10 Things to Know for Thursday

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, is transported on the New York Presbyterian Hospital complex Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in New York. Officials say Clinton who was admitted to the New York hospital Sunday continues to be treated with blood thinners to dissolve a clot in the vein behind the right ear. Doctors found the clot during a follow-up exam stemming from a concussion she suffered in early December. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, is transported on the New York Presbyterian Hospital complex Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in New York. Officials say Clinton who was admitted to the New York hospital Sunday continues to be treated with blood thinners to dissolve a clot in the vein behind the right ear. Doctors found the clot during a follow-up exam stemming from a concussion she suffered in early December. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. The ?fiscal cliff? compromise, for all its chaos and controversy, was enough to send the stock market shooting higher Wednesday, the first trading day of the new year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

FILE - This 1958 file photo shows singer Patti Page. Page, who made "Tennessee Waltz" the third best-selling recording ever, died Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2012 in Encinitas, Calif. She was 85. (AP Photo, File)

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about Thursday:

1. AL-JAZEERA CHASING AMERICAN VIEWERS

The Pan-Arab network seals a deal to take over Al Gore's Current TV.

2. CLINTON LEAVES HOSPITAL

She'll continue to be treated with blood thinners to dissolve a clot in a vein in her head.

3. FOR LAWMAKERS, BARELY TIME TO TAKE A BREATH

The fiscal cliff deal only sets the stage for more combustible struggles in Washington.

4. INVESTORS JUMP INTO STOCKS

The Dow roars up more than 300 points, despite the many unanswered questions left by the budget compromise.

5. WHERE GOOGLE'S CEO IS VISITING

Eric Schmidt will travel to North Korea, one of the last frontiers of cyberspace, on a private humanitarian mission.

6. BOEHNER HASTENS TO ACT AFTER GOP FIRESTORM

Bowing to angry members of his own party, the House speaker agrees to schedule votes on roughly $60 billion in aid for superstorm victims.

7. WHY SYRIA'S DEATH TOLL IS RISING

Violence escalates as rebels push their fight closer to Assad's stronghold in Damascus.

8. RENEWED CALLS TO REIN IN THE PAPARAZZI

The death of a photographer taking pictures of Justin Bieber's car brings the dangers of the industry into sharp focus.

9. PATTI PAGE, TOP SONGSTRESS OF YESTERYEAR, DIES

The singer of "Tennessee Waltz," the first pop-to-country crossover hit, was to be honored at the Grammys.

10. WHICH NFL TEAM IS A LOCK

The AP's Barry Wilner anoints Green Bay as his best bet this weekend as the playoffs begin.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-02-10%20Things%20to%20Know-Thursday/id-b93a1a8b10734530b971129a1558ec7f

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obama: fiscal cliff deal is - Business Insider

Appearing shortly after the House voted to pass a fiscal cliff deal Tuesday night, President Barack Obama called the bill a "first step" toward deficit reduction, but warned that he will not go through the same battle with Republicans over the debt ceiling.?

"Thanks to the votes of Democrats and Republicans in Congress I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Americans," Obama said.?"Tonight?s agreement further reduces the deficit by raising $620 billion in revenue from the wealthiest households."?

But, he added, "the fact is, the deficit is still too high."?

"I believe there's further unnecessary spending in government that we can eliminate," he said.?"There will be more deficit reduction as Congress decides what to do about the automatic spending cuts in two months."

The statement caps off days of chaotic negotiations, which ended in a bill that will raise taxes on households earning $450,000, as well as increase taxes on estates over $5 million and extend unemployment benefits. The bill does little to address sequestration, however, but extends the deadline for the spending cuts by two months.?

That deal marks a significant political victory for Obama, fulfilling his central campaign promise to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans.?

Still, the agreement fell far short of the "grand bargain" that Obama had initially hoped for, putting off negotiations over spending cuts and the debt ceiling. Republicans have indicated that they plan to put up a tougher fight over these issues in the next Congress, guaranteeing a protracted battle that the White House had initially sought to avoid.?

