Cassadee Pope wins Season 3 of 'The Voice'

NEW YORK (AP) — Cassadee Pope, who was country singer Blake Shelton's protege on the third season of NBC's "The Voice," has won the show's competition.

The 23-year-old singer is stepping out into a solo career after performing with a band called Hey Monday. Her victory over Scottish native Terry McDermott and long-bearded Nicholas David was announced at the end of a two-hour show Tuesday.

"The Voice" has grown into a hit for NBC and was the key factor in the network's surprising success this fall.

The show's status was affirmed by the stream of hitmakers who performed on the finale. They included Rihanna, Bruno Mars, the Killers, Smokey Robinson and Peter Frampton.

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Attackers in Pakistan Kill Anti-Polio Workers

Rizwan Tabassum/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A Pakistani mother mourned her daughter, who was killed on Tuesday in an attack on health workers participating in a drive to eradicate polio from Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Gunmen shot dead five female health workers who were immunizing children against polio on Tuesday, causing the Pakistani government to suspend vaccinations in two cities and dealing a fresh setback to an eradication campaign dogged by Taliban resistance in a country that is one of the disease’s last global strongholds.

“It is a blow, no doubt,” said Shahnaz Wazir Ali, an adviser on polio to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. “Never before have female health workers been targeted like this in Pakistan. Clearly there will have to be more and better arrangements for security.”

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but most suspicion focused on the Pakistani Taliban, which has previously blocked polio vaccinators and complained that the United States is using the program as a cover for espionage.

The killings were a serious reversal for the multibillion-dollar global polio immunization effort, which over the past quarter century has reduced the number of endemic countries from 120 to just three: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

Nonetheless, United Nations officials insisted that the drive would be revived after a period for investigation and regrouping, as it had been after previous attacks on vaccinators here, in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Pakistan has made solid gains against polio, with 56 new recorded cases of the diseases in 2012, compared with 192 at the same point last year, according to the government. Worldwide, cases of death and paralysis from polio have been reduced to less than 1,000 last year, from 350,000 worldwide in 1988.

But the campaign here has been deeply shaken by Taliban threats and intimidation, though several officials said Tuesday that they had never seen such a focused and deadly attack before.

Insurgents have long been suspicious of polio vaccinators, seeing them as potential spies. But that greatly intensified after the C.I.A. used a vaccination team headed by a local doctor, Shakil Afridi, to visit Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, reportedly in an attempt to obtain DNA proof that the Bin Laden family was there before an American commando raid on it in May 2011.

In North Waziristan, one prominent warlord has banned polio vaccinations until the United States ceases drone strikes in the area.

Most new infections in Pakistan occur in the tribal belt and adjoining Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province — some of the most remote areas of the country, and also those with the strongest militant presence. People fleeing fighting in those areas have also spread the disease to Karachi, the country’s largest city, where the disease has been making a worrisome comeback in recent years.

After Tuesday’s attacks, witnesses described violence that was both disciplined and well coordinated. Five attacks occurred within an hour in different Karachi neighborhoods. In several cases, the killers traveled in pairs on motorcycle, opening fire on female health workers as they administered polio drops or moved between houses in crowded neighborhoods.

Of the five victims, three were teenagers, and some had been shot in the head, a senior government official said. Two male health workers were also wounded by gunfire; early reports incorrectly stated that one of them had died, the official said.

In Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, gunmen opened fire on two sisters participating in the polio vaccination program, killing one of them. It was unclear whether that shooting was directly linked to the Karachi attacks.

In remote parts of the northwest, the Taliban threat is exacerbated by the government’s crumbling writ. In Bannu, on the edge of the tribal belt, one polio worker, Noor Khan, said he quit work on Tuesday once news of the attacks in Karachi and Peshawar filtered in.

“We were told to stop immediately,” he said by phone.

Still, the Pakistani government has engaged considerable political and financial capital in fighting polio. President Asif Ali Zardari and his daughter Aseefa have been at the forefront of immunization drives. With the help of international donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, they have mounted a huge vaccination campaign aimed at up to 35 million children younger than 5, usually in three-day bursts that can involve 225,000 health workers.

The plan seeks to have every child in Pakistan immunized at least four times per year, although in the hardest-hit areas one child could be reached as many as 12 times in a year.

Declan Walsh reported from Islamabad, and Donald G. McNeil Jr. from New York. Salman Masood contributed reporting from Islamabad, and Zia ur-Rehman from Karachi, Pakistan.

