| Dueling agendas test bond in NY politics Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:41 PM PST  Is the relationship between Gov. Cuomo and new NYC Mayor de Blasio headed for the rocks?
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| Two dead, one missing in Navy crash off Virginia coast Posted: 08 Jan 2014 04:25 PM PST  The Navy says a second crewmember of five aboard a Navy helicopter that crashed into the ocean off Virginia has died.
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| Fishermen find rare conjoined gray whale calves Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:52 PM PST  The Mexican government says fishermen found two rare conjoined gray whale calves that died shortly after being born.
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| Giffords completes skydive on shooting anniversary Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:12 PM PST  TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Gabrielle Giffords marked the third anniversary of being shot in the head at a Tucson political rally by skydiving on Wednesday, part of a stunning recovery that has included learning to walk and talk again and founding a national organization that pushes gun control measures.
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| 'War on Poverty' at 50: Political clash over LBJ's vision Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:56 PM PST  Fifty years after President Lyndon B. Johnson declared "all-out war on human poverty and unemployment" in America, Republicans and Democrats are locked in a pitched battle over whether the United States is winning – or losing. The debate, spilling out on Capitol Hill on the...
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| Deadly Navy helicopter crash off Virginia coast Posted: 08 Jan 2014 10:59 AM PST  One of four rescued crew members confirmed dead, a fifth is still missing.
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| Three years after Tucson shooting, Gabrielle Giffords to go skydiving Posted: 08 Jan 2014 11:43 AM PST  TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — In the three years since she was severely injured in a mass shooting at a political event, Gabrielle Giffords has made an impressive recovery, learned to walk again and founded a national political organization. On Wednesday, while others gathered for bell-ringing and flag-raising ceremonies, she will mark the anniversary by skydiving.
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| TED talks don't work, says TED talker Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:12 AM PST  TED talks, in which different experts speak to audiences about serious problems and bold ideas that may solve them, are a love 'em or hate 'em thing. Some find them inspirational.
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| Utah puts status of newly married same-sex couples 'on hold' Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:59 AM PST  For now at least, Utah's state government won't recognize the marriages of about 1,000 newly married same-sex couples, the governor's office announced on Wednesday. On December 20th, a federal judge decided that the state's same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional, allowing any eligible couple in the state — gay or straight — to marry, until the Supreme Court issued a stay on that decision on Monday. Based on counsel from the Attorney General's Office regarding the Supreme Court decision, state recognition of same-sex marital status is ON HOLD until further notice. The intent of this communication is to direct state agency compliance with current laws that prohibit the state from recognizing same-sex marriages.
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| Christie aide linked to 'traffic problems' that vexed N.J. mayor Posted: 08 Jan 2014 10:02 AM PST  The Fort Lee, N.J.. mayor did not publicly endorse the governor's re-election.
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| Snowblower man warms neighbors hearts—and cleans their drives Posted: 08 Jan 2014 07:59 AM PST  A 32-year-old with a snowblower is being hailed as a hero by his neighbors after he cleared their driveways and walkways in subzero temperatures, unprompted and for free.
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| Study: Teenagers who drink have more friends: Posted: 08 Jan 2014 08:03 AM PST  By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Middle and high school students who drink alcohol are often the same ones winning the popularity contests, new research suggests. "There has not been much data to support that drinking among teenagers directly leads to higher popularity and more friendships," said Peter Delany. He is the director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality in Rockville, Maryland. Delany was not part of the study team, which was led by Mir M. Ali, also from SAMHSA.
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| Pilot's remarkable landing on Alaska highway Posted: 08 Jan 2014 06:30 AM PST  Armon Tabrizi's plane lost power on routine maintenance flight.
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| Fall of hard-won Fallujah to al-Qaida frustrates Iraq war vets Posted: 08 Jan 2014 02:06 PM PST  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Shirley Parrello knows that her youngest boy believed in his mission in Iraq. But as she watches Iraqi government forces try to retake the hard-won city of Fallujah from al-Qaida-linked fighters, she can't help wondering if it was worth Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Parrello's sacrifice.
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| Giant tip gives cheery waitress reason to smile Posted: 08 Jan 2014 06:21 AM PST  Cheerful waitress Abigail Sailors scores a whopper of a tip.
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| Navy helicopter crashes off Va. coast Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:22 AM PST  Five people were aboard the craft; no reports on casualties.
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| American family outraged over Rodman's North Korea trip Posted:  The ex-NBA player "could do a lot" to help Kenneth Bae, a missionary held there since 2012.
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| Christian 'martyr' deaths double in 2013 Posted: 08 Jan 2014 05:23 AM PST  By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor LONDON (Reuters) - Reported cases of Christians killed for their faith around the world doubled in 2013 from the year before, with Syria accounting for more than the whole global total in 2012, according to an annual survey. Open Doors, a non-denominational group supporting persecuted Christians worldwide, said on Wednesday it had documented 2,123 "martyr" killings, compared with 1,201 in 2012. There were 1,213 such deaths in Syria alone last year, it said. "This is a very minimal count based on what has been reported in the media and we can confirm," said Frans Veerman, head of research for Open Doors.
