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Thursday, November 29, 2012

The reward for surviving Sandy may be higher taxes

The reward for surviving Sandy may be higher taxes

The reward for surviving Sandy may be higher taxes

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:27 PM PST

FILE - This Oct. 31, 2012 file photo shows the destroyed homes left in the wake of superstorm Sandy in Seaside Heights, N.J. Superstorm Sandy may have one more nasty surprise still to come: higher taxes. Unless shore towns from Rhode Island to New Jersey get a big influx of aid from the state and federal governments, which are themselves strapped for cash, they will have no choice but to raise taxes on homes and businesses that survived to make up for the loss.(AP Photo/Mike Groll, file)Superstorm Sandy may have one more nasty surprise still to come: higher taxes.

Managers delighted their stores sold winning lottery tickets

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:25 PM PST

Trex Mart truck stop manager Chris Naverz points to lottery tickets as he talks to a customer at the location, where one of two winning tickets in a $587.5 million Powerball lottery was sold at, in Dearborn, MissouriDEARBORN, Mo./FOUNTAIN HILLS, Arizona (Reuters) - Managers of a Missouri gas station and an Arizona food store said on Thursday they were delighted that they may have handed tickets to the two prospective multi-millionaire winners of a record $587.5 million Powerball lottery jackpot. The two winning tickets were sold at the gas station and sandwich shop in the tiny farming town of Dearborn, Missouri, about 30 miles north of Kansas City, and the food store in Fountain Hills, Arizona, on the outskirts of Phoenix. ...

11 hot cars at the LA Auto Show

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:24 PM PST

Mazda CEO Takashi Yamanouchi speaks while the Mazda6 is shown during it's North American debut at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)The Los Angeles Auto Show opens to the public Friday. Here are some of the most talked-about vehicles that will be making their world debuts at the event:

Army GI testifies he thought he'd die in custody

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:24 PM PST

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, center, steps out of a security vehicle as he is escorted into a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, for a pretrial hearing. Manning is charged with aiding the enemy by causing hundreds of thousands of classified documents to be published on the secret-sharing website WikiLeaks. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)An Army private charged in the biggest security breach in U.S. history testified Thursday that he felt like a doomed, caged animal after he was arrested in Baghdad for allegedly sending classified information to the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks.

Twinkies maker Hostess ready for its big bake sale

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:24 PM PST

FILE - A Hostess Twinkies sign is shown at the Utah Hostess plant in Ogden, Utah, in this Nov. 15, 2012 file photo. Hostess Brands Inc. says it's in talks with more than 100 parties interested in buying its brands, which include Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)The future of Twinkies is virtually assured.

Victor and vanquished: Obama has Romney to lunch

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:21 PM PST

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney arrives at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, for his luncheon with President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)Bitter campaign foes just weeks ago, President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney met for lunch at the White House on Thursday, discussing America's leadership in the world and pledging to stay in touch after a bitter presidential contest.

Bickering trumps bargaining on looming 'cliff'

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:15 PM PST

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gestures as he speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, after private talks with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the fiscal cliff negotiations. Boehner said no substantive progress has been made between the White House and the House" in the past two weeks. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)For the first time since the Nov. 6 election, partisan bickering trumped bargaining Thursday as Democrats and Republicans vied for the political high ground in talks to avoid year-end tax increases and spending cuts that threaten harm to millions of middle class pocketbooks.

NASA: Closest planet to sun, Mercury, harbors ice

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:16 PM PST

This photo made available by NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012 shows a 68-mile-diameter crater, large indentation at center, in the north polar region of Mercury which has been shown to harbor water ice, thanks to measurements by the Messenger spacecraft. Scientists made the announcement Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington)Just in time for Christmas, scientists have confirmed a vast amount of ice at the north pole — on Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.

Retailers report weak sales gains for November

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:15 PM PST

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 23, 2012, file photo, a teenage boy waits for his family to finish shopping at a J.C. Penney store in Las Vegas. Black Friday. Major retailers such a on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, reported weak sales in November as a strong start the holiday shopping season over the Thanksgiving weekend wasn't enough to fully offset a slow start to the month caused by Superstorm Sandy (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)Black Friday was no match for Superstorm Sandy.

Abbas: UN vote last chance on 2-state solution

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:32 PM PST

in United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. In a statement Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to all nations to vote in favor of the Palestinians "as an investment in peace." (AP Photo/Richard Drew)Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly before a historic vote on Thursday that it "is being asked today to issue the birth certificate of Palestine."

