Obama, Boehner discuss 'fiscal cliff' stalemate

FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama acknowledges House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio while speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, as he hosted a meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral leadership of Congress to discuss the deficit and economy. Admnistration officials say President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met Sunda, Dec. 9, 2012, at the White House to discuss the ongoing negotiations over the impeding "fiscal cliff." Spokesmen for both Obama and Boehner said the two men agreed to not release details of the conversation, but emphasized that the lines of communication remain open. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama acknowledges House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio while speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, as he hosted a meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral leadership of Congress to discuss the deficit and economy. Admnistration officials say President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met Sunda, Dec. 9, 2012, at the White House to discuss the ongoing negotiations over the impeding "fiscal cliff." Spokesmen for both Obama and Boehner said the two men agreed to not release details of the conversation, but emphasized that the lines of communication remain open. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 6. 2012, photo, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., is surrounded by, from left, his wife Elizabeth, and daughters Emily and Julia, as he speaks to supporters at an election night victory rally at the Cabana Restaurant on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn.S enate Republicans would probably agree to increased tax rates on the wealthiest Americans if it meant getting a chance to reform massive government entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security,Corker said Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File)

(AP) ? President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met at the White House to discuss the "fiscal cliff," while rank-and-file Republicans stepped forward with what they called pragmatic ideas to break the stalemate.

The Obama-Boehner meeting Sunday was the first between just the two leaders since Election Day. They agreed not to release details of their weekend conversation, but aides emphasized that the lines of communication remain open.

Seeking to rally popular support for his position, Obama was heading to Michigan on Monday to speak to auto workers at a plant outside Detroit. It's the latest in a string of campaign-style appearances Obama has held in recent weeks echoing a theme he stressed repeatedly during his campaign: that the richest Americans should pay more to help reduce the deficit.

At the same time, GOP mavericks are putting increased pressure on their party's leaders to rethink how they approach negotiations with Obama in the wake of a bruising national election that left Democrats in charge of the White House and Senate.

"There is a growing group of folks looking at this and realizing that we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told "Fox News Sunday."

If Republicans agree to Obama's plan to increase rates on the top 2 percent of Americans, Corker added, "the focus then shifts to entitlements, and maybe it puts us in a place where we actually can do something that really saves the nation."

Conservative stalwart Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma had already floated a similar idea, and Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., has said Obama and Boehner could at least agree not to raise tax rates on the majority of Americans and negotiate the rates of top earners later.

"It's not waving a white flag to recognize political reality," Cole said on CNN's "State of the Union."

But such ideas face an uphill battle. Many House Republicans say they wouldn't vote for tax rate hikes under any circumstances. And GOP leadership could lose leverage in the negotiations if it raises the rate on upper-income earners without getting anything substantial in return like entitlement reform.

Democratic leaders have suggested they are unwilling to tackle entitlement spending in the three weeks left before the fiscal cliff is triggered.

"I just don't think we can do it in a matter of days here before the end of the year," Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said of Medicare reform specifically, in an interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"We need to address that in a thoughtful way through the committee structure after the first of the year," Durbin added.

The "fiscal cliff" refers to rate increases that would affect every worker who pays federal taxes, as well as spending cuts that would begin to bite defense and domestic programs alike. Economists say the combination carries the risk of a new recession, at a time the economy is still struggling to recover fully from the worst slowdown in decades.

Obama's plan would raise $1.6 trillion in revenue over 10 years, partly by letting decade-old tax cuts on the country's highest earners expire at the end of the year. He would continue those Bush-era tax cuts for everyone except individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000. The highest rates on top-paid Americans would rise from 33 percent and 35 percent to 36 percent and 39.6 percent, respectively.

Boehner has offered $800 billion in new revenues to be raised by reducing or eliminating unspecified tax breaks on upper-income earners. The Republican plan also would cut spending by $1.4 trillion, including by trimming annual increases in Social Security payments and raising the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67.

___

Associated Press writer Julie Pace contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-10-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-fb6a7dc3490148af9511e1be1fa4ef56

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'It's a Miracle': Displaced Family Gets Home Furnished | KTXL FOX40

Picture 1Picture 1ANTELOPE?

?It?s a miracle,? says Danae Reynolds.

The mother and her family of seven were displaced six days ago in the wake of the rainstorm that swept through the Sacramento Valley.

?We woke up to a foot and a half of rain in our home, everything was ruined,? says Reynolds.

Now, thanks to more than two dozen of her co-workers at a company called Paramount Equities, she has furniture. Employees spent their Saturday unloading a trailer full of stuff for the family?s new home. Since their previous home had a history of flooding, the property manager gave them keys to a new rental on the same property.

