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THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO
*  High winds have been pummeling California for the last two days. It was so windy, all the women in Beverly Hills looked like Nancy Pelosi.

*  The good news is, the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.6 percent. The bad news is, most of those require a sack, a red suit, and a beard.

*  President Obama met with leaders of all the American Indian tribes. He promised to help tackle the challenges facing the Native American communities - like card counting.

*  I think Herman Cain is getting a little desperate. He said if his wife forgives him, he'll throw in free bread sticks, buffalo wings and a 2-liter of Pepsi.
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THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON

*  Here in Los Angeles, we're getting a Harry Potter theme park. I don't know how excited I can pretend to be. I'm a middle-aged dude.

*  Herman Cain is scheduled to make a big announcement tomorrow. He says if his wife wants him to quit the race, he will quit the race. However, his wife's vote can be overruled by a simple majority of his mistresses.

*  "Americas Most Wanted" used to be on FOX, but it was canceled because executives at FOX realized the show actually helped people.

*  FOX shows are usually just loud cartoon characters making fools of themselves. You know, like Homer Simpson, Family Guy, Simon Cowell.
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LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON

*  In a new interview, it's revealed that Mitt Romney loves chocolate milk. While Rick Perry prefers milk like his poll numbers: 2 percent.

*  The Senate is doing its first-ever Secret Santa gift exchange this year. Yeah, there's a $10 spending limit, but they plan to go $14 trillion over budget.

*  A police officer in Florida could lose her job after she tried to cast a spell on her boss. Yeah, when asked for comment, her boss was like, "Ribbit."

*  A new study found that Gmail users have the best credit, while people with Yahoo and Hotmail accounts have the worst credit. Or as people with AOL put it, "What's credit?"

by Adam McManus

 
Over the course of my 20-year career as a radio talk show host, I've met and interviewed a lot of fascinating people.  Many of them are household names which you would recognize instantly. 


Tom Snyder, the 46-year-old owner of the regional Colonial Life Insurance office here in Garden Ridge, has got to be one of the most intriguing people I've met in a long time.  He's not famous.  He's not a political leader.  And he hasn't even written a book.
 
But he's spearheading a unique Christian ministry in our own backyard whose vision is as big as the Texas sky.



Now that he has become a successful businessman, Tom, a member of River City Community Church here in San Antonio, has a passion to give back to the community - especially to the children in demonstrable, life-changing ways.  


That's why he founded Trinity Oaks, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  At the heart of the ministry are the youth hunts for 10 to 16-year-olds.  Throughout their time, the young people experience firearms safety instruction, target shooting and actual big game hunting.

In the process, Tom wants to give the tweens and teens access to the great outdoors, to build their character, and to teach them the importance of responsibility in our narcissistic culture. 

"Our goal with youth is three-fold.  First, we want to teach kids that hunting is not just about 'killing animals', but also about building relationships and enjoying God's majestic outdoors.  Second, we want to promote our country's hunting heritage to future generations," said Tom Snyder.  
 
"Third and most importantly, we want to show children of all ages that they have value and let them know there are people who care about them, people willing to listen to them and mentor them.  We have found you can really reach a child and make a difference in his life just by sitting next to a campfire and listening to what he has to say."

During the 2010/2011 hunting season alone, Tom personally acted as the lead field guide for every one of the 20 youth hunts attended by 85 young people, 53 of whom were first-time hunters.  Typically, each hunt is comprised of 3-5 youngsters along with their fathers and some volunteer guides. Each youth is assigned to an adult. 

Their goal for the upcoming 2011/2012 hunting season is to have 30 youth hunts attended by 100 kids and 75 first-time children hunters.


Amazingly, Trinity Oaks covers every single expense including the cost of transportation, the lease of the land, the hunting license fees as well as the food, lodging and the mounting of the child's wildgame trophy.
 
All the meat is processed for free by volunteers, ground up and frozen into family packs.  It's then distributed to needy families and homeless shelters throughout San Antonio as well as orphanages in Mexico.


1.  If you would like to suggest a boy or girl between the ages of 10 and 16 to participate in a future Trinity Oaks youth hunt, please call 210.447.0351, and tell them you are a McManus subscriber, or email.
 
2.  If you would like to volunteer to become a guide or firearms trainer for some of the youth hunts, please call 210.447.0351 and tell them you are a McManus subscriber or e-mail.
 
