Hillary Clinton discharged from hospital

WASHINGTONSecretary of State Hillary Clinton was discharged from a New York hospital Wednesday, after spending 72 hours under observation following the discovery of a blood clot in her head, the State Department said. In a statement, spokesperson Philippe Reines said: "Her medical team advised her that she is making good progress on all fronts, and they are confident she will make a full recovery....

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House GOP blasted for scrapping Sandy aid vote

WASHINGTON New York area-lawmakers in both parties erupted in anger late Tuesday night after learning the House Republican leadership decided to allow the current term of Congress to end without holding a vote on aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said he was told by the office of Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia that Speaker John Boehner of Ohio had decided to...

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Conn. gunman Adam Lanza's remains claimed: report

HARTFORD, Conn. The body of the man who killed 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school has been claimed for burial. Connecticut Medical Examiner Wayne H. Carver II tells the Hartford Courant Adam Lanza's remains were claimed several days ago by someone who wanted to remain anonymous. Lanza's burial site also is being kept secret, the newspaper reports. A spokeswoman at Carver's office told...

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Storm dumps up to foot of snow in N.E.

BOSTON Weather watchers say up to a foot of snow fell in parts of southern New England as the latest winter storm moved through the Northeast.The storm had ended in the region by Sunday morning and dry weather was expected for days, although strong winds may chill the bone.Meteorologist Frank Nocera of the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said six to 12 inches of snow fell from Saturday...

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Putin signs bill barring adoptions of Russian kids by Americans

Updated 6:45 a.m. EST MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children, part of a harsh response to a U.S. law targeting Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Although some top Russian officials, including the foreign minister, openly opposed the bill and Putin himself had been noncommittal about it last week, he signed it less than...

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Former President Bush in ICU

Updated 6:40 p.m. ETA "stubborn" fever that kept former President George H.W. Bush in a hospital over Christmas has gotten worse, and doctors have put him on a liquids-only diet, his spokesman said Wednesday, describing Bush's condition as guarded to CBS News. Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman in Houston, had said earlier in the day that the fever had gone away, but he later corrected himself. "It's...

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Obama cuts Hawaii trip short to address "fiscal cliff"

KAILUA, Hawaii President Barack Obama is cutting short his traditional Christmas holiday in Hawaii to return to Washington as lawmakers consider how to prevent the economy from going over the so-called fiscal cliff, the White House said Tuesday. Obama will fly back to the nation's capital Wednesday night, just five days after arriving in Hawaii, White House officials said. In the past, the president's...

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American contractor killed by Afghan policewoman

Updated 6:10 a.m. EST KABUL, Afghanistan An Afghan policewoman shot and killed an American adviser outside the police headquarters in Kabul on Monday, the latest in a rising tide of insider attacks by Afghans against their foreign allies, senior Afghan officials said. The woman, identified as Afghan police Sgt. Nargas, had entered a strategic compound in the heart of the capital and shot the adviser...

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U.K. media: Rolling Stones guitarist Wood ties knot

In this August 9, 2012 file photo, Sally Humphries and Ronnie Wood attend the Fashion for Relief charity dinner in London, England. / Tim Whitby/Getty Images LONDON Two British newspapers say Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has married his fiancee Sally Humphreys at a ceremony at London's Dorchester Hotel. The Sun and the Daily Mirror carried photographs of the 65-year-old rocker with...

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Pope pardons ex-butler who leaked documents

In this photo taken Wednesday, May, 23, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI, flanked by his private secretary Georg Gaenswein, top left, and his butler Paolo Gabriele arrives at St. Peter's square at the Vatican for a general audience. / AP Photo/Andrew Medichini VATICAN CITY Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday granted his former butler a Christmas pardon for stealing the pontiff's private papers and leaking...

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N. Korea: We've detained a U.S. citizen

Updated 7 a.m. EST PYONGYANG, North Korea North Korea said Friday that an American citizen has been detained after confessing to unspecified crimes, confirming news reports about his arrest at a time when Pyongyang is facing criticism from Washington for launching a long-range rocket last week. The American was identified as Pae Jun Ho in a brief dispatch issued by the state-run Korean Central...

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UBS to pay $1.5B in fines for rate manipulation

Updated 4:30 a.m. GENEVA Switzerland's UBS AG agreed Wednesday to pay some $1.5 billion in fines to international regulators following a probe into the rigging of a key global interest rate. In admitting to fraud, Switzerland's largest bank became the second bank, after Britain's Barclays PLC, to settle over the rate-rigging scandal. The fine, which will be paid to authorities in the U.S., Britain...

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Poll: Half think "cliff" deal possible by year end

By Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto and Fred Backus Play VideoBoehner's "fiscal cliff" concessions come with a priceWith the so called "fiscal cliff" deadline looming, only half of Americans think a deal on taxes and spending cuts will be made before the end of the year. Forty-four percent expect time will run out. Democrats (58 percent) are much more optimistic about a deal than...

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First funerals set for Conn. shooting victims

Nov. 13, 2012 photo provided by the family via The Washington Post shows Noah Pozner, 6 / AP/Family Photo NEWTOWN, Conn. The Connecticut Funeral Directors Association has announced that funerals have been scheduled for seven of the Connecticut school shooting victims. Services for 6-year-olds Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto are being planned for Monday. The funeral for 6-year-old Jessica Rekos...

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Egypt Islamists claim majority in referendum

CAIRO A narrow majority of Egyptians who voted in the first round of a referendum on a proposed Islamist-backed constitution have approved the document, according to unofficial tallies compiled by the Muslim Brotherhood and released early Sunday. An official tweet by the Brotherhood, Egypt's most powerful political group, said its tallies showed nearly 57 percent of voters said "yes" to the disputed...

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Hundreds pack Conn. church for vigil after rampage

Updated 11:39 PM ET NEWTOWN, Conn. Twenty-six candles — one for each of the victims — flickered on the altar Friday as hundreds of grief-stricken residents gathered for a vigil in memory of the children and staff killed in a shooting rampage at a school in this Connecticut town. With the church filled to capacity, hundreds spilled outside, holding hands in circles in the cold night air and saying...

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As "fiscal cliff" looms, health reform questions linger

Washington lawmakers this month are squarely focused on deficit reduction as they attempt to scramble off the so-called "fiscal cliff." All the while, however, the government is proceeding with the costly and ambitious rollout of the Affordable Care Act. Key components of President Obama's health care law won't go into effect for about another year, but federal and state lawmakers are obligated...

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Etan Patz suspect: He was alive when I left him

NEW YORK Pedro Hernandez told New York City Detectives that, when he left Etan Patz's body in a doorway, he believed the little boy was still alive. The 1979 disappearance of the six year old became the most symbolic kidnapping case since the murder of the Lindberg baby, stirring the movement that put missing children on milk cartons and billboards. The stunning revelation and other new details...

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Motive unclear in Oregon mall shooting that left three dead

PORTLAND, Ore. A masked gunman wearing camouflage opened fire Tuesday in a busy Portland mall, leaving the gunman and two others dead and one person injured, and forcing the mall's Santa Claus and hundreds of Christmas shoppers and employees to flee or hide among store displays. Austin Patty, 20, who works at Macy's, said he saw a man in a white mask carrying a rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest....

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Right-to-work signed into law in Michigan

Updated 6:04 p.m. Eastern TimeAgainst a backdrop of raucous protests in the Michigan capitol, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law controversial right-to-work legislation after final passage in the GOP-led state legislature. Play VideoTens of thousands protest right-to-work in Mich. The Michigan house passed two right-to-work laws earlier in the day - one focused on public sector workers,...

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