?It?s amazing how God can answer your prayers in ways you?d never expect,? says Reynold?s son.

By the afternoon, the family had a fully furnished home.

Source: http://fox40.com/2012/12/08/its-a-miracle-displaced-family-gets-home-furnished/

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Navy Seal killed in rescue of doctor in Afghanistan

By Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News

A U.S. Navy SEAL was killed early Sunday in the rescue of an American doctor who was kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan, defense officials tell NBC News.

The Navy SEAL?was wounded in the rescue operation and later died, according to a senior defense official.

The rescue operation was launched when coalition forces reported that Dr. Dilip Joseph was in imminent danger. Joseph, who worked with the non-profit Morning Star Development of Colorado Springs, was kidnapped Wednesday along with two Afghan staff members -- one is part of the medical team, the other part of the support team. Joseph has been the non-profit?s medical adviser for three years.


Morning Star said the team of three had been returning from a visit to one of its rural medical clinics when the kidnappers stopped their vehicle. The three were then taken to a mountainous area about 50 miles from the Pakistan border, Morning Star said.?

Related: Kidnapped American rescued from Taliban, coalition says

Contact between the hostages, their captors and the non-profit's crisis management team started immediately, according to a statement on Morning Star's website. On Saturday evening, two of the hostages were released. The two men then made their way out of the area and were taken to a police station.

At least six people were reported killed in the operation to rescue Joseph, the third hostage. It is unclear whether that number includes the American soldier. Morning Star said the two staff members were released earlier.

In a statement Sunday evening, President Barack Obama said: ?Yesterday, our special operators in Afghanistan rescued an American citizen in a mission that was characteristic of the extraordinary courage, skill and patriotism that our troops show every day.?

Two Taliban leaders were reportedly taken into custody.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued a statement Sunday evening commending the U.S. Special Operations that carried out the raid. He said he was deeply saddened by the soldier?s death.

?I also want to extend my condolences to his family, teammates and friends,? Panetta said.

Defense officials have not released the deceased soldier?s name pending notification of his family.

Jim Miklaszewski is the chief Pentagon correspondent for NBC News.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/09/15799890-navy-seal-killed-in-rescue-of-american-doctor-in-afghanistan?lite

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Parents plead for release of former US Marine held in Mexico jail

By Justin Finch, NBCMiami.com

Jon Hammar?s Marine veteran son is being held in a Mexican prison ? and he?s desperate to bring him home safe.

?I don't know what to do to get him out before he gets killed,? he said.

The holidays have been unbearable for the Hammar family in Palmetto Bay ? hoping each day that they'll soon see their son Johnny again.

They last saw him back in August, before he took off in a Winnebago with a friend for a road trip to Costa Rica, where the two planned to surf.


?I actually thought it would be a good idea for him to go to Costa Rica, but I wanted him to fly,? Olivia Hammar said.

A getaway is just what the 27-year-old Hammar needed. His service as a Marine includes stints in Afghanistan ? where he worked a security detail for President Hamid Karzai ?and patrols in Iraq. Hammar's family says he was deeply hurt by the loss of his close friend, Marine Cpl. Albert Gettings, in combat in Iraq's Fallujah section.

Grieving Daughter Asks for Public's Help

Days after Hammar left for Costa Rica, they learned he was being held in Mexico's Matamoros prison ? charged with carrying an illegal weapon.

Even worse, they heard he was in the clutches of the Zetas, a dangerous drug gang. The Hammars say they were haunted by late-night phone calls.

The father described one. ?You know, one o' clock in the morning, we have your son and this doesn't have anything to do with the police, we're gonna kill him if you don't send us money,? he recounted.

Said his wife, ?At some point the phone calls stopped, so we assumed that he had been isolated. But you didn't know whether he had been isolated or he had been killed.?

For months, the Hammars have been trying to get their son home through Mexico's courts. But in recent weeks, they say their son has been pressured to plead guilty to the gun charge, which could land him 15 years behind bars.

The Hammars have also reached out to Washington, but have hit walls along the way.

?The response from everyone is Mexico is a sovereign nation, and, you know, we can't force them to do anything, which we know, but this is an outrage,? Olivia Hammar said.

An online petition is gathering signatures to try and help bring Johnny Hammar home. Click here for more information.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/08/15779716-parents-plead-for-release-of-former-us-marine-held-in-mexico-jail

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Family of Late Reverend Eichelberg Establishes Scholarship at Benedict College

The Reverend Tryon Eichelberger Sr., Memorial Scholarship Benefit Program will take place on Friday, December 14th at 6 p.m. The program will take place at the Bell Memorial Baptist Church which is located at 7205 Farrow Road in Columbia.?