3.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Trinity Oaks to ensure that the Youth Hunts and Wounded Warrior Hunts continue, donate on-line here. 

The cost of sending one underprivileged kid on a Christian Youth Hunt is $1,200.  And now, thanks to the generosity of one sponsor, anything that you give up to $100,000 will be doubled.

So, if you give $150 today, your donation will be doubled to $300 and fund one-quarter of the $1,200 cost for one kid to participate in this life-changing ministry.

If you give $300 today, your donation will be doubled to $600 and fund one-half of the $1,200 cost for one kid to participate in this life-changing ministry.

You can also make a tax-deductible donation by check made out to "Trinity Oaks." Send it to: Tom Snyder, Trinity Oaks, 9385 Miller Lane, San Antonio, Texas 78266. (Write "McManus newsletter" in the memo)

PROPHET MUHAMMAD SUBJECT OF TRINITY U. LECTURE IN SAN ANTONIO

An expert on Islamic practices in Europe is set to speak Tuesday night at Trinity University to conclude a series of lectures on the practice of venerating the prophet Muhammad.

 

Amila Buturovic, associate professor of humanities at York University in Canada, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Trinity's Ruth Taylor Recital Hall.

read story
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SAN ANTONIO WOMAN SHOT INSIDE NORTHEAST SIDE HOME

Authorities are searching for a man suspected of shooting a woman during a possible home invasion on the Northeast Side early Sunday.

 

The woman, 25, was shot in her back around 6 a.m., near the door of her home in the 5600 block of Crater Lake Drive, said San Antonio Police Department Sgt. Marcial Luevano.

read story
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OCCUPY TEXAS MAN FOUND DEAD IN TENT

Police on Sunday identified a man found dead in a tent at the "Occupy Denton" protest campsite on the grounds of the University of North Texas (UNT).

Darwin Cox, 23, died at around 4:30 p.m. local time Saturday, according to a police press release.

read story
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PICTURES AND VIDEOS OF OUR NEWBORN MERCY GENEVA McMANUS

Mercy McManus' first bath.

Mercy Geneva McManus takes her first bath.

Amy talks about Mercy's flexible feet.

Amy McManus shows off Mercy's flexible feet.

 

She was born in our home on Monday, November 14th at 7:51 p.m. after 41 weeks gestation.  She weighed in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and is 21 inches long.

Mercy gets wrapped up after her first bath.

Mercy McManus gets wrapped up after first bath.

Adam holds Mercy after her first bath.

Adam McManus holds Mercy after her first bath.

Mercy is especially relaxed.

Mercy McManus is especially relaxed.

Many of you have kindly asked about a baby registry.  So, if you would like to bless our daughter, you can take a look at the items Amy has selected at Target and Babies 'R Us.

The Lord has answered the prayer of our heart in a most dramatic way with the gift of Mercy. We have lived I Samuel 1:27 which says, "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked for." 
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ONE HOUR HEATING AND AC OF SAN ANTONIO IS OFFERING

A FREE FURNACE OR FREE EFFICIENCY UPGRADE BY 12/31/11

 

Now through December 31, 2011, you can choose between a FREE furnace or a FREE efficiency upgrade with the purchase and installation of a Deluxe, Premiere or Optimum Comfort System.*
 
That's a savings of up to $1,250!

Learn more about The Deal here.

To get The Deal, call Parish Hebert (pronounced A-bear) at One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning at 210.525.9191 and say that you're a McManus subscriber.

(License # TACLA19895E)
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THE FAILURE OF THE TEA PARTY

The tea-party movement has failed.

I say this as a big supporter of the movement.

I say it as someone who, with great accuracy, predicted the rise of this movement in a book way back in 2003 and again in 2008.

read column
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PELOSI: I'LL REVEAL INFORMATION ON GINGRICH 'WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is holding back some information on Republican Newt Gingrich that could detract from his presidential campaign, according to a report published Monday.


"One of these days we'll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich," Pelosi told Talking Points Memo.

"When the time is right. ... I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff."

read story
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GINGRICH FIRES BACK AT PELOSI OVER THREAT

Newt Gingrich said that a threat from ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to disclose information she learned while serving on an ethics committee investigating him during his time as Speaker of the House would "totally abuse the ethics process" and violate rules of the House of Representatives.


"I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for what I regard as an early Christmas gift," Gingrich said at a press conference in Manhattan Monday.

read story
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GINGRICH TAKES CONTROL IN IOWA

With about four weeks until the first Republican presidential nominating contest, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has surged to the lead in Iowa and has climbed nearly 20 percentage points in New Hampshire since October, according to new NBC News-Marist polls.


