Russia vows tough response to U.S. human rights legislation

MOSCOW — Russian officials are promising a tough response to U.S. legislation that would impose sanctions on Russian officials...

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Lady Gaga tweets some racy images before concert

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Lady Gaga's tweets were getting a lot of attention ahead of her Buenos Aires concert Friday night.The Grammy-winning entertainer has more than 30 million followers on Twitter and that's where she shared a link this week to a short video showing her doing a striptease and fooling around in a bathtub with two other women.She told her followers that it's a "surprise for...

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The Neediest Cases: Emerging From a Bleak Life to Become Fabulous Phil

For years, Phillip Johnson was caught in what seemed like an endless trench of bad luck. He was fired from a job, experienced intensifying psychological problems, lost his apartment and spent time in homeless shelters. At one point, he was hospitalized after overdosing on an antipsychotic drug. “I had a rough road,” he said. Since his hospital stay two years ago, and despite setbacks,...

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Black Friday: A survival guide

Shopping The plan | The numbers | The gear | The strategy | The apps | The start Black Friday, the most buzzed-about shopping day of the year, is starting even earlier this holiday season as retailers try to get a jump on the competition. The official kickoff to the Christmas shopping rush,...

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Former O.C. Sheriff Michael Carona seeks to cut prison sentence

Attorneys for former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona — who is now serving 66 months in federal prison for witness tampering...

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Lady Gaga tweets some racy images before concert

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Lady Gaga's tweets were getting a lot of attention ahead of her Buenos Aires concert Friday night.The Grammy-winning entertainer has more than 30 million followers on Twitter and that's where she shared a link this week to a short video showing her doing a striptease and fooling around in a bathtub with two other women.She told her followers that it's a "surprise for...

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N.F.L. Paid Millions Over Brain Injuries, Article Says

Three retired N.F.L. players received at least $2 million in disability payments as a result of brain trauma injuries from their playing days, according to an article by ESPN and the PBS series “Frontline.” The payments were made in the 1990s and early 2000s by the Bell/Rozelle N.F.L. Player Retirement Plan, a committee comprising representatives of the owners, players and the N.F.L. commissioner....

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FHA lacks reserves to cover losses

WASHINGTON — As the housing market recovers, one government agency is still paying the price for helping to stabilize it — and...

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Veteran L.A. County sheriff's deputy charged with murder

After spending much of his life putting people behind bars, a veteran L.A. County sheriff's deputy stood in handcuffs Thursday,...

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Xbox Live Celebrates 10 Years of Connecting Gamers

Thursday marks the tenth anniversary of Xbox Live, Microsoft’s online gaming platform for the Xbox and the Xbox 360.[More from Mashable: Steve Ballmer Hints at Microsoft Building More Hardware] For the last decade, Xbox Live has offered both a marketplace and online play space for gamers. It started in 2002 on Microsoft‘s...

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Juan Luis Guerra, Jesse & Joy win at Latin Grammys

LAS VEGAS (AP) — With their hit "Corre!" Mexican brother-sister pop duo Jesse & Joy ran away from the pack with four awards, including best song and best recording, at the 13th Annual Latin Grammys in Las Vegas on Thursday night.Hosted by actors Cristian De La Fuente and Lucero, the ceremony attracted super-stars new and old, from across the world and from every Latin musical genre to the Mandalay...

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I Was Misinformed: The Time She Tried Viagra

I have noticed, in the bragging-rights department, that “he doesn’t need Viagra” has become the female equivalent of the male “and, I swear, she’s a real blonde.” Personally, I do not care a bit. To me, anything that keeps you happy and in the game is a good thing. But then, I am proud to say, I was among the early, and from what I gather, rare female users. It happened when the drug...

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McDonald's USA president to step down; successor named

The head of U.S. operations for McDonald's Corp. is on her way out amid the burger chain's efforts to counter intense competition...

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Tax hikes, improving economy bode well for state budget

SACRAMENTO — Although a modest deficit will linger into next year, California's finances are poised for marked improvement as...

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Erdrich wins National Book Award for fiction

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Book Awards on Wednesday honored both longtime writers and new authors, from Louise Erdrich for "The Round House" to Katherine Boo for her debut work, "Beyond the Beautiful Forevers."Erdrich, 58, has been a published and highly regarded author for nearly 30 years but had never won a National Book Award until being cited Wednesday for her story about an Ojibwe boy and his...

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F.D.A. Seeks More Control Over Drug Compounders

Susan Walsh/Associated PressBarry Cadden, chief pharmacist for the company that made the contaminated drugs, at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday. WASHINGTON — The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday called on Congress to empower the agency to better police compounding pharmacies like the one at the center of a national meningitis outbreak. But Republican lawmakers...

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Looming 'fiscal cliff' bringing Wall Street, Obama back together

NEW YORK — There are growing signs that Wall Street is trying to mend its rocky relationship with a president who castigated...

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GOP senators cool to idea of Susan Rice as secretary of State

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans signaled stiffening resistance Tuesday to the Obama administration's possible nomination of...

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RIM to release new BlackBerrys soon after Jan. 30

TORONTO (AP) — Research In Motion Ltd. will release its much-delayed BlackBerry 10 smartphones “not too long” after a launch event on Jan. 30, a senior executive said Tuesday.Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear said the company is still fine-tuning the new phones. The new phones are seen as critical to RIM‘s survival...

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Man who accused Elmo puppeteer of teen sex recants

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with him when he was a teenage boy has recanted his story.In a quick turnabout, the man on Tuesday described his sexual relationship with Clash as adult and consensual.Clash responded with a statement of his own, saying he is "relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest." He had no further comment.The man, who...

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Kidney Donors Given Mandatory Safeguards

ST. LOUIS — Addressing long-held concerns about whether organ donors have adequate protections, the country’s transplant regulators acted late Monday to require that hospitals thoroughly inform living kidney donors of the risks they face, fully evaluate their medical and psychological suitability, and then track their health for two years after donation. Enactment of the policies by the...

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McAfee proclaims innocence, alters look to evade Belize police

In another twist to an already bizarre story, the founder of the McAfee anti-virus software company contacted an American journalist...

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