The event will feature:?

The Showing of the DVD Episode of Blind Faith, from Stolen Voices Buried Secrets Aired On Discovery Television Channel

On Program

The Eichelberger Generations In Song

Bethany AME Church, Union, South Carolina

Women of Strength

Women With A Vision

The Sons Of Unity

Lil Sonny And The Peacemakers

And More!?

The event is FREE, but donations will be accepted to go towards the Tryon Eichelberger Sr., Scholarship Memorial Benefit at Benedict College.

Source: http://fortjackson.wistv.com/news/events/54646-family-late-reverend-eichelberg-establishes-scholarship-benedict-college

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Emma Watson Dresses Up For New 'Bling Ring' Photos

By Hannah Soo Park A few official stills and on-set paparazzi shots are the only glimpses we've been given of Sofia Coppola's fourth directorial effort, "The Bling Ring," since it began filming earlier this year. And today, we're getting a little bit more to buzz about. French magazine Premiere recently published a few promo snapshots [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/12/07/emma-watson-bling-ring-photos/

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Anywhere But Home for the Holidays - Hopper

Posted on Dec 7, 2012 in In The News |

CNN reports that more and more Americans are ?Abandoning the Hearth for Christmas??and taking family vacations instead. An Amex survey suggests about 84 million Americans plan on traveling over the holidays. Where Thanksgiving is the major travel holiday for ?going home? or visiting other family members, the Christmas holidays are increasingly about ?getting away? to, as CNN terms it , ?neutral territory.?

The goal of these vacations? To escape the stress and mess of traditional holiday celebrations. Why agonize over Christmas dinner when you can enjoy a Holiday buffet on board a cruise ship bound for Aruba? Why squabble with Uncle Larry over politics when you can relax on a beach and sip a mojito?

Ready to flee, with or without the family??Here are 3 options for last-minute Christmas vacations:

photo credit: vgm8383 via photopin cc

1. Catch a Cruise:?It?s not to late to book a cruise for the Holidays: an inside cabin on Norwegian Cruise Line?s Norwegian Epic 7 day Eastern Caribbean tour will run you $679. Departing from Miami on December 22nd, the ship visits the white sand beaches of St.Maarten, St. Thomas & Nassau.

photo credit: paul+photos=moody via photopin cc

2. White Christmas: There?s nothing like adrenaline to shake away the Christmas blues. Rooms are still available at the Stowe Mountain Lodge for Christmas Eve and Day. ?Instead of waking up early for presents (or to put the turkey in the oven) walk out the door and get first tracks in on the slopes of Mt. Mansfield (VT?s highest peak!). Out West, rooms are available at the?The Lodge at the Mountain Village in Park City, Utah for those desperate to spend Christmas day knee-deep in powder.

photo credit: Sister72 via photopin cc

3. It?s Christmas Time in the City: There?s no place like New York at Christmas time and rooms are open near some of the cities most beloved Holiday destinations. Treat yourself to 2 nights at the iconic Waldorf Astoria ($299/ a night for a deluxe queen) and walk steps to Rockefeller Center ?s Christmas Tree or over the 5th Ave to check out Barney?s incredible fashion holiday windows.

Read More:

Holiday Gift Idea: Voluntourism

Christmas in New York

Utah?s Top Ski Destinations

?

Source: http://www.hopper.com/blog/anywhere-but-home-for-the-holidays/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=anywhere-but-home-for-the-holidays

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Noah Rachels, a graduate of Moravian College, competing on 'Jeopardy!'

Noah Rachels, a 2000 graduate of Moravian College in Bethlehem, is a step closer to being crowned a "Jeopardy!" champion.

Rachels, who currently resides in Astoria, Queens in New York City, made it to the winner's circle during Thursday night's episode, according to a news release. Rachels, a music major at Moravian, correctly replied "What is Cuba?" to the geography-centric Final Jeopardy answer, "Though it consists entirely of islands, this populous country borders three other nations," and "This Caribbean nation flies La Estrella Solitaria, 'The Solitary Star'."

Rachels' correct response brought his total winnings to $15,099 for the evening, according to the release.

Rachels will compete again tonight. The episode airs 7 o'clock on ABC.

Source: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/tv/index.ssf/2012/12/noah_rachels_a_graduate_of_mor.html

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Video: "Johnny Football" Manziel: NCAA sensation

Stella & Dot CEO on fashion, entrepreneurship

Jessica Herrin, co-founder and CEO of Stella & Dot, speaks to the "CBS This Morning" co-hosts about launching WeddingChannel.com at 24-years-old, and the inspiration behind her online accessories company.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsNational/~3/onGAHAPmSQ4/

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