Meanwhile, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has seen his support drop in both states.

read story
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GINGRICH CAMPAIGN BUCKS CURRENT POLITICAL WISDOM

Newt Gingrich will have rewritten the book on how to run a presidential campaign if he becomes the Republican nominee for president in 2012.

The former Speaker of the House is said to be, for all practical purposes, his own campaign manager, with a "paper-thin" organization even in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. And he's way behind in fundraising.

read story
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GINGRICH PRAISES NEWSMAX, ION TV FOR HOSTING DEBATE

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich gave his full backing to the Newsmax ION Television GOP debate today, saying that the Dec. 27 event will provide the last chance for voters to assess the candidates before primary season polling starts.

Gingrich Explains Backing of Trump-hosted Debate

Standing alongside debate host Donald Trump, Gingrich said, "We have to be open to new ways of doing things and new ways of approaching things."

read story
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SOME DEMOCRATIC STRATEGISTS WORRY ABOUT GINGRICH'S POTENTIAL APPEAL

Newt Gingrich would be such a weak challenger to President Obama, according to Rep. Barney Frank, that his nomination would be "the best thing to happen to Democrats since Barry Goldwater."

Democratic strategist Jim Jordan says he and others in the party "passionately" want to face Gingrich. And from the right, conservative pundit Ann Coulter is warning fellow Republicans that the former House speaker's past extramarital affairs and other baggage make him a far less formidable nominee than Mitt Romney.

read story
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SC PRIMARY UP FOR GRABS, GINGRICH MAKING BIG PLAY

For three decades, the Republican who won South Carolina's presidential primary has also won the GOP nomination.

That record helps explain why Newt Gingrich, a self-described lover of history, is working more aggressively than any of his competitors to organize activists and volunteers ahead of the Jan. 21 primary, essentially pinning his candidacy on a state filled with Christian conservatives.

read story
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RON PAUL MOVES TO 2ND PLACE, ROMNEY 3RD

With the dizzying fall of Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich has stepped into the breach and now stands alone as the most popular GOP presidential candidate in The Des Moines Register's new Iowa Poll.

Gingrich, with support of 25 percent of likely Republican caucusgoers, is seven points ahead of the rising Ron Paul, who's at 18 percent. Mitt Romney drops to third, at 16percent, denting his previously armor-plated Iowa polling average. Romney's support stood at 22 percent last month.

read story
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RON PAUL: 'I'D LIKE TO THINK OF MYSELF AS THE FLAVOR OF THE DECADE'

RON PAUL: " I am the flavor of the decade, not the month" CNN Today

Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" about Saturday's Des Moines Register poll showing him surging into second place in Iowa, the Texas congressman and GOP presidential hopeful said the survey reflects that his positions on economic and foreign policy issues have been "striking a chord with the people."

read story
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RON PAUL PANS DONALD TRUMP AS FALSE GOP DEITY

Fresh off snubbing Donald Trump by refusing to participate in a debate he's moderating, Ron Paul blasts his fellow GOP presidential candidates for paying the billionaire businessman so much credence.

"I don't quite understand the marching to his office," Paul said on CNN's State of the Union this morning, referring to the parade of presidential candidates who've met with Trump in recent months. "I didn't know he had the ability to lay on hands and anoint people."

read story
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HERMAN CAIN: BROKENHEARTED BUT NOT BROKEN

You're not defeated as long as you never stop fighting. And while my presidential campaign is suspended, it's important to remember that my pursuit of the presidency was only a means to an end. As long as the end is achieved, victory will be at hand.


My incredible army of supporters, whom I can never thank enough for all they have done so far, have not labored in vain. The real prize is still ours for the taking.

read Herman Cain's column
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MICHELE BACHMANN'S 2ND SURGE

With Herman Cain out of the race, is Michele Bachmann poised for a second surge? And is there a biblical precedent for electing a woman president?

Many people forget that Michele Bachman had a first surge that briefly made her the GOP presidential primary frontrunner.

read story
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IN NEW BOOK, TRUMP EXPLAINS HOW TO 'TAKE THE OIL'

Donald J. Trump has shocked audiences for months - and gotten several standing ovations -- with his assertion that we should just "take the oil" from Iraq to repay the U.S. for liberating the country from Saddam Hussein.

