Newser Story Index from December, 2012
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
We Have a Tentative Deal: Details
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 9:42 PM CST
(AP) -
The White House and Mitch McConnell have reached a tentative deal tonight, though the New York Times reports that the House won't vote on the measure tonight in time to avoid the fiscal cliff. The measure would raise taxes by about $600 billion over 10 years and delay for two months across-the-board spending cuts otherwise set to begin slashing...
Stone Figure: Proof That Christians Influenced Mecca?
Daily Mail (UK)
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Dec 31, 2012 6:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
A new discovery in Yemen may prove that a Christian church existed there and influenced Mecca around the time of the prophet Muhammad, the Daily Mail reports. Paul Yule, an archaeologist from Germany, found the stone carving of a Christian figure in the city of Zafar and dated it to about 530AD. He says evidence from other sites in Zafar indicate...
Superstitious? Here Comes Whole Year Ending in 13
professional.wsj.com
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Dec 31, 2012 6:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
Now that the Mayan apocalypse didn't happen, has anyone noticed another harbinger of bad news—an entire year ending in the number "13"? The Wall Street Journal finds little evidence of Americans fretting, and takes a lighthearted stroll through the history of the superstition. Some say that the fear of 13—known as triskaidekaphobia—dates...
Afghans to Fleeing US Forces: Where's the Rent?
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 31, 2012 5:21 PM CST
(Newser) -
Afghans are crying foul over US forces that have fled their bases without paying rent or settling land disputes that could undermine the Afghan government, the Guardian reports. In one village in eastern Kunar province, people awoke one morning to find buildings of a US base blown up, with air conditioners wedged into a damaged wall and junk scattered...
'Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent' Arrested
New York Times
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Dec 31, 2012 4:44 PM CST
(Newser) -
This month, police finally caught up with a fugitive who'd been on the run for almost 20 years. His crime? Not paying child support. Robert Sand, the man the Justice Department labeled its "Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent," owes $1 million to his ex-wife Rita, the New York Times reports. Now, Rita and prosecutors face a dilemma that comes...
Doctors: Blood Clot Located in Clinton's Head
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 4:12 PM CST
(AP) -
Doctors treating Hillary Clinton for a blood clot say the clot formed in her head but they stress that they are confident she will make a full recovery. In an update today on Clinton's condition, her doctors say the blood clot did not result in a stroke, or neurological damage. The clot is located in the vein in the space between the brain and...
Moms Undress to Fund a School Bus
Telegraph (UK)
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Dec 31, 2012 4:03 PM CST
(Newser) -
From economic austerity to ... a semi-nude calendar? Yep, mothers in Spain have stripped down for a racy calendar in the hope of raising $57,000 to fund a children's school bus, the Telegraph reports. "I'll do anything for my child and If I have to undress, because in Spain that´s what has to be done to get attention, then I´ll...
House GOP: We're Going Over the 'Cliff'
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 3:33 PM CST
(AP) -
An agreement to avoid the sharp tax hikes and spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff won't be reached before the midnight deadline, lawmakers in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives said today; however, the Senate continued talks to reach a deal. House Republicans notified lawmakers that the chamber will vote this evening on other...
McConnell: We've Agreed 'on All Tax Issues'
politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com
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Dec 31, 2012 2:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Hours away from the fiscal cliff deadline, GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor today that "we've reached an agreement on all of the tax issues." He added that negotiators are "very, very close" to striking a deal and said he agreed with President Obama's statement today that middle-class Americans must not...
Cops Grab Upscale Couple With Weapons, Bomb Stash
New York Post
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Dec 31, 2012 2:21 PM CST
(Newser) -
Police have busted the daughter of an upscale Manhattan family and her boyfriend for allegedly hoarding weapons and bomb-making materials, the New York Post reports. Morgan Gliedman, 27, and Aaron Greene, 31, also had bombing instructions—like papers labeled "The Terrorist Encyclopedia"—when police came looking for her over...
