Will media stay on gun story?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSHoward Kurtz: Conventional wisdom is that media will lose interest in gunsHe says that's been the pattern of media behavior after Columbine, other shootingsThis time seems like it might be different, he saysKurtz: Reporters profoundly shaken by story, should stay on itEditor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" and is Newsweek's Washington bureau chief. He is...

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Euro survives 2012, further tests in store

BRUSSELS: The battered euro, written off as a dud many times during a crisis-wracked year, appears to have survived 2012, but 2013 could prove just as difficult if the economy continues to struggle.It finished the year strongly after the 17 eurozone nations earlier this month nailed down a deal to supply long-delayed bailout funds to Greece to keep the country afloat, and the bloc intact.Athens...

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Little common ground in debate on guns

STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe NRA wants to staff every school in America with "qualified armed security"Obama, Democrats and others see tougher gun control as the way to limit future massacresWhile both sides want to keep children safe, it seems they are living in two different worldsWashington (CNN) -- For National Rifle Association Vice President Wayne LaPierre and many other pro-gun Americans, the task is...

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Newtown parents reject NRA plan

NEWTOWN, Conn. When Adam Lanza started his lethal attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School, Andrei Nikitchyuk's eight year-old son and another third grader were on their way to the principal's office. It was their turn to bring the daily attendance sheet to the front office, near where principal Dawn Hochsprung and psychologist Mary Sherlach would become the first casualties inside the school. Play...

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Obama, Congress Waving Bye-Bye Lower Taxes?

The first family arrived in the president's idyllic home state of Hawaii early today to celebrate the holidays, but President Obama, who along with Michelle will pay tribute Sunday to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, could be returning home to Washington sooner than he expected.That's because the President didn't get his Christmas...

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Madness in the air in Washington

National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre calls on Congress to pass a law putting armed police officers in every school in America.STORY HIGHLIGHTSDavid Gergen: After election, there were hopes partisan tension would fadeHe says this week we've seen a complete breakdown on the fiscal cliffThe NRA doubled down on its anti-gun-control rhetoric despite Newtown, he saysGergen:...

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Squash: World No. 1 Nicol David extends haul of World Open titles

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands: Nicol David extended her record of World Open titles to seven from eight finals on Friday with a balanced performance and great patience to beat English third seed Laura Massaro.The Malaysian heroine's 11-6 11-8 11-6 victory silenced critics who had suggested younger rivals were closing the gap on the 29-year-old champion.Massaro forced many long rallies and...

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3 charged in deadly home explosion

By Logan Burruss, CNNupdated 6:11 PM EST, Fri December 21, 2012Bob Leonard Jr., left, Mark Leonard and Monserrate Shirley are accused in a deadly explosion.STORY HIGHLIGHTSTwo brothers among accused in explosion at that killed couple next door Explosion injured 12 other people and caused $4 million in damageInvestigators found abnormalities in gas line at suspect's home, affidavit says(CNN) -- Three...

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NRA: Guns in schools would protect students

Updated: 6:44 p.m. ETIn a press conference reflecting on last week's massacre in Newtown, Conn., the National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre today called on Congress to put armed law enforcement agents in every American school, insisting that guns in schools -- not tougher gun laws -- would most effectively protect children from school shootings. Play VideoA "good guy with a gun" in every school?...

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Obama Still an 'Optimist' on Cliff Deal

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON D.C. – Ten days remain before the mandatory spending cuts and tax increases known as the “fiscal cliff” take effect, but President Obama said he is still a “hopeless optimist” that a federal budget deal can be reached before the year-end deadline that economists agree might plunge the country back into recession.“Even though Democrats and Republicans are...

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Goodbye, U.S. Postal Service?

This Christmas could be the Post Office's last, says John Avlon. STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe U.S. Postal Service is bleeding money and heading toward insolvency John Avlon: Congress can save the postal service in deal on the fiscal cliff He says the urgency is clear, let's hope for a Christmas miracle Avlon: But be prepared that Washington dysfunction can doom the postal service Editor's note: John Avlon...

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Ex-Beatle's widow lauds Ravi Shankar at US memorial

ENCINITAS, California: Former Beatle George Harrison's widow Olivia joined hundreds of fans and family of Ravi Shankar on Thursday at an open-air memorial to the Indian sitar legend near his California home.Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the late musician who died last week near San Diego, and her step-sister Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones also paid their last respects at the service...

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Boehner scraps his fiscal cliff plan after failing to get votes

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: "The president will work with Congress to get this done," the White House saysThe House Speaker says his Plan B wasn't voted on because it didn't have "sufficient support" A bill to alter cuts did narrowly pass the House; the White House says it would vetoThe fiscal cliff's tax hikes and spending cuts are set to take effect in JanuaryWashington (CNN) -- House Speaker John Boehner's...

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It's already Dec. 21 in Europe, so where's doomsday?

MERIDA, Mexico Doomsday hour is here, at least in much of the world, and so still are we. According to legend, the ancient Mayans' long-count calendar ends at midnight Thursday, ushering in the end of the world. Didn't happen. "This is not the end of the world. This is the beginning of the new world," Star Johnsen-Moser, an American seer, said at a gathering of hundreds of spiritualists at a...

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Boehner Pulls Plan B Option

In a surprise development late Thursday night, House Speaker John Boehner pulled his so-called "Plan B option" -- an extension of current tax rates for Americans making up to $1 million a year -- from the House floor, admitting that it did not have the support necessary to pass and leaving a resolution to the fiscal cliff in question."The House did not take up the tax measure...

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On gun control, look to Biden

Rebecca Puckwalter-Poza says Vice President Joe Biden was a leader on gun control in the Senate.STORY HIGHLIGHTSRebecca Buckwalter-Poza: Obama has apparently tapped Biden as gun control point manShe says he was leader in Senate on issue, shepherding 1994 gun control legislationIt banned manufacture of many semi-automatic guns,criminalized high-capacity magazinesWriter: Biden worked across aisle; he's...

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