeast, trapping airliners in snow or mud and frustrating travelers still trying to return home after Christmas.

Gov. Snyder Signs Abortion Bill
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/12/28/gov-snyder-signs-abortion-bill.html
It's been a busy month for Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. The Republican leaderâ€"who openly opposes abortionsâ€"signed a bill into law Friday requiring facilities where at least 120 abortions are performed annually to obtain a state license as freestanding ...