Hasn't the GOP Already Won Here?
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 31, 2012 1:53 PM CST
(Newser) -
Republicans have been too busy fretting over their concessions on the fiscal cliff to stop and do one thing: declare victory, writes Gerald Seib at the Wall Street Journal . Headlines over top-tier tax rates have obscured the fact that at least 98% of Bush tax cuts will remain—a major accomplishment for conservatives, especially considering...
Obama: Cliff Deal Is 'in Sight'
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 31, 2012 1:22 PM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama gave a strange, freewheeling speech/press conference today to update the nation on the state of fiscal cliff talks. "Today, it appears that an agreement to prevent this New Year's tax hike is within sight," Obama said. "But it's not done." He said that the deal at this point was focused only on taxes, even...
Gun Group: Boycott Paper's Advertisers Over Gun Map
Politico
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Dec 31, 2012 12:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
Gun advocates are targeting a New York newspaper's most sensitive spot—its wallet—over the paper's online map of gun owners, Politico reports. The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association is asking "concerned citizens" nationwide to boycott advertisers of Westchester's Journal News , which sparked an uproar...
Do We Really Need the Constitution?
New York Times
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Dec 31, 2012 12:29 PM CST
(Newser) -
A Constitutional scholar has an announcement to make: That old document is obsolete. "Our obsession with the Constitution has saddled us with a dysfunctional political system, kept us from debating the merits of divisive issues, and inflamed our public discourse," writes Louis Michael Seidman in the New York Times . "Instead of arguing...
Senate Report Blasts State Dept. on Benghazi
Politico
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Dec 31, 2012 11:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
The State Department didn't provide its Benghazi team with enough protection against possible threats, a bipartisan Senate report finds, marking the second slap at State this month over the Libya attack. What's more, intelligence pointed to the attack being the work of terrorists all along—but the Obama administration's comments...
Detroit Homicides Climb 10%, Above 'Murder Capital' Era
Detroit News
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Dec 31, 2012 11:50 AM CST
(Newser) -
Detroit lived up to its dangerous reputation this year, as its murder rate shot up 10% to 53 per 100,000 residents—making it higher now than it was 40 years ago, when the city was first nicknamed the "Murder Capital," the Detroit News reports. That also made Detroit the most dangerous of America's 20 most populous city, and...
Harkin Calls on Democrats to Block Cliff Deal
CNN
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Dec 31, 2012 11:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
Rank-and-file Republicans aren't the only ones who could deep-six a fiscal cliff compromise. Tom Harkin today called on Democrats to reject the deal, furious over President Obama's apparent willingness to up his tax threshold to $450,000. "They think Republicans may object? We may object," the Iowa senator told CNN today, before...
Kim Blindsided by Kanye
TMZ
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Dec 31, 2012 10:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
Surprised that Kanye West would break the news that he's having a baby with Kim Kardashian at a concert? So was Kardashian: She had "no idea" of Kanye's plan, sources tell TMZ . In fact, the publicity-hungry couple supposedly hadn't even discussed the pregnancy announcement, and Kim was planning to wait until she starts showing...
Eagles' Reid, Bears' Smith Among Slew of NFL Firings
ESPN
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Dec 31, 2012 10:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
The NFL regular season ended yesterday, and that means today the heads were rolling. A slew of big-name coaches are out of jobs after lackluster seasons, ESPN reports. Including… Andy Reid : To the surprise of exactly no one, the coach who won more games than any other in Eagles history has been let go. "He is someone I respect...
Pimps Controlled Women With Voodoo Threats: Spain
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 10:34 AM CST
(AP) -
Spain's Interior Ministry says police have arrested 17 people on suspicion of smuggling Nigerian women into Spain and forcing them into prostitution using threats including claims that they would cast voodoo spells on them if they didn't comply. An investigation began when police detected in January that around 10 women had been brought into...