Mursi pins hopes on Egypt constitution vote

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:14 PM PST

Youths walk next to a pirate flag on display by a street vendor at Tahrir Square in CairoCAIRO (Reuters) - An assembly charged with writing Egypt's new constitution began voting on its final draft on Thursday, a process President Mohamed Mursi hopes will help to end a crisis which erupted when the Islamist gave himself sweeping new powers. Mursi's decree last week halting court challenges to his decisions, which provoked protests and violence across the country, will lapse if Egyptians approve the new constitution. Speedy completion of the draft would allow a referendum to be held as soon as mid-December. ...

Ex-NBC Universal head Zucker named new CNN chief

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:13 PM PST

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, file photo, Jeff Zucker, President and Chief Executive Officer of NBC Universal, is seen at the 60th anniversary celebration of NBC's Meet the Press at the Newseum in Washington. CNN on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, named former NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker as its new top executive, searching for a way to turn around the original cable news network as it has lagged behind rivals Fox News Channel and MSNBC.Zucker will start in January, based in New York and reporting to Phil Kent, who runs all of the Turner networks for parent company Time Warner. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)Incoming CNN President Jeff Zucker said Thursday that he intends to make the network more "vibrant and exciting" while broadening the programming on television's original but struggling cable news outlet.

Palestinian crowds watch UN statehood vote

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:11 PM PST

Palestinians wave Fatah flags behind a poster of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a rally in support of the Palestinian UN bid for observer state status, in Gaza City, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. The Palestinians are certain to win U.N. recognition as a state Thursday in a General Assembly vote that Israel and the United States warn could delay hopes of achieving an independent Palestinian homeland through peace talks with Israel. Arabic on sign reads, "Palestinian legitimacy symbol, hero of the battle for independence" and "Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Fatah, Gaza Strip." (AP Photo/Adel Hana)Jubilant Palestinians crowded around outdoor screens and television sets at home Thursday to watch the United Nations vote on granting them, at least formally, what they have long yearned for — a state of their own.

Stocks inch higher on hopes for a budget deal

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:10 PM PST

Stocks are closing with modest gains as talks proceed in Washington over narrowing the U.S. government's budget deficit. A pair of strong economic reports also brightened the mood.

Tips led to arrest of NH couple in burned boy case

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:10 PM PST

These Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 booking photos released by the Orange County Corrections Department show Roland Dow, left, and Jessica Linscott, of Plaistow, N.H., who were arrested Wednesday evening at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. Dow, 27, and Linscott, 23, who authorities said spent two weeks on the run, were wanted in connection with injuries to Linscott's son, including burns and significant head injuries. (AP Photo/Orange County, Fla., Corrections Department)Tips from acquaintances and others helped authorities track a fugitive New Hampshire couple to Florida, where they were arrested at the Universal Studios theme park on charges stemming from the beating and burning of the woman's 3-year-old son, an official said Thursday.

Nets' Lopez out 2 games with sprained right foot

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:08 PM PST

Brooklyn Nets' Brook Lopez reacts after causing an offensive foul in the second half of their NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks at Barclays Center, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012, in New York. The Nets won 96-89 in overtime. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez will miss the next two games with a mild sprain of his right foot.

Gay marriage before Supreme Court? Cases weighed

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:08 PM PST

FILE - This Oct. 18, 2012 file photo shows Edith Windsor interviewed at the offices of the New York Civil Liberties Union, in New York. The fight over gay marriage is shifting from the ballot box to the Supreme Court. Three weeks after voters in three states backed it, the justices meet Friday to decide whether they should deal sooner rather than later with the idea that the Constitution gives people the right to marry regardless of a couple's sexual orientation. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)The running fight over gay marriage is shifting from the ballot box to the Supreme Court.

Fighting cuts access to Damascus airport, flights suspended

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:08 PM PST

Men who were injured in the explosions in Jaramana district, near Damascus, walk on a streetBEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels battled forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad just outside Damascus on Thursday, cutting access to its international airport, and the Dubai-based Emirates airline and EgyptAir stopped flights to the Syrian capital. The Internet and some telephone lines went down across Syria. Rebels and the government traded blame for the blackout, the worst communications outage in 20 months of conflict. Rebels fighting to topple Assad have been making gains around Syria by overrunning military bases and have been ramping up attacks on Damascus, his seat of power. ...

What we know about Superstorm Sandy a month later

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:07 PM PST

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2012 file photo, a parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of Superstorm Sandy in Hoboken, N.J. Sandy damaged or destroyed several homes and businesses, more than 72,000 in New Jersey alone, according to Gov. Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File)Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on parts of the U.S. East Coast a month ago Thursday after tearing through the Caribbean. In the weeks since, the storm's scope has come into sharper focus.

