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Monday, November 26, 2012

The Two-Way

Infrared Views Of Two Of Saturn's Moons Reveal 'Pac-Man' Features

Scientists with NASA's Cassini mission have spotted two features shaped like the 1980s video game icon "Pac-Man" on moons of Saturn.

November 26, 2012 The odd shapes were found two years apart and scientists have a theory to explain the video-game invasion. The shape, scientists theorize, is probably more common than first thought.

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The Two-Way

All Bets Are Off: Intrade Shuts Door To U.S. Customers

November 26, 2012 The move came Monday just hours after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission accused the Ireland-based company of violating the agency's ban on off-exchange options trading. The prediction website takes bets on everything from economic results to the prospects of war to which movie will win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

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It's All Politics

GOP Pushback On No-Tax Norquist: Less Than Meets The Eye

Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, speaks on Nov. 5, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

November 26, 2012 A handful of Republicans in Congress say they won't honor the Grover Norquist-led no-new-taxes pledge if it prevents a deal to avert the fiscal cliff. "Grover still swings a hammer," says one adviser. "There just aren't as many nails." But others think entitlements, not taxes, could be the sticking point.

Summary

The Two-Way

Meeting Between Egypt's Morsi, Judiciary Appears To Fail To Bring Compromise

An Egyptian man walks over a graffiti reading "Morsi Go" at Egypt's landmark Tahrir square in Cairo.

November 26, 2012 The decree, which granted the Egyptian president sweeping power, unleashed mass protests. Today, Mohammed Morsi softened his language, but stood his ground, saying the decree will not change.

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Shots - Health News

Prescribe 'Morning After' Pill For Teens Before They Need It, Doctors Say

Currently, you need a doctor's prescription to purchase emergency contraception, such as Plan B, if you are under 17.

November 26, 2012 A policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics urges doctors to write prescriptions in advance to let teens have fast access to emergency contraception. The pills are currently available over the counter only to those 17 and older.

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The Two-Way

U.N. Committee Calls For An End To Centuries-Old Practice Of 'Baby Boxes'

A baby hatch that is fixed in a window at Waldfriede Hospital in Berlin. Mothers can bring  unwanted babies and leave them anonymously. Baby boxes are a revival of the medieval "foundling wheels," where unwanted infants were left in revolving church doors.

November 26, 2012 The committee says that allowing parents to anonymously abandon newborns only encourages the practice. But others say it saves lives by preventing infanticide.

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Business

A Jolly Christmas? Retailers Count The Extra Days

Shoppers line up in a Best Buy store in Rockville, Md., during a Black Friday sale. Thanksgiving weekend sales jumped nearly 13 percent from last year, the National Retail Federation says.

November 26, 2012 Thanksgiving weekend spending shot up nearly 13 percent from last year, and there's more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year for people to shop. And if a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff comes just before Christmas, as some expect, it could brighten the economic mood of last-minute shoppers.

Summary

It's All Politics

New 'War On Christmas' Takes A Fiscal-Cliff Twist

The Christmas shopping season could be harmed if the fiscal cliff fight depresses consumer confidence, according to a new report from Obama administration economists.

November 26, 2012 The White House issued a short report Monday warning of the risks to holiday spending and the 2013 economy if policymakers fail to reach an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff. The report seemed aimed at raising pressure on Republicans to strike a deal with President Obama.

Summary

The Two-Way

State Department: Andrew W.K. Won't Party In Bahrain On Government Dime

Andrew W.K.; credit: Becky Lettenberger/NPR

November 26, 2012 After early reports that the singer known for party anthems like "Party Til You Puke," was headed to the restive Gulf country hosted by the U.S. embassy, the State Department decided it wasn't an appropriate use of government money.

Summary

U.S.

Will Florida Pythons Slither To Rest Of The U.S.?

A Burmese python coils around the arm of a hunter during a news conference in 2010 in the Florida Everglades. New research suggests that the pythons won't spread through the American Southeast, as previously believed.

November 26, 2012 Researchers from the University of Florida, National Geographic and other groups say Burmese pythons may not be as likely to spread across the Southeast U.S. as previous researchers have warned. Cold weather may beat them back.

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Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond

Post-Sandy Aid Inaccessible For Some Immigrants

Rosa Maria Ramirez lost most of her belongings in the storm and is moving out of her damaged house on Staten Island. Because she's undocumented, she doesn't qualify for federal financial disaster assistance.

November 26, 2012 Not everyone affected by Superstorm Sandy has found relief in the government programs and charities helping to rebuild lives. Many immigrants, both legal and undocumented, face higher hurdles than most in the wake of a natural disaster.

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Law

Manning Plea Offer Another Odd Piece Of An Odd Case

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is escorted out of a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., after a pretrial hearing in June. Manning is charged with aiding the enemy by giving hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic cables and war logs to the secret-sharing website WikiLeaks.

November 26, 2012 Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of giving information to the website WikiLeaks, is expected in court on Tuesday. Manning denies being a spy and recently offered to plead guilty to minor charges. This is just one more oddity in a case some describe as "bizarre."

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Law

Supreme Court Hears Case Asking: Who's A Boss?

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

November 26, 2012 The definition is important because employers are automatically liable for damages in most cases in which a supervisor harasses a subordinate. At issue in Monday's arguments at the Supreme Court was a lower court decision that declared that only a person with the ability to fire or hire employees can be considered a supervisor.

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All Tech Considered

Spain Expands Renewables With Wave-Powered Electricity Plant

Residents of Mutriku, a fishing village on Spain's northern coast, lounge at their local beach, protected from fierce Atlantic waves by a cement breakwater that also houses Europe's first wave energy plant.

November 26, 2012 The Bay of Biscay, off Spain's northern coast, is notorious for its huge surf, which has claimed countless lives in shipwrecks over the centuries. Now Spanish engineers have found a way to harness the power of those big waves to produce electricity.

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Shots - Health News

In Juvenile Detention, Girls Find Health System Geared To Boys

Girls line up at the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention and Youth Services Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

November 26, 2012 KHNA growing number of teenage girls are incarcerated each year. Many have injuries consistent with sexual assault, and up to a third are or have been pregnant. But the care provided in detention is often inadequate for girls because the assessment of their needs misses the mark.

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