12 Celebs Who Had a Really Bad 2012
Huffington Post
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Dec 31, 2012 10:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
You think you're ready for 2012 to be over? Well, these dozen celebrities rounded up by the Huffington Post are probably even happier to wave goodbye to this year: Demi Moore : She kicked off 2012 by inhaling too many "whip-its" and having a seizure; her year went on to include a rift with her daughters , Ashton Kutcher finally...
Facebook Yanks New Year's Notes Over Privacy Fail
Daily Mail (UK)
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Dec 31, 2012 10:25 AM CST
(Newser) -
Facebook was hoping to allow users to write special messages to be sent at midnight tonight, but a student in Wales discovered a small problem: It's way easy to read—or delete—other people's private notes, the Daily Mail reports. Tweaking the URL of a message sent via the "Midnight Message Delivery" service, released...
How to Read 365 Books in 2013
Slate
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Dec 31, 2012 9:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
A book a day, every day, from tomorrow to next New Year's Eve: Sounds impossible, right? Well, Jeff Ryan managed it in 2012—without giving up his job or his family duties, he writes in Slate . Of course, he tweaked the rules a little; some days, he wouldn't have time to read, but he'd make up for that by reading multiple books later—often...
Once Again, Obama and Clinton Are Most Admired
USA Today
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Dec 31, 2012 9:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman in America for the 16th time since 1993, and President Obama is the most admired man for the fifth consecutive year, according to a new USA Today / Gallup poll. But it wasn't just familiar names for 2012: For the first time, "Connecticut teachers" were ranked on the list, along with "US...
'Lady of the Cells' Dead at 103
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 9:21 AM CST
(Newser) -
Italy has lost a truly fascinating centenarian. Nobel Prize winner Rita Levi-Montalcini died at her home yesterday at age 103, leading Rome's mayor to declare the scientist's death a loss "for all of humanity." It may not be much of an exaggeration: The so-called "Lady of the Cells" faced many obstacles, reports the AP...
Gaga's Gift to Fans: Free Therapy at Concerts
vulture.com
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Dec 31, 2012 8:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
Tailgating at a Lady Gaga concert will be just a little bit different from tailgating at a football game: The pop star has announced that pre-show festivities for the next leg of her tour will include free counseling for concertgoers, Vulture reports. Gaga's "BornBrave Bus" will have therapists available (as well as food, games, and...
Lawmakers Agree to Avert Milk Cliff—If They Have Time
CBS News
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Dec 31, 2012 8:28 AM CST
(Newser) -
In a desperate bid to avoid the dreaded " milk cliff ," House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders have agreed to just extend the 2008 farm bill for another year—assuming they can get around to doing so. Given the drama surrounding that other cliff, House Republican leaders tell CBS that the bill might not make it to the floor...
Happy New Year, World
Telegraph (UK)
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Dec 31, 2012 8:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
It's already 2013 somewhere! Australia of course rang in the New Year first, with a typically brilliant firework display over Sydney Harbour at around 8am East Coast time. Since then, revelers have rung in 2013 across Asia, with notable celebrations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Kuala Lampur, and more. Perhaps one of the coolest displays so...
Father Claims Adam Lanza's Body for Burial
Hartford Courant (Conn.)
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Dec 31, 2012 8:21 AM CST
(Newser) -
The body of Sandy Hook school shooter Adam Lanza has been claimed for burial by father Peter Lanza, a family spokesman tells the AP . The burial site of Adam Lanza, who killed his mother before massacring 20 elementary school students and six staff members, will be kept secret, the Hartford Courant reports. The examiner has ruled Lanza's death...
There's Hope: 'Major Progress' on Fiscal Cliff
Politico
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Dec 31, 2012 7:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
So just where are we on the fiscal cliff? After Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid hit an impasse yesterday , McConnell called in Joe Biden, and after a flurry of offers that included President Obama and went throughout the night, Politico finds "major progress" and reason for hope this morning. Still, the Senate recessed at 7:27pm and won't...