Mexico President Calderon: failed to reach goals

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:05 PM PST

FILE - In this June 9, 2006 file photo, Mexican presidential candidate Felipe Calderon, of the National Action Party (PAN), speaks during an interview on his private bus after a campaign stop in San Jose del Rincon, Mexico. When Calderon came to power six years ago, he set goals to alleviate poverty, create jobs and increase public safety. As he winds up his term on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2102, Calderon leaves Mexico with fiscal stability that saved the country from collapse during the world's economic crisis, but with far greater violence, very little change in poverty levels and anemic job growth. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)When he came to power six years ago, President Felipe Calderon set goals to alleviate poverty, create jobs and increase public safety.

Tunisian PM slams those behind recent riots

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:05 PM PST

People demonstrate in Tunis , to protest police violence in Tunisian town of Siliana Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Tunisia's army intervened Thursday in a third day of violent clashes in a northern town between police and striking residents who are demanding jobs and investment. After two days of battles that a hospital said left more than 300 people injured, police pulled out of Siliana Wednesday night. Witnesses said 15,000 people marched through the town Thursday demanding the governor's resignation. (AP Photo/Amine Landoulsi)Tunisia's prime minister accused opposition parties and unions Thursday of provoking three days of violent clashes and pleaded for patience while the government tackles the nation's economic problems.

Report: Depardieu briefly held for drunk driving

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:05 PM PST

French actor Gerard Depardieu was briefly detained by police for allegedly driving drunk on his motorcycle, according to a news report.

Abbas urges U.N. to issue "birth certificate" for Palestine

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:02 PM PST

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to the U.N. General Assembly to recognize Palestinian statehood by supporting a resolution to upgrade the U.N. observer status of the Palestinian Authority from "entity" to "non-member state." "The General Assembly is called upon today to issue a birth certificate of the reality of the State of Palestine," Abbas told the 193-nation assembly, according to the written text of his speech. (Reporting By Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Boehner sees no progress in fiscal cliff talks

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:02 PM PST

U.S. House Speaker Boehner speaks next to Majority Leader Cantor during a news conference on Capitol Hill in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday that "fiscal cliff" talks with the White House had made no substantive progress and criticized President Barack Obama and Democrats for failing to get serious about including spending cuts in a final deal. Boehner said he was "disappointed" after a phone call with Obama on Wednesday night and a meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Thursday moved the two sides no closer to an agreement to avert the tax hikes and spending cuts that will be triggered at the start of 2013 unless Congress ...

Obama hosts election rival, Romney, for lunch

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:59 PM PST

Former U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is pictured as he arrives at the White House for lunch with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney fell short in his White House bid but he got a consolation prize of sorts on Thursday as President Barack Obama had him over for lunch in an attempt to display some political harmony in the bitterly divided capital. The two men sat down for their meal in a West Wing dining room and there were efforts to keep the visit low key. Romney was brought in through a heavily guarded side entryway and officials said only the two men would be present for the lunch. News photographers were not allowed in for pictures. ...

Drought threatens to close Mississippi to barges

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:58 PM PST

An empty barge, top, pulls along side a barge filled with soybeans as they prepare to switch places at an Archer Daniels Midland grain river terminal along the Mississippi River Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, in Sauget, Ill. The potential closure of the river due to low water levels has raised concern for barge companies and others who use the river for shipping with a prolonged shutdown of the river possibly costing billions of dollars in losses. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)After months of drought, companies that ship grain and other goods down the Mississippi River are being haunted by a potential nightmare: If water levels fall too low, the nation's main inland waterway could become impassable to barges just as the harvest heads to market.

Winning tickets sought in $588M Powerball jackpot

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:57 PM PST

An unidentified customer walks out of the Trex Mart convenience store, right, while manager Chris Nauerz, left, and son of the owner Baron Hartell stand outside, in Dearborn, Mo., Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Lottery officials confirmed Thursday that one of two winning Powerball tickets sold before Wednesday's drawing was bought at a Trex Mart convenience store in Dearborn. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)The search is on for the country's newest multimillionaires, the holders of two tickets that matched all six numbers to split a record $588 million Powerball jackpot.

US finds Guantanamo prisoner death was suicide

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:55 PM PST

An autopsy has found that a Guantanamo Bay prisoner who died in September committed suicide, a U.S. military official said Thursday.

SAS sniper jailed for gun possession wins appeal

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:53 PM PST

Sgt. Danny Nightingale, centre, his wife Sally Nightingale and father Humphrey Nightingale, leave the the Royal Courts of Justice, London Thursday Nov. 29. 2012. British sniper Sgt. Danny Nightingale jailed for illegally possessing a gun and ammunition has won an appeal to suspend his sentence. Sgt. Danny Nightingale of the Special Air Service admitted illegal possession of the 9mm Glock pistol and more than 300 rounds of ammunition at a court martial earlier this month. He was sentenced to 18 months military detention. (AP Photo/Sean Dempsey/PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUTAn elite British sniper jailed for illegally possessing a gun and ammunition won an appeal Thursday to suspend his sentence, after pleading that he forgot about having the gun as a result of a brain injury.