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| Private report shows 238k new jobs, optimism Posted: 08 Jan 2014 08:05 AM PST  By Ryan Vlastelica NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. private employers hired staff at the fastest pace in 13 months in December, data from a payrolls processor showed Wednesday, burnishing expectations that similar figures due later in the week from the government will confirm the U.S. economy was gathering steam at the end of last year. Companies added 238,000 jobs last month after an upwardly revised 229,000 in November, the ADP National Employment Report showed, topping expectations in a Reuters poll for a gain of 200,000. "We're now going to start to see an economic recovery more typical of the economic recoveries we've seen historically," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, which jointly develops the report with payrolls processor ADP. "It feels like the jobs market has kicked into a higher gear." The data was also likely a welcome affirmation of positive economic momentum for policy makers at the U.S. Federal Reserve, who last month were confident enough in the recent improvement in activity to set plans to scale back their massive stimulus program.
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| White House defends itself, Biden over Gates book Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:01 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Rushing to curb political fallout, the White House pushed back Wednesday against harsh criticism in a new book by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates that questions President Barack Obama's war leadership and rips into Vice President Joe Biden.
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| Actress' slaying puts Venezuela leaders on spot Posted: 08 Jan 2014 02:31 PM PST  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolas Maduro hastily gathered state governors and mayors Wednesday to talk about the country's violent crime amid public outrage over the killing of a popular soap-opera actress and former Miss Venezuela.
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| Immigration foes dig in amid expectations in House Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:16 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservatives and the nation's biggest business lobby sparred Wednesday over immigration overhaul, with advocates vowing a renewed effort to get the House to act this year and opponents digging in against anything that shifts the political spotlight from President Barack Obama's troubled health care law.
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| Utah mom to give birth to daughter's daughter Posted: 08 Jan 2014 01:45 PM PST  PROVO, Utah (AP) — A 58-year-old Utah woman is set to give birth in a few weeks — to her first grandchild.
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| No taint: Maddux, Glavine, Thomas reach BB Hall Posted: 08 Jan 2014 04:05 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — A new generation of starting pitchers and a self-proclaimed Mr. Clean of the Steroids Era will be ushered into baseball's Hall of Fame this summer. For tainted players, however, the doors to Cooperstown remain bolted.
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| AP Interview: Egypt's top satirist prepares return Posted: 08 Jan 2014 04:12 PM PST  CAIRO (AP) — Bassem Youssef, Egypt's most popular satirist often compared to U.S. comedian Jon Stewart, said Wednesday his team is preparing to bring back their widely watched television show poking fun at politics in a country still beset by turmoil following a July military coup.
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| Maddux, Glavine, Thomas elected to Hall of Fame Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:23 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were elected to baseball's Hall of Fame on Wednesday, while Craig Biggio fell two votes short and tainted stars of the Steroids Era remained a long way from Cooperstown.
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| Gov't: Most school discipline need not mean court Posted: 08 Jan 2014 01:56 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Wednesday pressed the nation's schools to abandon what it described as overly zealous discipline policies that send students to court instead of the principal's office. Even before the announcement, school districts around the country have been taking action to adjust the policies that disproportionately affect minority students.
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| Deep freeze has silver linings for natural world Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:08 PM PST  TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — From a field station in northern Wisconsin, where the previous night's low was a numbing 29 degrees below zero, climate scientist John Lenters studied computer images of ice floes on Lake Superior with delight.
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| Messages link Christie aide to NJ traffic jam Posted: 08 Jan 2014 02:03 PM PST  TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A political furor surrounding Gov. Chris Christie intensified Wednesday with the release of emails and text messages that suggest one of his top aides deliberately created traffic jams in a New Jersey town last September to punish its mayor.
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| White House defends Biden against Gates criticism Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is bristling over former Defense Secretary Robert Gates' new memoir accusing President Barack Obama of showing too little enthusiasm for the U.S. war mission in Afghanistan and sharply criticizing Vice President Joe Biden's foreign policy instincts. |
| Arctic air eases its grip on much of the US Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:11 AM PST  ATLANTA (AP) — An arctic blast eased its grip on much of the U.S. on Wednesday, with winds calming and the weather warming slightly a day after temperature records — some more than a century-old — shattered up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
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| Rodman sings 'Happy Birthday' to Kim Jung Un Posted: 08 Jan 2014 01:26 PM PST  He and other ex-NBA players work a bit of "basketball diplomacy" with his "best friend."
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| Ex-beauty queen killed in crime that shocks violent Venezuela Posted: 08 Jan 2014 08:02 AM PST  Gunmen killed a former Miss Venezuela and her British-born partner in front of their young daughter in an attack that shocked the crime-plagued nation, authorities said Tuesday. Monica Spear, a 29-year-old soap opera star, and Thomas Henry Berry, 39, were killed in what appears to have been a botched robbery after their car broke down on a highway in northwestern Venezuela late Monday, police and prosecutors said. Their daughter, five-year-old Maya Berry Spear, was wounded in the right leg but was stable after receiving medical treatment after a crime that put a harsh spotlight on Venezuela's soaring homicide rate. Five people have been detained and were interrogated in connection with the killings, Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez said after a televised meeting with President Nicolas Maduro, who vowed to use an "iron hand" to crack down on crime.
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| Stranded ships finally escape Antarctic ice Posted: 07 Jan 2014 08:22 PM PST  A complex international operation to free a Russian ship trapped in Antarctica ended Wednesday when the vessel cleared the ice field, as officials released a United States icebreaker from the rescue. The Russian-flagged Akademik Shokalskiy became stuck on December 24, triggering a rescue operation coordinated by Australian authorities which included French, Chinese, American and German agencies. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed Wednesday that the Akademik Shokalskiy and the Xue Long "have broken free from the ice in Antarctica and are no longer in need of assistance". The United States Coast Guard 399-foot long icebreaker Polar Star, which had been en route to the stranded ships, was released from the rescue.
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