Suspect in Subway Killing Had Attacked Twice Before
New York Times
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Dec 31, 2012 7:21 AM CST
(Newser) -
The woman suspected of fatally pushing Sunando Sen to his death on the New York subway had attacked before, the New York Times finds in a look at her history. Police say Erika Menendez, who has been undergoing mental health treatment in various forms for years, has been arrested three times: twice for violence and once for drug possession. "I...
In Northern Mali, al-Qaeda Building Its Own Country
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 7:02 AM CST
(Newser) -
Since the military coup in Mali earlier this year, al-Qaeda's influence in the African nation has increased—to the point that northern Mali, the largest territory held by the terror group, is now basically al-Qaeda's own country. The AP takes an extensive look, describing the elaborate series of tunnels, trenches, and other defenses...
'Fiscal Cliff' Tops List of Banished Words
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 6:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
It's the end of another year, and thus time for Michigan's Lake Superior State University to release its 38th annual List of Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse, and General Uselessness. The dozen words and phrases that made this year's cheeky list, per the AP : Spoiler alert Kick the can down...
NYE Brings Big First in Burma
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 6:27 AM CST
(Newser) -
The looming fiscal cliff is putting a bit of a damper on New Year's Eve celebrations in the US, but not so in Asia, where many of the first countries to welcome the new year are enjoying buoyant economies and are planning huge celebrations. A sampling, per the AP : A massive street party taking over an eight-lane highway in Jakarta, a $1.6 million...
World Markets Drop as US Teeters on Fiscal Cliff
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 4:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
Can American lawmakers hammer out a deal in time to avoid the fiscal cliff and toast the New Year? Investors worldwide are betting no. Uncertainty about budget negotiations and the future of the US economy drove down Asian markets on the last day of the year and European markets also saw falls in early trading, the AP reports. Lawmakers announced...
Kanye: Kim's Having My Baby
New York Daily News
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Dec 31, 2012 4:14 AM CST
(Newser) -
Add one more to the Kardashian Klan: Kanye West received a standing ovation from thousands of concertgoers last night after announcing that he and Kim Kardashian are expecting a baby, the New York Daily News reports. He broke the news in song form, singing "Now you having my baby" and urging the crowd to congratulate his "baby mom."...
Hillary Clinton Hospitalized With Blood Clot
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 4:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
It looks like Hillary Clinton will ring in 2013 in a New York hospital, where she was admitted yesterday after the discovery of a blood clot. That clot is related to the concussion she suffered in mid-December, and was identified during a follow-up exam yesterday, according to her spokesman. He would not reveal the location of the clot, but said Clinton...
9 Killed, Dozens Hurt in Oregon Tour Bus Crash
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 4:00 AM CST
(AP) -
Nine people were killed and more than two dozen injured when a charter bus veered out of control yesterday morning on an icy stretch of interstate in eastern Oregon and plunged a few hundred feet down an embankment. The bus, bound for Vancouver, Canada, from Las Vegas, crashed through a guardrail near the start of a notorious 7-mile section of road...
Tribune Company Set to Exit Bankruptcy
Reuters
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Dec 31, 2012 3:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Tribune Company is set to emerge from bankruptcy today, four years after it filed for Chapter 11 protection as the American economy nosedived. The reorganized multimedia company has a new board of directors that includes plenty of entertainment industry veterans, and profitable assets including eight major daily newspapers and 23 TV stations, reports...
LA Clippers Score 3rd Perfect Month in NBA History
Associated Press
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Dec 31, 2012 2:21 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Los Angeles Clippers shot their way into the record books last night with a 107-96 victory over the Utah Jazz, giving them 17 wins in a row and an undefeated December, making them only the third NBA team to record a perfect calendar month, the AP reports. Only the 1995-'96 San Antonio Spurs and the 1971-'72 Los Angeles Lakers have achieved...