In his remarks Tuesday, Obama issued a stern forewarning on the upcoming debates, and reiterated that he will not negotiate with Republicans over the debt ceiling.?

"As I've demonstrated throughout the past several weeks, I am very open to compromise," he said. "But we cannot simply cut our way to prosperity."?

"While I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress over whether or not they should pay the bills they have already racked up," Obama said. "We can not not pay bills that we have already incurred."?

Immediately following the remarks, Obama left the White House to return to Hawaii, where his family is still on vacation.?

Read the full statement below:?

A central promise of my campaign for President was to change the tax code that was too skewed towards the wealthy at the expense of working middle-class Americans.? Tonight we've done that.? Thanks to the votes of Democrats and Republicans in Congress, I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans while preventing a middle-class tax hike that could have sent the economy back into recession and obviously had a severe impact on families all across America.

I want to thank all the leaders of the House and Senate.? In particular, I want to thank the work that was done by my extraordinary Vice President Joe Biden, as well as Leader Harry Reid, Speaker Boehner, Nancy Pelosi, and Mitch McConnell.? Everybody worked very hard on this and I appreciate it.? And, Joe, once again, I want to thank you for your great work.

Under this law, more than 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses will not see their income taxes go up.? Millions of families will continue to receive tax credits to help raise their kids and send them to college.? Companies will continue to receive tax credits for the research that they do, the investments they make, and the clean energy jobs that they create.? And 2 million Americans who are out of work but out there looking, pounding the pavement every day, are going to continue to receive unemployment benefits as long as they?re actively looking for a job.

But I think we all recognize this law is just one step in the broader effort to strengthen our economy and broaden opportunity for everybody.? The fact is the deficit is still too high, and we're still investing too little in the things that we need for the economy to grow as fast as it should.?

And that's why Speaker Boehner and I originally tried to negotiate a larger agreement that would put this country on a path to paying down its debt while also putting Americans back to work rebuilding our roads and bridges, and providing investments in areas like education and job training.? Unfortunately, there just wasn?t enough support or time for that kind of large agreement in a lame duck session of Congress.? And that failure comes with a cost, as the messy nature of the process over the past several weeks has made business more uncertain and consumers less confident.?

But we are continuing to chip away at this problem, step by step.? Last year I signed into law $1.7 trillion in deficit reduction.? Tonight?s agreement further reduces the deficit by raising $620 billion in revenue from the wealthiest households in America.? And there will be more deficit reduction as Congress decides what to do about the automatic spending cuts that we have now delayed for two months.

I want to make this point:? As I've demonstrated throughout the past several weeks, I am very open to compromise.? I agree with Democrats and Republicans that the aging population and the rising cost of health care makes Medicare the biggest contributor to our deficit.? I believe we've got to find ways to reform that program without hurting seniors who count on it to survive.? And I believe that there?s further unnecessary spending in government that we can eliminate.?

But we can't simply cut our way to prosperity.? Cutting spending has to go hand-in-hand with further reforms to our tax code so that the wealthiest corporations and individuals can't take advantage of loopholes and deductions that aren't available to most Americans.? And we can't keep cutting things like basic research and new technology and still expect to succeed in a 21st century economy.? So we're going to have to continue to move forward in deficit reduction, but we have to do it in a balanced way, making sure that we are growing even as we get a handle on our spending.?

Now, one last point I want to make -- while I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress over whether or not they should pay the bills that they?ve already racked up through the laws that they passed.? Let me repeat:? We can't not pay bills that we've already incurred.? If Congress refuses to give the United States government the ability to pay these bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy would be catastrophic -- far worse than the impact of a fiscal cliff.?

?

People will remember, back in 2011, the last time this course of action was threatened, our entire recovery was put at risk.? Consumer confidence plunged.? Business investment plunged. Growth dropped.? We can't go down that path again.