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Safety regulators fine Toyota for delaying SUV recall

Federal safety regulators Tuesday slapped another big fine on Toyota Motor Corp. for failing to promptly recall cars.

Toyota will pay $17.35 million for delaying a recall of Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h sport-utility vehicles because a floor mat could jam the gas pedal, causing unintended acceleration. It follows a record $48.8 million in fines two years ago, a result of three separate investigations into Toyota's handling ofautorecalls for pedal entrapment, sticky gas pedals and steering relay rod problems.

With the Lexus SUVs, Toyota and its dealers started seeing the problem in 2009, but the automaker failed to issue a recall for the popular vehicles until June, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"Every moment of delay has the potential to lead to deaths or injuries on our nation's highways," said David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Federal law requires all auto manufacturers to notify NHTSA within five business days of discovering a safety defect and to promptly issue a recall.

"We agreed to this settlement in order to avoid a time-consuming dispute and to focus fully on our shared commitment with NHTSA to keep drivers safe," said Ray Tanguay, chief quality officer of Toyota North America.

A fine of $17 million, while large, is hardly a "speed bump" to one of the world's largest automakers, said Jeremy Anwyl, vice chairman at auto information company Edmunds.com.

Regulators are making a statement that automakers need to recall cars even if they are still investigating an issue and determining the proper repair, Anwyl said. Generally, car companies prefer to announce a recall and a fix at the same time.

The latest fine comes as Toyota is regaining lost U.S. market share in the wake of previous fines and larger recalls, as well as inventory problems created by last year's earthquake in Japan.

Through the first 11 months of this year, Toyota has sold almost 1.9 million vehicles in the U.S., up 29% from the same period last year. Its sales are growing at more than twice the rate of the industry. The automaker now has 14.4% of the U.S. market, up from 12.7% through November of last year.

While the fine hurts Toyota's image, it probably will not affect sales, said Thilo Koslowski, the auto analyst at Gartner Inc.

"Consumer memory is just not that long," Koslowski said. "If this is a company that provided subpar vehicles compared to its competitors, this would be a problem. But people like the brand."

Tuesday's fine resulted from an investigation launched earlier this year when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation began noticing a trend in floor mat pedal entrapment in 2010 Lexus RX 350s. When safety regulators asked Toyota about the problem in May, the automaker reported 63 alleged incidents of possible floor mat pedal entrapment in RX 350s dating to 2009.

But Toyota waited until June to recall 154,036 Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h vehicles from the 2010 model year.

Toyota has had a history of problems with unintended acceleration. In one high-profile accident, an improperly positioned floor mat in a Lexus sedan may have trapped the accelerator — causing the car to race down California Highway 125 near San Diego at more than 100 mph. The car crashed and burned, killing off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor and three family members.

That crash led to a safety investigation and recall of 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to fix the floor mat problem. After a Los Angeles Times series on unintended sudden acceleration, Toyota issued millions more recall notices to fix sticking gas pedals and other issues. At one point, it had to halt much of its production of new cars in the U.S. to fix recalled vehicles.

jerry.hirsch@latimes.com

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White House considers responses to Connecticut shooting

WASHINGTON — As gun control advocates cheered President Obama's call to action on gun violence, the White House began to weigh its options Monday on how to fulfill the president's vow to use all the power of his office to prevent future mass killings.

The most likely initiatives following Friday's Connecticut school shooting — efforts to tighten gun show sales, for example, or to reinstate a ban on assault weapons — are laden with political pitfalls and challenges. Although several members of Congress indicated they were newly open to gun control measures, opposition to stiffer gun laws is expected to remain firm, particularly in the Republican-led House.

Taking on another uphill legislative battle would scramble an already full agenda for the White House, which is embroiled in fiscal negotiations and hoping to start Obama's second term with a focus on immigration reform.

PHOTOS: Shooting at Connecticut school

Gun control supporters pushed the White House to move quickly to harness the anguish and outrage at the Newtown massacre, in which 20 first-graders and six adults died. But the president needs time to build consensus for any action in Congress, said an advisor who asked not to be named discussing strategy. Aides said the president wanted to avoid pushing gun partisans into their usual foxholes on an issue that has deeply entrenched and well-funded interests.

White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to outline an agenda or offer policy specifics, although he said gun control measures would be under consideration.