But how do you just "take it?"

read story
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Are we experiencing all that God intends for His children?

"Not by a long shot!" says Mike Arnold, the San Antonio author of "Uprising: It's Time for Christians to Stop Waiting and Start Winning."

Instead, we've lost sight of His original vision for mankind, and as a result we are perishing. Proverbs 29:18 declares, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."     

Time for the CHRISTIAN UPRISING

In addition to working as a campus evangelist, Mike Arnold  has been a political consultant for seven Republican candidates.  Later, he founded a weekly political newsletter called the Lone Star Report which was a must-read for Texas legislators, their staff, lobbyists and Texas media.  During that time Mike spoke weekly with Karl Rove and several times a week with Rick Perry.  

From there he founded TXN, the Texas Network, based in San Antonio, which had TV affiliates in every Texas media market, hired 120 employees and used 17 news gathering vehicles.  Ten years ago,  Mike founded Cross Trail Outfitters, a youth ministry which now has full-time, year-round youth discipleship staff in five states.

Order your physical copy of UPRISING: Time for Christians to Stop Waiting and Start Winning.   To get the Adam's Army 10% discount, type in this code at checkout: 27N9FMB5.

Or get your Kindle version of the book here.
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FIREWORKS: DONALD TRUMP SLAMS CHUCK TODD: "TELL THE TRUTH!"

Donald Trump attacks NBC's Chuck Todd on his MSNBC show after the host talks poll numbers that say people will not take the Trump debate seriously. At one point, Trump even suggested Chuck Todd could get "better ratings" if he would tell the truth.

"I wish you would just sort of say it like it is. I think you'd really do better. Honestly. I think you'd get better ratings if you did that. I'm doing MSNBC a favor by coming onto your show," Trump said.

watch video
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MAYOR: FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS OVER

El Paso, Texas, mayor John Cook, who has been in a pitched battle with local churches and the faith-oriented members in his community in recent months and could end up facing a recall election, apparently doesn't have much empathy for those who support the religious element in his community.

A video has surfaced that shows he gave a woman who was addressing the city council on the issue of its criticism of faith and churches only some 70 seconds to talk, and then he told her to take her "freedom of speech outside."

read story
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FOOD STAMPS FOR JUMBO CRAB LEGS

I was strolling around the waterfront fish market in DC on Saturday, admiring the whole octopi, the squid, lobsters, jumbo crab legs and Maryland blue crabs for sale.


Imagine my surprise when I spotted this sign above a pile of crabs.

read story
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CHRISTMAS SHOWDOWN: RETAILERS VS. REVERENT AMERICANS

After watching the shameful, mindless behavior of shoppers being stampeded, like cattle, into stores, in the middle of the night, on (odiously named) "black Friday," it should be apparent to even the most unsophisticated observer that the American Christmas experience has been hijacked by retailers, who have absolutely no respect nor regard for American life, Christian sensibilities, nor Christmas itself.

The pathetic sight of human beings trampling over other human beings in a frantic frenzy to get "things," all in the name of Christmas, is gut wrenching.

read story
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CAGE FIGHTER TO TRAIN AS CHURCH PASTOR

Invercargill cage fighter Hiriwa "T-Man" Te Rangi will transform into the punching preacher next year when he moves to Christchurch to study to become a pastor.

Te Rangi, who has carved out a colourful mixed martial arts and kickboxing career during the past 25 years, will fight in his last bout in Southland on December 10 when he defends his New Zealand heavyweight MMA title against Wellington's Pete Aberdeen at the Battle of the Gladiators event at Wallacetown Stadium.

read story
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VERDICTS FOR PASTORS WHO PREACHED OF SIN

A Houston, Texas, court system managed by an "out" lesbian judge has dismissed municipal tickets that had been written against two pastors who were preaching against sin, including homosexuality, on a prominent street corner.

The verdicts came today in a bench trial for David Stokes of BulldogMinistries.com and Dave Allen of HornofSamuelBook.com.

read story
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FAMILY HORRIFIED BY DEAD MOTHER'S EMAILS

The holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy. But in Stafford County, one family is suffering through tears, anger and pain. They've been hammered by a barrage emails from their dead mother's account.

They cannot make it stop. Every other day another email from the hacker hit's them. "Male enhancement!" "Work at home!" "Cheap Viagra!" -- all from their dead mother's account -- and each a reminder of the pain of losing her.

read story
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SHOPLIFTER CAUGHT WITH STEAKS, CANDLES DOWN HIS PANTS

Two weeks after he was released on bond for aggravated assault, authorities say Dannial Ashley walked out of a local supermarket with the makings of a romantic dinner.