Zynga Kills 11 Games After Terrible Year
TechCrunch
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Dec 31, 2012 1:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
Social media gaming titan Zynga has whacked Mafia Wars 2 , put down PetVille , and fried FishVille as part of a cost-cutting drive. The company is shutting down a total of 11 games, closing offices, and laying off more than 100 employees as it seeks to recover from a disastrous year that saw its stock price plummet to $2.33 from its $10 IPO price,...
Ailing Chavez in 'Delicate Condition'
BBC
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Dec 31, 2012 12:56 AM CST
(Newser) -
Hugo Chavez has suffered a fresh bout of complications from his cancer surgery in Cuba earlier this month and is in "delicate condition," vice president Nicolas Maduro says. It has now been more than three weeks since the Venezuelan president has been publicly seen or heard, and though Maduro had earlier said Chavez was up and about , it's...
Those We Lost in 2012
Associated Press
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Dec 30, 2012 7:00 PM CST
(AP) -
Neil Armstrong would always be taking that first step onto the moon, and Dick Clark was forever "the world's oldest teenager." A look at some of the notables who died in 2012: Etta James, 73. Blues singer best known for her enduring classic "At Last." Jan. 20. Complications from leukemia. Joe Paterno, 85. Longtime...
Charlie Sheen Opens New Bar With Gay Slur
TMZ
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Dec 30, 2012 5:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Charlie Sheen's mouth strikes again: The TV actor put a damper on the opening of his new bar in Mexico by hurling a homophobic slur at the crowd, TMZ reports. Sheen was hosting the party at a hip Cabo San Lucas hotel Friday night when out came the rude: "How we doing?" he asked. "Lying bunch of f--got a--holes, how we doing?"...
Brits Planned Ships Made of Ice During WWII
New Scientist
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Dec 30, 2012 4:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
Winston Churchill was so afraid of Nazi submarines targeting supply ships during WWII that he flirted with building aircraft carriers out of sheer ice, New Scientist reports. Knowing Britain could starve without US supplies, he approved a test project aimed at delivering 2,000-foot-long ice ships with 40-foot hulls that German torpedoes could never...
Possible Heir to Recluse's Fortune Is Found Dead
NBC News
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Dec 30, 2012 3:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
The messy estate of reclusive millionaire Huguette Clark took a sad turn today when a possible heir to her fortune was found frozen beneath an overpass in Wyoming, NBC News reports. Children sledding in Evanston, a small mining town, discovered 60-year-old Timothy Henry Gray dead from hypothermia in freezing temperatures. Described by his older...
Sister's Planned House Sale May Have Sparked NY Shooter
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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Dec 30, 2012 3:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
Police are floating a possible motive for William Spengler's orgy of violence : His sister was planning to sell their house. Cheryl Spengler, who didn't get along with her live-in brother, had bought a house in Henrietta, New York, and was planning to sell the family home in Webster, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports. That...
12 Co-Stars Who Also Co-Starred in Each Others' Weddings
Huffington Post
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Dec 30, 2012 2:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
Admit it: You let out a big "awww" when you heard that Leonardo DiCaprio (aka Jack from Titanic ) walked Kate Winslet (aka Rose from aforementioned Titanic ) down the aisle at her third wedding . The Huffington Post rounds up 11 more celebrity co-stars who participated in each others' weddings: Victor Garber , who played Jennifer...
Cliff Talks Hit 'Major Setback' at 11th Hour
Politico
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Dec 30, 2012 2:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
With the fiscal cliff in sight, Democrats and Republicans are no longer talking. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reached a "major setback" today over a fairly wonky provision known as "chained CPI," Democratic sources tell Politico . A means of calculating entitlement benefits, CPI is anathema...
Bomb Falls Off Belfast Police Car
bbc.co.uk
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Dec 30, 2012 1:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
Political tensions in northern Ireland almost exploded today—literally—when a bomb fell off the bottom of a police officer's car, the BBC reports. Army bomb experts were called to the scene at Upper Newtownards Road in Belfast and handled the device in a controlled explosion, but police are still simmering. "Our belief is that...