"I don't have a series of proposals to present to you," Carney told reporters. "This is a complex issue that requires complex solutions, and he looks forward to engaging the American people in an effort to do more."

FULL COVERAGE: Shooting at Connecticut school

Obama met at the White House on Monday with Vice President Joe Biden and senior staff members to consider ways to respond. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan also took part.

Experts say the president could take some steps to strengthen gun laws without congressional approval.

For example, the law already forbids some mentally incompetent people and drug users from buying guns. But the administration could expand its use of government resources to improve the database used in background checks, or better fund efforts that help state and local agencies improve their databases.

A string of previous tragedies sparked similar calls for stiffer gun laws, only to see pressure fade as politics and time eroded the sense of urgency.

The Justice Department began an effort to research measures that would tighten gun laws and improve background checks, without banning weapons, after a gunman killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), in Tucson in 2011. Some of the changes did not require congressional action. Most have not been imposed.

"My judgment is that if we're going to move, we need to move on them fairly expeditiously," said Christopher H. Schroeder, who researched the policies at the Office of Legal Policy before leaving the Justice Department this year. "As horrific as the Connecticut shooting was, memories tend to fade. There's a limited window of opportunity to act."

In an emotional speech Sunday night in Newtown, Obama raised expectations of direct engagement when he promised to use "whatever power this office holds" to prevent similar mass killings. He did not mention the words "gun" or "weapon" in his speech, or offer specifics.

It was the fourth time Obama had addressed the nation to express grief after a monstrous crime. He wiped away a tear as he spoke, two days after a poignant White House appearance in which he repeatedly dabbed his eyes and fought to maintain composure as he decried the school massacre.

Some signs indicated the Newtown killings could weaken opposition to new gun laws in Congress.

Two prominent Democrats — Sens. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Mark R. Warner of Virginia — said Monday that despite their history of defending gun rights, they now believed tighter laws were needed. Manchin, whose candidacy was endorsed by the National Rifle Assn., said the Newtown shooting "has changed us."

"Everything should be on the table," said Manchin, who in a 2010 campaign TV ad fired a rifle at one of Obama's legislative proposals. "We need to move beyond dialogue — we need to take a sensible, reasonable approach to the issue of mass violence."

Polls often find support for tighter gun laws evenly divided, but a survey released Monday suggested a slight shift in favor of gun control.

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What If Nothing or Nobody is to Blame for Adam Lanza? Guns, Video Games, Autism or Authorities

What if there is nobody or nothing to blame for Adam Lanza‘s heinous acts? Other than Lanza, of course.

What if school security and the school psychiatrist kept an eye on Lanza since his freshman year? The Wall Street Journal has a compelling narrative about the red flags addressed.

What if he had a form of autism that has little or no link to violent behavior? Lanza may have had Asperger’s syndrome but, even so, that is not a cause.

(RELATED: How To Make Sense of America’s Confusing Patchwork of Gun Control Laws)

What if it’s too simple to lay the massacre at the feet of the gun lobby? Reader Larry Kelly tweets that shaming Aspies “makes about as much sense at stigmatizing the NRA. Pick an enemy … any enemy. Let outrage and fear rule.”

What if Lanza wasn’t provoked by video games? David Axelrod, a close friend an adviser of President Obama, tweeted last night: “In NFL post-game: an ad for shoot ‘em up video game. All for curbing weapons of war. But shouldn’t we also quit marketing murder as a game.”

When I asked whether he was laying groundwork for a White House initiative, Axelrod said no: “Just one man’s observation.” A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said today that Axelrod was not a stalking horse for Obama on this issue.

What if Lanza’s mother did everything she could, short of keeping her guns out her adult son’s reach? What if he wasn’t bullied?

What if there is nobody or nothing to blame? Would that make this inexplicable horror unbearable?

What if we didn’t rush to judgement? What if we didn’t waste our thoughts, prayers and actions on assigning blame for the sake of mere recrimination? What if we calmly and ruthlessly learned whatever lessons we can from the massacre — and prevented the next one?

What if it wasn’t one thing, but everything, that set off Lanza?

Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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'The Hobbit' tops box office with record $84.6M

NEW YORK (AP) — Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" led the box office over the weekend with $84.6 million, a record-setting opening better than the three previous "Lord of the Rings" films.

