| Obama targets young voters Posted: 03 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST  He wants to talk to college and business leaders about making college more accessible.
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| WWII-era Japanese sub discovered off Hawaii coast Posted: 03 Dec 2013 09:35 AM PST  By Suzanne Roig HONOLULU (Reuters) - Scientists plumbing the Pacific Ocean off the Hawaii coast have discovered a World War Two era Japanese submarine, a technological marvel that had been preparing to attack the Panama Canal before being scuttled by U.S. forces. The 400-foot (122-meter) "Sen-Toku" class vessel — among the largest pre-nuclear submarines ever built - was found in August off the southwest coast of Oahu and had been missing since 1946, scientists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa said. The I-400 and its sister ship, the I-401, which was found off Oahu in 2005, were able to travel one and a half times around the world without refueling and could hold up to three folding-wing bombers that could be launched minutes after resurfacing, the scientists said. "We came upon this as we were looking for other targets ... It is like watching a shark at rest," said Jim Delgado, a researcher aboard the Pisces V deep-diving submersible which traveled to the wreckage.
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| Seahawks fans cause quite the ruckus—and a minor earthquake Posted: 03 Dec 2013 09:35 AM PST  Seattle football fans erupted in cheers so raucous early in the Monday night match-up against the New Orleans Saints that their jumping up and down registered as five minor earthquakes, a state university professor told Reuters. The most intense rumble came during a celebration after Seahawks' defensive end Michael Bennett recovered a fumble by New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees in the first quarter and ran it back for a touchdown, said John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington. But the touchdown set the stage for a 34-7 Seahawks win - and one rowdy stadium.
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| Can a TV really be worth $40,000? Read the reviews Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:25 AM PST  Who would pay $40,000 for an HD television? That's what some Amazon users are wondering about Samsung's 85-inch, "4K Ultra HD 120Hz 3D Smart LED TV," which the website is offering at the discounted price of $39,997.99.
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| Audit: Health care subsidies vulnerable to fraud Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:12 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — More troubles for the health care overhaul. Subsidies to help people buy insurance under the law may be vulnerable to fraud, a Treasury Department watchdog said Tuesday in a report suggesting that concerns about the law are far from over.
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| Sharp rise in Europeans fighting in Syria Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:29 AM PST  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A new wave of Europeans is heading to Syria, their ranks soaring in the past six months as tales of easy living and glorious martyrdom draw them to the rebellion against Bashar Assad.
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| NYC train derailment airs queries about technology Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:14 AM PST  YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) — The revelation that a New York City commuter train derailed while barreling around a sharp curve at nearly three times the speed limit is fueling questions about whether automated crash-avoidance technology could have prevented the carnage.
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| Ukraine mass protests resume after govt wins vote Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:09 AM PST  KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — With Ukraine's president out of the country and his opponents still boiling with anger, the country's political tensions Tuesday appeared mired in a standoff as large protest rallies showed no sign of letting up.
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| Ill. lawmakers taking up bill to fix pension mess Posted: 03 Dec 2013 09:29 AM PST  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois lawmakers were poised Tuesday to vote on a plan to solve the state's $100 billion pension crisis — a proposal many are calling the most important vote of their careers and one that could deeply reduce the retirement benefits of hundreds of thousands of workers and retirees.
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| Common Core yields odd political allegiances Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:54 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — To say that new academic standards have yielded strange bedfellows would be an understatement.
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| Asian nations dominate international assessment Posted: 03 Dec 2013 07:45 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Teens from Asian nations dominated a global exam given to 15-year-olds, while U.S. students showed little improvement and failed to reach the top 20 in math, science or reading, according to test results released Tuesday.
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| NATO seeks clarity on troops in Afghanistan Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:54 AM PST  BRUSSELS (AP) — The secretary general of NATO says he won't set a deadline for the Afghan government to commit to a security agreement that lets troops remain there when the combat mission ends in 2014.
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| In your face, selfie! 'Science' also tops for 2013 Posted: 03 Dec 2013 05:56 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Look alive, selfie. There's another word of the year that's not all about you. |
| Thai protests ease ahead of king's birthday Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:13 AM PST BANGKOK (AP) — The political crisis that has shaken Thailand's capital for more than a week eased suddenly Tuesday after the prime minister ordered police to stop battling anti-government protesters. The move was timed to coincide with celebrations of the king's birthday later this week, a holiday that holds deep significance in the Southeast Asian nation. |
| Obama tries to move past health care website woes Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:14 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking to move past its website woes, the Obama administration is launching a two-pronged health care strategy this month aimed at avoiding enrollment snafus come January while also trying to refocus the public's attention on broader benefits of the sweeping law. |
| Doug Fister dealt to Nats, Jim Johnson to A's Posted: 03 Dec 2013 09:31 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — On a night usually dominated by news of players let loose, the Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics filled pitching needs with trades.
