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Senate votes to keep Medicare cuts in health bill

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, accompanied by Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. speak to members of the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday,Dec. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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AP - 27 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Casting its first votes on revamping the nation's health care system, the Senate rejected a Republican bid Thursday to stave off Medicare cuts and approved safeguards for coverage of mammograms and other preventive tests for women. The first round of votes ended with a fragile Democratic coalition hanging together.

  • Visitors to Fort Williams Park watch the heavy surf explode onto the rocks, Friday, Dec. 3, 2009, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. A quick moving storm with winds approaching 50 miles per hour brought record breaking warmth to the region where the temperature reached 68 degrees. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
    Rain, winds, record heat hit Northeast on same day AP - 35 minutes ago

    PORTLAND, Maine - A storm packing blustery winds and driving rain knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses in the Northeast on Thursday before giving way to sunny skies and record high temperatures — all in the same morning.

  • In this Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 photo, a man rests on a makeshift raft, bottom centre left, in a polluted portion of the Sabarmati River in Ahmadabad, India. India will significantly slow the growth of its climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions over the next decade as its economy keeps expanding but it will not accept a binding emissions reduction target, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Thursday ahead of world climate change talks. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
    UK University to probe integrity of climate data AP - 28 minutes ago

    LONDON - A British university said Thursday it would investigate whether scientists at its prestigious Climatic Research Unit fudged data on global warming.

  • In this Aug. 29, 2009 photo, a Cambodian woman with chewing tobacco stained teeth looks on as she and other wait to cross the border into Thailand, near Pailin, Cambodia. When morning sickness sends Cambodian women heaving, they often reach for an unlikely source of relief: a wad of chewing tobacco. Many then become hooked on spitting the addictive juice, a worrying tradition that puts both mother and baby at risk for health problems, the World Health Organization said Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/David Longstreath)
    Cambodian moms-to-be chew tobacco for nausea AP - 1 hour, 11 minutes ago

    HANOI, Vietnam - When pregnant Cambodian women suffer morning sickness, they often reach for an unlikely source of relief: a wad of chewing tobacco.

  • This undated photo provided by the Clayton County Sheriff's Office shows William C. Caldwell III. Police in Morrow, Ga. say Caldwell was dressed in an elf suit Wednesday evening, Dec. 2, 2009 as he waited in line to have his picture taken with Santa Claus at Southlake Mall in suburban Atlanta. When Caldwell reached the front of the line, he told Santa he had dynamite in his bag. Santa called mall security and Caldwell was arrested. (AP Photo/Clayton County Sherriffs Office)
    'Elf' jailed over dynamite hoax on Ga. mall Santa AP - 1 hour, 16 minutes ago

    MORROW, Ga. - A man dressed as an elf is jailed after police in Georgia say he told a mall Santa that he was carrying dynamite. Police say Southlake Mall in suburban Atlanta was evacuated but no explosives were found.

  • Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) scores a fourth-quarter touchdown against the Chicago Bears, including Danieal Manning (38), during their NFL football game, won by the Vikings 36-10, on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy King)
    Vikings RB Peterson gets 109 mph speeding ticket AP - 1 hour, 13 minutes ago

    MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson said Thursday that he'll be more careful after police clocked him driving 109 mph on a suburban Minneapolis highway over the weekend and cited him for speeding.

  • Obama vows to tackle jobs challenge head-on Reuters - 1 hour, 6 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday called on corporate America to help tackle the nation's highest unemployment in 26 years and said the government did not have enough public dollars to do the job alone.

  • Comcast lands NBC in deal that reshapes media Reuters - Thu Dec 3, 12:26 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Comcast Corp struck a deal to buy a majority stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co, creating a media superpower that would control not just how television shows and movies are made, but how they are delivered to the home.

  • Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009, before the Senate Banking Committee hearing on his renomination. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
    Bernanke defends record, seeks second term Reuters - 8 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, making his case for a second term, defended his record on Thursday before a skeptical Senate that criticized the central bank for failing to prevent the financial crisis.

  • The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal speaks to the military at US base Kandahar Airfield, Kandahar, Afghanistan, December 2, 2009. REUTERS/Mustafa Quraishi/Pool
    McChrystal tells Afghans U.S. not leaving yet Reuters - Thu Dec 3, 9:51 AM ET

    KABUL (Reuters) - The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan reassured top officials on Thursday that Washington was not planning an early exit, part of a charm offensive to sell President Barack Obama's new strategy on three continents.

  • An Iranian operator (R) and a Russian operator monitor the nuclear power plant unit in Bushehr, south of Tehran, November 30, 2009. REUTERS/ISNA/Mehdi Ghasemi
    Iran to review ties with countries over IAEA vote Reuters - 2 hours, 32 minutes ago

    TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's parliament said on Thursday it would review relations with countries that voted against Iran's nuclear activities at the International Atomic Energy Agency last week.

  • New charges possible against NY bomb plot suspect Reuters - 2 hours, 26 minutes ago

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. prosecutor said on Thursday the government may seek new charges against an Afghan-born man who has pleaded not guilty to plotting a bombing attack in the United States.

  • A doctor puts his hand over his chest during a "House call" rally against proposed healthcare reform legislation on Capitol Hill, November 5, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
    Most in U.S. want public health option: poll Reuters - Thu Dec 3, 12:43 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most Americans would like to see a "public option" in health insurance reform but doubt anything Congress does will lower costs or improve care in the short term, according to a poll released on Thursday.

  • This combination picture shows video grabs of undated footage from the Internet of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden making statements from an unknown location. REUTERS/REUTERS TV
    Pakistan PM says does not think bin Laden is in Pakistan Reuters - Thu Dec 3, 4:18 AM ET

    LONDON (Reuters) - Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday he did not think al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in his country.