Congress takes first hard look at Sandy damage

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:51 PM PST

FILE - This Oct. 31, 2012 file aerial photo shows the damage to an amusement park left in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, in Seaside Heights, N.J. The National Hurricane Center now says tropical force winds from Sandy extended 820 miles at its widest, down from an earlier estimate of 1,000 miles. Its pure kinetic energy for storm surge and wave Congress on Thursday took its first hard look at the damage from Superstorm Sandy amid appeals for tens of billions of dollars in additional disaster assistance to rebuild from one of the most destructive storms ever to hit the Northeast.

Another Yoda statue, Calif. Star Wars fans may get

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:48 PM PST

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2011 photo, a life-sized replica of Yoda, George Lucas' master of the Force, is shown at Lucasfilm Ltd. production studios in San Francisco. Lucas is moving forward with plans to build a park complete with a statue of Yoda and Indiana Jones in his Marin County hometown of San Anselmo, Calif. Lucas has applied for a permit to demolish the existing buildings at the site. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)Star Wars fans might soon have another Yoda statue in the San Francisco Bay area to visit.

Honda gets a do-over; revamps Civic to fix flaws

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:47 PM PST

A 2013 Honda Civic is shown in Detroit, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012. Just 19 months after its Civic compact car hit showrooms and got slammed by critics, the company has revamped the vehicle, giving it a new look and upgrading the interior. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)Honda has made a quick U-turn.

AP Exclusive: Arafat's widow calls death a mystery

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:45 PM PST

Suha Arafat is interviewed by the Associated Press at her home in Sliema, Malta, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. The widow of Yasser Arafat says she sees a spiritual significance in the timing of her late husband's exhumation, which came just two days before a U.N. vote on whether to recognize a Palestinian state. Suha Arafat told The Associated Press on Thursday at her home in Malta that the exhumation to determine whether Arafat had been poisoned "was as if his soul was resurrecting" ahead of Thursday's vote in the General Assembly. Mrs. Arafat called the former Palestinian leader's death in November 2004, a month after suddenly falling ill, "the most important mystery of the Middle East." (AP Photo/Lino Azzopardi)Yasser Arafat's widow sees a spiritual significance in the timing of her late husband's exhumation, which came just two days before a U.N. vote on whether to recognize a Palestinian state.

WikiLeaks' Assange downplays health concerns

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:44 PM PST

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gestures as he appears to speak from the balcony of Ecuador's embassy in LondonLONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, holed up in London's Ecuadorian embassy for nearly six months, played down concerns about his health on Thursday, saying he enjoyed being at the centre of the legal and diplomatic storm. Assange, 41, whose website angered the United States by releasing thousands of secret diplomatic cables, took sanctuary in Ecuador's embassy in June, jumping bail after exhausting appeals in British courts against extradition to Sweden for sexual assault allegations. ...

Oil rises on higher economic growth expectation

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:43 PM PST

The price of oil rose Thursday on an improved reading on U.S economic growth while lawmakers continued their tussle over the "fiscal cliff."

Texas inmate waits more than 30 years for retrial

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:42 PM PST

A Kansas man who remains in a Texas prison more than 30 years after his murder conviction was overturned has become the subject of a fight between the state, which insists he's being legally held, and a federal appeals court that says he's wrongly imprisoned.

Gay marriage cases could see Supreme Court action

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:41 PM PST

FILE - This Oct. 18, 2012 file photo shows Edith Windsor interviewed at the offices of the New York Civil Liberties Union, in New York. The fight over gay marriage is shifting from the ballot box to the Supreme Court. Three weeks after voters in three states backed it, the justices meet Friday to decide whether they should deal sooner rather than later with the idea that the Constitution gives people the right to marry regardless of a couple's sexual orientation. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)The running fight over gay marriage is shifting from the ballot box to the Supreme Court.

Twinkies maker Hostess: 110 suitors are lined up

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:40 PM PST

FILE - A Hostess Twinkies sign is shown at the Utah Hostess plant in Ogden, Utah, in this Nov. 15, 2012 file photo. Hostess Brands Inc. says it's in talks with more than 100 parties interested in buying its brands, which include Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)The future of Twinkies is virtually assured.

Review: Rooming with strangers _ a game of trust

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:39 PM PST

"Do we still have a TV?"

Clinton warns Georgia, Ukraine on prosecutions

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:37 PM PST

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned Georgia's new government Thursday not to engage in political prosecutions of former government officials.
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