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| US vet detained in NKorea oversaw guerrilla group Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:21 AM PST SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Six decades before he went to North Korea as a curious tourist, Merrill Newman supervised a group of South Korean guerrillas during the Korean War who were perhaps the most hated and feared fighters in the North, former members of the group say. |
| Source: Driver in fatal New York train crash 'lost focus' Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:40 AM PST  The driver of a New York commuter train that derailed on Sunday, killing four people, told investigators he "lost focus" and went into a daze shortly before the crash, according to a law-enforcement source. A second source also briefed on the investigation said the driver, William Rockefeller, 46, lapsed into a "highway hypnosis." The seven-car Metro-North train was traveling at 82 miles per hour, nearly three times the 30-mph (48-kph) speed limit for the curved section of track where it crashed, investigators have said. The crash also critically injured 11 people and snarled travel for the roughly 26,000 regular commuters on the Metro-North Hudson line which serves suburbs north of New York City. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has cautioned that its investigation would continue for weeks, if not months, and it was far from reaching a conclusion on the cause.
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| Federal gun charges decline despite Obama executive action Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:23 AM PST  Figures show how ineffectual the president's executive action was, at least in the short term.
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| Judge clears Detroit for bankruptcy proceedings Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:14 AM PST  DETROIT (AP) — A judge ruled Tuesday that Detroit is eligible to shed billions of dollars of its long-running debt, including the pensions of thousands of workers and retirees, in a much-anticipated decision that shifts the city's epic bankruptcy case into a new and delicate phase.
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| 2013's most-searched news stories Posted:  The Boston bombing and Obamacare were big, but they weren't number 1.
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| Aggressive new HIV strain moves faster than previous viruses Posted: |
| Democratic strategist: On Obamacare, good intentions aren’t enough Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:05 AM PST  Former Clinton adviser says the problem-ridden program could damage the Democratic Party.
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| Biden: U.S. 'deeply concerned' with China's moves in East China Sea Posted: 03 Dec 2013 03:08 AM PST  The vice president said that the Chinese air zone raises risk of accidents.
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| North Korean leader's uncle ousted in major shakeup: Report Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:15 AM PST  By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have dismissed a powerful uncle, a man key to his rise to power, from his posts, South Korean lawmakers said on Tuesday, a move that could help consolidate his power base with a younger guard of aides. Jang Song Thaek was likely sacked as vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission and as a department head of the ruling Workers' Party, lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae said, citing a senior South Korean official with the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Analysts who watch the North's power structure say Jang's removal would not have been possible without the approval of the third Kim to rule in the family dynasty. Choe Ryong Hae, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, has been the most prominent figure to accompany Kim at public events and is a reminder of the state's political roots in military power.
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| How to Preserve Historic Moon Landing Sites for Posterity Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:11 AM PST  On Sunday (Dec. 1), China launched a spacecraft designed to land safely on the lunar surface, and some private companies hope to stage launches to the moon as well. If industry and other nations aren't careful, the uptick in lunar traffic might disturb the landing sites from the Apollo era, as well as Russia's landing sites on the lunar surface. In order to protect the United States' lunar heritage, U.S. legislators have recently proposed a "moon bill" that would qualify the Apollo landing sites as a national park. the United States, Russia and 126 other nations have ratified the treaty.
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| Shaken, stirred or straight up? U.S. toasts repeal of Prohibition Posted: 03 Dec 2013 03:06 AM PST By Leslie Gevirtz NEW YORK (Reuters) - Many Americans this week will toast the 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, a 14-year ban on the sale and production of alcoholic beverages that turned booze-smuggling thugs into celebrities and otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals. While the cocktail has been around since early 19th century, the combinations of spirits, sugars, water and bitters really started pouring into shakers during Prohibition. In the 1920s, there were 15,000 speakeasies in Detroit, "Great Gatsby" author F. Scott Fitzgerald favored Gin Rickeys and politicians and the famous hid out at New York's "21 Club" with its secret wine cellar and disappearing bar. "The whole Prohibition cocktail thing was to cover up the poor quality of the alcohol," said John McCarthy, a bartender at New York's Bathtub Gin lounge. |
| Is Obama already a lame-duck president? Posted: 02 Dec 2013 04:59 PM PST  The "L word" – as in "lame," followed by "duck" – is already creeping into the conversation on President Obama's second-term woes. The disastrous rollout of HealthCare.gov, followed by the flap over canceled policies and other effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), means Mr. Obama will spend the rest of his presidency trying to prove the law can or will work. That distracts from efforts toward new accomplishments, be it immigration reform or a long-term budget deal or climate change. And in perhaps the final sign that Obama may be sliding toward lame-duckery, political media have been obsessed by the 2016 presidential race almost since the moment Obama was reelected.
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| Officials: Walker crash not part of street race Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:20 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — While the neighborhood where "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker died in a fiery crash is known to attract street racers, law enforcement officials do not believe the Porsche he and a friend were riding in had been racing another car.
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