And today?s agreement enshrines, I think, a principle into law that will remain in place as long as I am President:? The deficit needs to be reduced in a way that's balanced.? Everyone pays their fair share.? Everyone does their part.? That's how our economy works best.? That's how we grow.?

The sum total of all the budget agreements we've reached so far proves that there is a path forward, that it is possible if we focus not on our politics but on what?s right for the country. And the one thing that I think, hopefully, in the New Year we'll focus on is seeing if we can put a package like this together with a little bit less drama, a little less brinksmanship, not scare the heck out of folks quite as much.

We can come together as Democrats and Republicans to cut spending and raise revenue in a way that reduces our deficit, protects our middle class, provides ladders into the middle class for everybody who?s willing to work hard.? We can find a way to afford the investments that we need to grow and compete.? We can settle this debate, or at the very least, not allow it to be so all-consuming all the time that it stops us from meeting a host of other challenges that we face -- creating jobs, boosting incomes, fixing our infrastructure, fixing our immigration system, protecting our planet from the harmful effects of climate change, boosting domestic energy production, protecting our kids from the horrors of gun violence.

It?s not just possible to do these things; it?s an obligation to ourselves and to future generations.? And I look forward to working with every single member of Congress to meet this obligation in the New Year.?

And I hope that everybody now gets at least a day off, I guess, or a few days off, so that people can refresh themselves, because we're going to have a lot of work to do in 2013.

Thanks, everybody.? Happy New Year.

Watch the remarks below:?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-fiscal-cliff-deal-2013-1

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Larry Magid: Let's All Take Responsibility for a Better Internet in 2013

As I'm sure you noticed, no one "owns" the Internet. We all have a stake in it and it's time for all of us to take some personal responsibility when it comes to how we manage what we do on the net.

Sure, there are companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon and eBay that own important Internet services. But these are like islands in a vast ocean. The people who govern the island can make rules to cover what's happening onshore, but they can't -- all by themselves -- govern what floats in the seas that surround them.

There are bodies that govern certain parts of the net. ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) governs top level domains like .com, .biz and now even .xxx and there are procedures for resolving disputed domain names. But once someone has a domain (like LarrysWorld.com) it's up to the site owner to determine how to operate it.

"Local" laws

We also have laws, depending on where we live, that govern some aspects of the Internet. The Kingdom of Bahrain, for example, prohibits pornography, Russia can shut down sites that the government brands as "extremist." Most countries ban child pornography -- images depicting the sexual abuse of children. There have been all sorts of proposals to create international regulations, including some that surfaced at a recent United Nations World Conference on International Telecommunications, (WCIT) where some countries advocated increased governmental and international control, which Ambassador Terry Kramer, the U.S.'s top representative, called an "invasive approach of governments in managing the internet, in managing the content that goes via the internet, what people are looking at, what they're saying, et cetera."

Despite efforts to exert control, the Internet, in most parts of the world, remains pretty free and open and a lot of people, -- myself included -- want to keep it that way.

But that doesn't mean that stakeholders -- individuals, groups, companies and governments too -- shouldn't take responsibility over their own behavior. There are things that we can do to help assure a safer, more secure and just plain better Internet.

Companies can shore up their security, privacy and transparency standards. Governments can promote openness and fairness and we can all, for example, make a resolution to use good Internet security in 2013. Failing to protect your device against malicious software and hacks not only affects you, but others as well, since insecure device can be used to spread malware to other people's devices. Making sure that your financial transactions are secure protects others too. The cost of fraud and theft is reflected in the prices of everything we buy.

Verify before forwarding

One of my biggest pet peeves is getting people to be responsible for the accuracy of what they post or forward. There are too many false stories spread online. Some are deliberate campaigns to defame politicians or others -- we saw a lot of that during the recent presidential campaign. Others are just urban myths like the rumor that the post office is considering a 5 cent tax on email, which has been circulating for years. Some false information is the result of people posting things hastily in an attempt to be first with the "news." Even some professional journalists wound up identifying the wrong man as the alleged shooter at Sandy Hook elementary school last month. Some media outlets even linked to Ryan Lanza's Facebook page (the shooter was Adam Lanza) prompting Ryan to post, "It wasn't me. I was at work. It wasn't me."