The 3-D Middle Earth epic, the first of three planned films adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, was the biggest December opening ever, surpassing Will Smith's "I Am Legend," which opened with $77.2 million in 2007.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey," Warner Bros., $84,617,303, 4,045 locations, $20,919 average, $84,617,303, one week.

2. "Rise of the Guardians," Paramount, $7,143,445, 3,387 locations, $2,109 average, $71,085,268, four weeks.

3. "Lincoln," Disney, $7,033,132, 2,285 locations, $3,078 average, $107,687,319, six weeks.

4. "Skyfall," Sony, $6,555,732, 2,924 locations, $2,242 average, $271,921,795, six weeks.

5. "Life of Pi," Fox, $5,413,066, 2,548 locations, $2,124 average, $69,572,472, four weeks.

6. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2," Summit, $5,136,074, 3,042 locations, $1,688 average, $276,826,143, five weeks.

7. "Wreck-It Ralph," Disney, $3,216,043, 2,249 locations, $1,430 average, $168,721,592, seven weeks.

8. "Playing For Keeps," FilmDistrict, $3,146,443, 2,840 locations, $1,108 average, $10,737,535, two weeks.

9. "Red Dawn," FilmDistrict, $2,408,882, 2,250 locations, $1,071 average, $40,904,305, four weeks.

10. "Silver Linings Playbook," Weinstein Co., $2,109,274, 371 locations, $5,685 average, $16,979,323, five weeks.

11. "Flight," Paramount, $1,910,666, 1,823 locations, $1,048 average, $89,418,704, seven weeks.

12. "Argo," Warner Bros., $1,170,175, 667 locations, $1,754 average, $104,955,079, 10 weeks.

13. "Hitchcock," Fox Searchlight, $1,107,659, 561 locations, $1,974 average, $3,071,871, four weeks.

14. "Anna Karenina," Focus, $1,022,214, 409 locations, $2,499 average, $8,380,517, five weeks.

15. "Killing Them Softly," Weinstein Co., $1,008,127, 1,427 locations, $706 average, $14,140,432, three weeks.

16. "The Collection," LD Entertainment, $529,158, 621 locations, $852 average, $6,520,794, three weeks.

17. "Hyde Park On Hudson," Focus, $292,796, 36 locations, $8,133 average, $404,816, two weeks.

18. "Taken 2," Fox, $288,772, 339 locations, $852 average, $138,132,493, 11 weeks.

19. "Pitch Perfect," Universal, $245,680, 332 locations, $740 average, $63,869,423, 12 weeks.

20. "Talaash," Reliance Big Pictures, $168,828, 113 locations, $1,494 average, $2,706,375, three weeks.

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

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Philippine Lawmakers Pass Reproductive Health Bill

MANILA — After a ferocious national debate that pitted family members against one another, and some faithful Catholics against their church, the Philippine Congress passed legislation on Monday to help the country’s poorest women gain access to birth control.

Aaron Favila/Associated Press

Visitors to the Philippine Congress viewed portraits of members during Monday’s vote on birth control.

Jay Directo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Supporters of a landmark reproductive health bill celebrated as the Philippine Congress passed legislation on Monday to help the country’s poorest women gain access to birth control. 

“The people now have the government on their side as they raise their families in a manner that is just and empowered,” said Edwin Lacierda, a spokesman for President Benigno S. Aquino III, who pushed for passage.

Each chamber of the national legislature passed its own version of the measure — by 13 to 8 in the Senate and 133 to 79 in the House of Representatives — and minor differences between the two must be reconciled before the measure goes to Mr. Aquino for his signature.

The measure had been stalled for more than a decade because of determined opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. Roughly four-fifths of Filipinos are Catholic.

Birth control is legal and widely available in the Philippines for people who can afford it, particularly those living in cities. But condoms, birth control pills and other methods can be difficult to find in rural areas, and their cost puts them out of reach for the very poor.

“Some local governments have passed local ordinances that banned the sale of condoms and contraceptives and forbid their distribution in government clinics, where most poor Filipinos turn for health care,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement on the issue, adding that the new bill would override such ordinances.

The measure passed on Monday would stock government health centers, including those in remote areas, with free or subsidized birth control options for the poor. It would require sex education in public schools and family-planning training for community health officers. The Philippines has one of the highest birthrates in Asia, but backers of the legislation, including the Aquino administration, have said repeatedly that its purpose is not to limit population growth. Rather, they say, the bill is meant to offer poor families the same reproductive health options that wealthier people in the country enjoy.