  • US general Stanley McChrystal (C), top US commander in Afghanistan, shakes hands with Afghan parliament members in Kabul. The US commander in Afghanistan said Thursday a troop surge should start turning the tide of war by mid-2010, as top officials backed by European allies promised him more boots on the ground.(AFP/Shah Marai)
    NATO allies back US Afghan plan, eye pivotal 2010 AFP - 46 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US commander in Afghanistan said Thursday a troop surge should start turning the tide of war by mid-2010, as top officials backed by European allies promised him more boots on the ground.

  • An injured man is carried away from the scene of a suicide attack during a university graduation ceremony at a hotel in Mogadishu. A suicide bomber killed 19 people including three Somali government ministers and injured scores more at a graduation ceremony for medical students in Mogadishu Thursday, officials said.(AFP/Mohamed Dahir)
    Three Somali ministers among 19 dead in suicide blast AFP - 1 hour, 30 minutes ago

    MOGADISHU (AFP) - A suicide bomber killed 19 people including three Somali government ministers and injured more than 60 at a graduation ceremony for medical students in Mogadishu Thursday, officials said.

  • Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday he would "think about" running for president in 2012, refusing to rule out the possibility that he could return to the Kremlin.(AFP/POOL/Alexey Druzhinin)
    Putin hints at 2012 presidential run AFP - Thu Dec 3, 12:43 PM ET

    MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia's strongman Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday he would consider running for president again in 2012, putting him on a potential collision course with incumbent Dmitry Medvedev.

  • US golfer Tiger Woods (L) and his wife Elin Nordegren are pictured here in San Francisco in October. An admission by Tiger Woods of "personal sins" has failed to quell a media storm over a string of alleged affairs as he braced Thursday for further revelations about his private life.(AFP/File/Robyn Beck)
    Woods furor spirals despite admission of 'sins' AFP - 1 hour, 17 minutes ago

    LOS ANGELES (AFP) - An admission by Tiger Woods of "personal sins" has failed to quell a media storm over a string of alleged affairs as he braced Thursday for further revelations about his private life.

  • Film-maker Roman Polanski, seen here in 2006, has been transferred from jail in northeastern Switzerland to another location ahead of his house arrest "for security reasons".(AFP/Pool/File/Jacek Turczyk)
    Polanski transferred from jail: official AFP - Thu Dec 3, 12:05 PM ET

    GENEVA (AFP) - Film-maker Roman Polanski has been transferred from jail in northeastern Switzerland to another location ahead of his house arrest "for security reasons," a Swiss official told AFP on Thursday.

  • US President Barack Obama speaks during the opening session of the Jobs and Economic Growth Forum in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC. Obama warned on Thursday the US government must act quickly in the fight against crushing unemployment, but cautioned that he had only limited funds to create jobs.(AFP/Jewel Samad)
    Obama: No 'wait and see' approach on jobs AFP - 1 hour, 5 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama warned on Thursday the US government must act quickly in the fight against crushing unemployment, but cautioned that he had only limited funds to create jobs.

  • A man walks past the NBC studios in Burbank, California. US cable giant Comcast has taken a controlling stake in NBC Universal, one of the world's largest media-entertainment groups, in a joint venture with General Electric.(AFP/Getty Images/File/David Mcnew)
    Comcast taking majority stake in NBC Universal AFP - Thu Dec 3, 1:00 PM ET

    NEW YORK (AFP) - Comcast announced plans on Thursday to buy a majority stake in NBC Universal from General Electric, giving the US cable giant a media and entertainment empire to rival that of The Walt Disney Co.

Most Popular Top Stories

  • FILE - In this file photo originally made available by Advanced Cell Technology in 2006, a single cell is removed from a human embryo to be used in generating embryonic stem cells for scientific research. Shares of companies developing stem cell therapies surged Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 on news that the federal government has cleared 13 new stem cell lines for testing, bringing to a close nearly a decade of restrictions. (AP Photo/Advanced Cell Technology)
    U.S. approves first "ethical" human stem cell lines Reuters - Wed Dec 2, 1:48 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government approved the first 13 batches of human embryonic stem cells on Wednesday, enabling researchers using them to get millions of dollars in federal funding as promised by President Barack Obama in March.

  • A job seeker picks up a copy of the Washington Job Guide at a job fair in a Washington hotel, August 6, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed
    9 Insider Secrets to Getting Hired U.S. News & World Report - Mon Nov 16, 4:06 PM ET

    While searching for work alongside 16 million people who are angling for the same openings, getting a hiring manager to tell you why you didn't get hired is about as easy as actually getting the job. But one of the best things you can do is examine your job search with a critical eye: Is your résumé really a good advertisement for your skills? Does your nail-gnawing habit turn off prospective employers? Do you tend to make your interviewers a little nervous?

  • In this photo made Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, a 'for sale' sign is seen outside a home in Los Angeles. The average interest rate for a 30-year mortgage dropped to a record low of 4.71 percent this week, pushed down by an aggressive government campaign to reduce borrowing costs. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
    Getting a Mortgage in 2010: 10 Things to Know U.S. News & World Report - Thu Dec 3, 1:05 PM ET

    More than three years into a painful housing crash, the real estate market has sent recent--albeit tentative--signs of stabilization. Home sales have increased, inventory levels are down, and price declines have become less precipitous. Along with more affordable home prices and a tax perk from Uncle Sam, attractive mortgage rates--which remained below 5 percent as of late November--have been a driving force behind this development. The availability of low mortgage rates will play a decisive role in the performance of the 2010 housing market as well. ...