Even people who have never actually written anything incorrect may be guilty of spreading false rumors. I regularly receive emails and see Facebook and Twitter posts that simply pass-on false information generated by others. Whenever I see anything that seems odd or untrue, I try to verify it or see if it's a known hoax. If it's a hoax spread by someone I know, I notify them that they've fallen for a scam and suggest they do a little research the next time they're tempted to forward something they come across It's not hard. You can search sites like Snopes.com or UrbanLegends.com or you can simply copy string of text that seem suspicious and paste it in a search engine to see if others have reported it as false. (Some browsers let you do that easily by highlighting the text and right clicking.)

How we behave online affects others too, which is why it's so important to think about what you post and how it might affect other people and your own reputation.

I could fill this entire column with rules and guidelines, but most can be summarized in four words, "Think Before You Post."

Larry Magid is co-director of ConnectSafely.org and founder of SafeKids.com.

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Follow Larry Magid on Twitter: www.twitter.com/larrymagid

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/lets-all-take-responsibility_b_2393097.html

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Video: Two-hour Dateline Fridays return!

Dateline NBC

'Dateline NBC,' the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime, premiered in 1992. Since then, it has been pioneering a new approach to primetime news programming. The multi-night franchise, supplemented by frequent specials, allows NBC to consistently and comprehensively present the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles.

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The changed

A plague has hit the Earth. Most have died. Some have changed, developing superhuman abilities. The survivors don't trust them and are hunting them down.

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Chavez suffers new complications in cancer fight

FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2012, file photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, left, holds up a copy of the Venezuelan national constitution as his Vice President Nicolas Maduro looks on during a televised speech at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. Chavez has suffered "new complications" following his cancer surgery in Cuba, Maduro said Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, describing the Venezuelan leader's condition as delicate. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office, Marcelo Garcia, file)

FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2012, file photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, left, holds up a copy of the Venezuelan national constitution as his Vice President Nicolas Maduro looks on during a televised speech at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. Chavez has suffered "new complications" following his cancer surgery in Cuba, Maduro said Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, describing the Venezuelan leader's condition as delicate. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office, Marcelo Garcia, file)

Iconic T-shirts styled with images of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez are displayed for sale next to a T-shirt of Venezuelan musician Ali Primera, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. The obsessive, circular conversations about Chavez's health dominate family dinners, plaza chit-chats and social media sites in this country on edge since its larger-than-life leader went to Cuba for emergency cancer surgery more than two weeks ago. The man whose booming voice once dominated the airwaves for hours at a time has not been seen or heard from since.(AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

In this photo provided by Cuba's state newspaper Granma, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez , left, talks with Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro, center, as Venezuelan Attorney General Cilia Flores watches at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. Maduro arrived in Cuba to visit Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is recovering from a surgery_ his fourth operation related to his pelvic cancer since June 2011. (AP Photo/Granma, Juvenal Balan Neyra )

Portraits of Venezuela's independence hero Simon Bolivar, left, and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez are exhibited for sale on folding easels in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. The obsessive, circular conversations about Chavez's health dominate family dinners, plaza chit-chats and social media sites in this country on edge since its larger-than-life leader went to Cuba for emergency cancer surgery more than two weeks ago. The man whose booming voice once dominated the airwaves for hours at a time has not been seen or heard from since.(AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is confronting "new complications" due to a respiratory infection nearly three weeks after undergoing cancer surgery, his vice president said in Cuba as he visited the ailing leader for the first time since his operation.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro looked weary and spoke with a solemn expression in a televised address from Havana on Sunday. He described Chavez's condition as delicate.

"Several minutes ago we were with President Chavez. We greeted each other and he himself referred to these complications," Maduro said, reading from a prepared statement.