The United Nations Population Fund estimates that half of the 3.4 million pregnancies in the Philippines each year are unintended, and that there are 11 pregnancy-related deaths in the country each day, on average. Most of those could be avoided, the organization says, through improved maternal health care, a need that proponents say the new legislation will directly address.

Catholic Church officials took a hard line against the measure, saying it was out of line with the beliefs of most religious Filipinos. The church equated contraception with abortion, which is illegal in the Philippines.

“These artificial means are fatal to human life, either preventing it from fruition or actually destroying it,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said in a statement on the eve of the votes in Congress.

The statement cited health risks associated with some forms of birth control, but the bishops’ strongest objections have been lodged on moral rather than medical grounds. In a pastoral letter, they said: “The youth are being made to believe that sex before marriage is acceptable, provided you know how to avoid pregnancy. Is this moral? Those who corrupt the minds of children will invoke divine wrath on themselves.”

The legislation prompted a heated national debate in the Philippines over the role that government should play in family planning and women’s health.

“This bill no doubt has inflicted a very wide chasm of division in our society,” said Juan Ponce Enrile, the president of the Senate. “Families are even divided, mother and daughter differing in their views, husband and wife differing in their views.” Mr. Enrile opposed the bill; his son, Juan, a congressman, voted in favor of it.

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Lincoln accused of 'tricky' tire switch by automotive website

If shoes make the man, tires make the car.

And that's perhaps why Lincoln slapped Ferrari-caliber tires on a media car it delivered toautoreviewers. The expensive rubber was first detected by Edmunds.com, which in turn blasted the automaker for trying to mask the shortcomings of its new MKZ sedan.

Edmunds.com, the Santa Monica car buying guide, noticed that the MKZ completed a slalom course faster than a BMW M5 — among the best-handling sedans on Earth.

"That's exactly the kind of data point those tricky tire-switching Lincoln engineers were hoping for. Foolish. Instead of trying to game the media, Lincoln should have designed and engineered a better car," Erin Riches wrote in a scathing review.

Ford objected to the Edmunds assessment.

"That insinuation is simply not true," said Timothy Elliott, a Lincoln spokesman. "The summer tires that were specified for the California-based media are in a sport package that will become available in January. This is not gaming the system."

The tires in question are actually available on the MKZ. Trouble is, fewer than 1% of consumers will actually get those tires, a Ford Motor Co. spokesman acknowledged.

The Lincoln MKZ is the first in a series of vehicles that Ford hopes will rebuild its flagging luxury brand. It has designated designers for Lincoln and created a new studio to make the vehicles more distinct from their Ford siblings. It even changed the brand name to Lincoln Motor Co. in a new advertising campaign.

Through the first 11 months of this year, Lincoln has sold 74,766 vehicles, a 3% decline from the same period last year. Cadillac, by contrast, has sold more than 131,000 vehicles while Lexus has sold more than 200,000 and Mercedes-Benz and BMW have each sold about 250,000.

Tweaking vehicles targeted for test drives and reviews happens occasionally, said Karl Brauer, editor of TotalCarScore.com. He should know, he's done 60 road tests of new models so far this year, and noticed that some drive better at the company-hosted events than inreallife.

"You can change the parameters of a car electronically very easily, and I think they do it," Brauer said. "I think this is an issue.... You want the publication to say it feels very fast and responsive."

Upgrading tires is probably less common than electronically adjusting the car's tuning, Brauer said. But tires can have a huge impact on test results. As the only point of contact with the road, high-performance tires, made of softer rubber, can yield large gains in traction, breaking and cornering, even acceleration from a dead stop.

Edmunds.com noticed the ultra-aggressive Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer tires while testing a V6, all-wheel-drive 2013 Lincoln MKZ provided by Lincoln.

"They're the kind of tires that come standard on cars like the $90K BMW M5 and the $410K Ferrari 599 GTO," Edmunds.com said in its review.

The tires come with a $1,565 package, which also includes 19-inch rims and a sport-tuned suspension.

The Times is testing a different Lincoln MKZ — also provided by the company with the high-performance tires — for an upcoming review.

Scott Oldham, editor in chief of Edmunds.com, called the Lincoln move silly.