The problem: He didn't pay for the four steaks and two candles stuffed down his pants.

read story
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FIRST KISS ON "VIRGIN DIARIES" BECOMES A VIRAL VIDEO

Virgin Couple Shares First Kiss | Virgin Diaries *

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THOUSANDS PROTESTS AGAINST PUTIN AFTER RUSSIA VOTE

Several thousand people protested in central Moscow on Monday against what they said was a fraudulent parliamentary election, shouting "Revolution!" and calling for an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's rule.

read story
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JUSTICE DEPT. DETAILS HOW IT GOT STATEMENTS WRONG

The Justice Department on Friday provided Congress with documents detailing how department officials gave inaccurate information to a U.S. senator in the controversy surrounding Operation Fast and Furious, the flawed law enforcement initiative aimed at dismantling major arms trafficking networks on the Southwest border.

read story
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LARRY KLAYMAN ON WHY AMERICANS ARE BUYING GUNS IN RECORD NUMBERS

On yesterday's front page of USA Today, the main headline read "Guns were a big seller on Black Friday." According to the article, sales of firearms hit record numbers on the day after Thanksgiving, with a surge in FBI background checks by 129,166 new buyers - "smashing the single-day, all-time high by 32 percent, according to bureau records."

read story
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CAN INFECTIONS CAUSE OCD?

Brody Kennedy was a typical sixth-grader who loved to hang out with friends in Castaic and play video games. A strep-throat infection in October caused him to miss a couple of days of school, but he was eager to rejoin his classmates, recalls his mother, Tracy.

Then, a week after Brody became ill, he awoke one morning to find his world was no longer safe. Paranoid about germs and obsessed with cleanliness, he refused to touch things and showered several times a day. His fear prevented him from attending school, and he insisted on wearing nothing but a sheet or demanding that his mother microwave his clothes or heat them in the dryer before dressing.

read story
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ANGELINA JOLIE ADMITS SHE DOES NOT TALK TO FATHER JON VOIGHT ABOUT THE PAST

In an interview with US TV network CBS, Jolie suggested that if they discuss the rows that were a part of her childhood, then their fragile relationship may fall apart again.


Jolie and her father became involved in one of Hollywood's most famous family feuds in showbusiness since 2001, when Voight told Access Hollywood that his daughter had "serious mental problems" and pleaded with her to seek help.

read story
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MAN ORDERED TO PAY WIFE FOR LACK OF SEX

A COURT in France has ordered a man to pay 10,000 euros ($13,500) in damages to his long-frustrated ex-wife after he failed in his marriage "duties" by withholding sex from her for years.

In the May ruling, published overnight in the Gazette du Palais judicial review, an appeals court in the southern city of Aix-en-Provence upheld an earlier decision to award the damages for "absence of sexual relations".

read story
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WOMAN ACCUSED OF LEAVING DEAD FRIEND'S BODY UNDER CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

Police say a York County woman admitted to killing a 67-year-old family friend in Florida and leaving the woman's body underneath a pile of Christmas presents in her own home.

Patty White, 40, has been arrested for allegedly killing 67-year-old Michele O'Dowd in her Jacksonville home Friday. Jacksonville police indicated to CBS Charlotte that while no charges have been filed to this point, the case against White will be a homicide case.

read story
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OBAMA OFFERS PAKISTAN PRESIDENT HIS CONDOLENCES OVER NATO AIR STRIKE

Barack Obama has called Pakistan's president to offer condolences over the Nato air strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops and sparked a crisis in relations between the two countries.

Obama told President Asif Ali Zardari that the soldiers' deaths were "regrettable" and accidental, according to a White House statement.

read story
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MY DAUGHTER HAS CHOSEN THE DARK SIDE VIDEO GOES VIRAL

The maniacal laugh of a Norwegian baby girl has thousands of YouTube users and US news outlets bewitched.

In less than two weeks, 1-and-a-half-year-old baby Ekström has earned 5 million views for her reaction to a fallen toy.

My daughter has chosen the Dark Side. [ORIGINAL]

The video titled "My daughter has chosen the dark side," a reference to the Star Wars axis of evil, has been shown on US television by the Good Morning America show and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, both with viewers in the tens of millions.

read story
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