The vice president's comments suggest an increasingly difficult fight for Chavez. The Venezuelan leader has not been seen or heard from since undergoing his fourth cancer-related surgery Dec. 11, and government officials have said he might not return in time for his scheduled Jan. 10 inauguration for a new six-year term.

"The president gave us precise instructions so that, after finishing the visit, we would tell the (Venezuelan) people about his current health condition," Maduro said. "President Chavez's state of health continues to be delicate, with complications that are being attended to, in a process not without risks."

Maduro was seated alongside Chavez's eldest daughter, Rosa, and son-in-law Jorge Arreaza, as well as Attorney General Cilia Flores. He held up a copy of a newspaper confirming that his message was recorded on Sunday.

"Thanks to his physical and spiritual strength, Comandante Chavez is facing this difficult situation," Maduro said.

Maduro said he had met various times with Chavez's medical team and relatives. He said he would remain in Havana "for the coming hours" but didn't specify how long.

Maduro, who arrived in Havana on Saturday for a sudden and unexpected trip, is the highest-ranking Venezuelan official to see Chavez since the surgery in Cuba, where the president's mentor Fidel Castro has reportedly made regular visits to check on him.

Before flying to Cuba, Maduro said that Energy Minister Hector Navarro would be in charge of government affairs in the meantime.

"The situation does not look good. The fact that Maduro himself would go to Cuba, leaving Hector Navarro in charge only seems understandable if Chavez's health is precarious," said David Smilde, a University of Georgia sociologist and analyst for the Washington Office on Latin America think tank.

Smilde said that Maduro probably made the trip "to be able to talk to Chavez himself and perhaps to talk to the Castros and other Cuban advisers about how to navigate the possibility of Chavez not being able to be sworn in on Jan. 10."

"Mentioning twice in his nationally televised speech that Chavez has suffered new complications only reinforces the appearance that the situation is serious," Smilde said.

Before his operation, Chavez acknowledged he faced risks and designated Maduro as his successor, telling supporters they should vote for the vice president if a new presidential election were necessary.

Chavez said at the time that his cancer had come back despite previous surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He has been fighting an undisclosed type of pelvic cancer since June 2011.

Medical experts say that it's common for patients who have undergone major surgeries to suffer respiratory infections and that how a patient fares can vary widely from a quick recovery in a couple of days to a fight for life on a respirator.

Maduro's latest update differed markedly from last Monday, when he had said he received a phone call from the president and that Chavez was up and walking.

The vice president spoke on Sunday below a picture of 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar, the inspiration of Chavez's leftist Bolivarian Revolution movement.

Maduro said that Chavez had sent year-end greetings to his homeland and a "warm hug to the boys and girls of Venezuela."

The vice president expressed faith that Chavez's "immense will to live and the care of the best medical specialists will help our president successfully fight this new battle." He concluded his message saying: "Long live Chavez."

Chavez has been in office since 1999 and was re-elected in October, three months after he had announced that his latest tests showed he was cancer-free.

Opposition politicians have criticized a lack of detailed information about Chavez's condition, and last week repeated their demands for a full medical report.

Information Minister Ernesto Villegas defended the government's handling of the situation, saying during a televised panel discussion on Sunday night that Chavez "has told the truth in his worst moments" throughout his presidency.

He also referred to a new surge of rumors about Chavez's condition and called for respect for the president and his family.

Villegas said a government-organized New Year's Eve concert in a downtown Caracas plaza had been canceled, and he urged Venezuelans to pray for Chavez.

Chavez's daughter Maria, who has been with the president since his surgery, said in a message on her Twitter account: "Thank you people of Venezuela. Thank you people of the world. You and your love have always been our greatest strength! God is with us! We love you!"

Allies of the president also responded on Twitter, repeating the phrase: "Chavez lives and will triumph."

___

Ian James on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ianjamesap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-31-Venezuela-Chavez/id-152d2192c87844f697240e2302e3a986

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