"This is not a car that represents what people will buy," Oldham said. "You wouldn't want the tires on the MKZ because they hurt ride comfort, interior noise levels and fuel economy. The gain in handling isn't worth the trade-offs. Lincoln understands that."

david.undercoffler@latimes.com

jerry.hirsch@latimes.com

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Connecticut school gunman shot mother multiple times, autopsy finds

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- School shooter Adam Lanza killed his mother with "multiple" shots to her head and killed himself with a single shot to his head, according to a coroner’s report released Sunday.

After killing his mother in the home they shared, Lanza, 20, drove her car to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he opened fire in two classrooms Friday morning, killing 20 children and six adults. He then turned the gun on himself.

The autopsy reports were released by Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner Dr. H. Wayne Carver II, who said earlier that all the children had been shot multiple times.

Officials have not identified the make of Lanza's weapon, which Carver has described only as a “long gun.”

As the autopsy reports were being released Sunday, a threatening phone call to a local church prompted a mid-service evacuation that jarred a day of mourning as residents throughout this community grappled with the aftermath of the elementary school massacre.

FULL COVERAGE: Connecticut school shooting

A church spokesman said police gave an all-clear soon after the evacuation at St. Rose of Lima Church. A SWAT team had surrounded the rectory across the parking lot from the main church building and hundreds of parishioners were forced to leave services that had been packed all morning.

"This is a very difficult time for all the families. We have seen incredible dignity in the faces of these people," church spokesman Brian Wallace said. The church was locked following the all-clear to "restore calm," Wallace said.

"I don't think anyone can be surprised about anything after what has happened," he said.

Earlier police said in a morning briefing that they may have to interview the youngest survivors of the school shooting as they try to determine the motive of the gunman.

State Police Lt. Paul Vance and Newtown Police Lt. George Sinko offered few new details of the crime or the investigation into the so-far inexplicable rampage at the elementary school.

Any motive -- speculation about Lanza's video game habits, and his relationship with the school and with his mother -- remained unconfirmed. Two days later, police still aren't saying why he did what he did.

PHOTOS: Connecticut school shooting

“For us to be able to give you the summary of the motive, we have to complete the investigation; we have to have the whole picture to say how and why this occurred," said Vance of the Connecticut State Police, the lead agency on the investigation. "There are weeks’ worth of work left for us to complete this."

Lanza's mother legally purchased the guns later recovered at the scene of the massacre, law enforcement officials have said. Officials have previously said those weapons included a military-style Bushmaster .223 rifle, a Glock 9-millimeter pistol and a Sig Sauer semiautomatic pistol, officials said.

Vance said police would be tracing the weapons' origins "back to their origin" at their manufacturers.

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy told CNN on Sunday morning: "What we know is he shot his way into the building, so he penetrated the building -- he wasn't buzzed in. He penetrated the building by literally shooting an entrance into the building."

Sinko, meanwhile, said it was "too early" to say if children ever would return to the two classrooms where the killings occurred. "It's too early to say, but I would find it very difficult for them to do that," he said.

Arrangements were under way for some children to report to another elementary school in Newtown when classes resume.

"We want to keep these kids together," said Sinko, explaining that they hoped children who were moved to new schools could stay with their classmates. "We want to move forward very slowly and respectfully," he added, by way of explaining why it was expected to take so long to interview surviving children.

At the news conference, Vance also said the FBI had been asked to help investigate false postings on social media sites that included "some things in somewhat of a threatening manner," and some that purported to be messages from the shooter himself or others involved in the incident.

"There are quotes by people who are posing as the shooter.... Suffice it to say, the information has been deemed as threatening," he said when asked to elaborate.

ALSO:

Suspect in massacre tried to buy rifle days before, sources say

In Newtown, death's chill haunts the morning after school shooting

Connecticut shooting: Gunman forced his way into school, police say

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Apple says China iPhone 5 sales in first weekend top two million

(Reuters) – Apple Inc sold more than 2 million of its new iPhone 5 in China during the three days after its launch there on Friday, marking China’s best-selling iPhone rollout ever, the company said late on Sunday.

“Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China,” Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a statement.

Apple’s latest iPhone, which offers a larger 4-inch screen and 4G capability, was launched in the United States and 30 other countries in September, when the company sold more than 5 million of the devices in the first three days.

The device’s highly anticipated release in China, Apple’s second-biggest market, failed to stop the recent share slide of the world’s most valuable technology company, and analysts said Apple’s longer-term China hopes may hinge on a partnership with China Mobile Ltd, the country’s top telecoms carrier.

(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

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