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  GOP critics hit Obama's $3.8 trillion budget

  President Barack Obama feels he has struck just the right budget balance between providing more short-term support for the economy while putting forth a long-term plan to get control of the government's soaring budget deficits.

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  China's next leader Xi Jinping visits White House

  Washington is getting its first hard look at Xi Jinping, the man destined to lead China in the coming decade, during which the global powers probably will see their economic ties grow even as they are viewed increasingly as military rivals.

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  Fresh violence in Syria as UN warns of civil war

  Syrian government forces renewed their assault on the rebellious city of Homs on Tuesday, activists said, as the U.N. human rights chief raised fears of civil war.

• Banking for pot shops eyed in Colorado

  Medical marijuana is legal in 17 states, but the industry has a decidedly black-market aspect — it's mostly cash-only.

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  Authorities: Houston was underwater in tub

  Whitney Houston's life was a doleful cover of other addiction-riddled pop stars who put their talent and themselves at risk.

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  Love letters of Barrett, Browning go online

  "I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett..."

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  Washington gov signs gay marriage bill into law

  Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law a measure that makes Washington state the seventh to legalize same-sex marriage, but opponents almost immediately filed a referendum to challenge the new law, meaning voters likely will have the final say.

• India vows to find person behind Israel attack

  Indian investigators were searching Tuesday for the motorcycle assailant who attached a bomb to an Israeli diplomatic car in the heart of New Delhi in an attack the Jewish state blamed on Iran or its proxies.

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  Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover: Kate Upton, 19

  She's a Florida girl who's comfortable in a bikini, and now 19-year-old model Kate Upton is on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

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  Nowitzki, Marion lift Mavs over Clippers 96-92

  Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points, 11 in the final 6-plus minutes, Shawn Marion added 16, and the Dallas Mavericks held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 96-92 on Monday night.

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• Capitol Hill weighs GOP payroll tax gambit

  House lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill to weigh a proposal by GOP leaders to extend the 2-percentage-point cut in the payroll tax through the end of the year and add the approximately $100 billion cost to the nation's $15 trillion-plus debt instead of scrounging around the budget for ways topay for it.

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  China's next leader Xi Jinping visits White House

  Washington is getting its first hard look at Xi Jinping, the man destined to lead China in the coming decade, during which the global powers probably will see their economic ties grow even as they are viewed increasingly as military rivals.

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  NJ Senate OKs gay marriage bill in milestone vote

  In a move that supporters called a civil rights milestone, New Jersey's state Senate on Monday passed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages, marking the first time state lawmakers officially endorsed the idea — despite the promise of a veto by Gov. Chris Christie.

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  Washington gov signs gay marriage bill into law

  Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law a measure that makes Washington state the seventh to legalize same-sex marriage, but opponents almost immediately filed a referendum to challenge the new law, meaning voters likely will have the final say.

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  Authorities: Houston was underwater in tub

  Whitney Houston's life was a doleful cover of other addiction-riddled pop stars who put their talent and themselves at risk.

• Banking for pot shops eyed in Colorado

  Medical marijuana is legal in 17 states, but the industry has a decidedly black-market aspect — it's mostly cash-only.

• FACT CHECK: There are budget phantoms in the room

  When a president introduces a budget, there are always phantoms flitting around the room. President Barack Obama's spending plan sets loose a number of them.

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  Hearse arrives at NJ funeral home handling Houston

  A hearse under heavy police escort arrived late Monday at a funeral home officials said was handling the arrangements for late pop star Whitney Houston.

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  Grisly discoveries give families hope for closure

  The childhood friends killed for the first time less than three months after their high school graduation in 1984. Then they seemingly killed with impunity for the next 15 years, with one man making barroom boasts about their ability to make people disappear.

• Panetta defends military budget plan

  Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is defending his department's slimmed-down, $614 billion budget plan, telling senators it's time to step up and show they are serious about reducing the deficit.

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• India vows to find person behind Israel attack

  Indian investigators were searching Tuesday for the motorcycle assailant who attached a bomb to an Israeli diplomatic car in the heart of New Delhi in an attack the Jewish state blamed on Iran or its proxies.

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  Greece surveys riot damage after austerity vote

  Firefighters doused smoldering buildings and cleanup crews swept rubble from the streets of central Athens on Monday following a night of rioting during which lawmakers approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the nation from bankruptcy.

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  Fresh violence in Syria as UN warns of civil war

  Syrian government forces renewed their assault on the rebellious city of Homs on Tuesday, activists said, as the U.N. human rights chief raised fears of civil war.

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  Police detain American at Pakistani airport

  Pakistani security forces on Tuesday detained an American citizen at an airport in the northwest of the country after bullets were found in his luggage, police said.

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  Greece faces further obstacles in bailout deal

  Greece faces further hurdles and delays before it can receive a second, euro130 billion ($171 billion) bailout despite its lawmakers voting through more austerity measures in the face of violent protests.

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  Syria forces shell Homs, Saudis push U.N. resolution

  Syrian forces unleashed new tank and rocket bombardments on opposition neighborhoods of Homs on Saturday while diplomats sought U.N. backing for an Arab plan to end 11 months of bloodshed in Syria.

• Pakistan holds U.S. man after "bullets found in baggage"

  An American was held for questioning in Pakistan on Tuesday after security officials at the airport in northwestern Peshawar discovered bullets in his luggage, police said, the latest likely irritant in ties between the two countries.

• Israel says bombs target embassies in India, Georgia

  Bombers targeted staff at Israel's embassies in India and Georgia on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said, with a bomb going off in New Delhi but a second device in Tbilisi defused.

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  Athens mayhem raises fears of Greek social explosion

  Greek political leaders say the nation must accept yet more punishing austerity or face a social explosion, but after a night of violence and destruction in Athens, some people fear this explosion may already be about to begin.

• Britain frees radical cleric Abu Qatada

  A radical cleric once described as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe" was freed from a British prison to live under virtual house arrest on Monday after a court ruled that his detention without trial was unlawful.

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  Romney, under-funded rivals in hunt for cash

  Mitt Romney and his under-funded opponents are taking advantage of a weeklong lull in the Republican presidential nomination fight — no debate or primary is slated — to raise the money needed to carry out Super Tuesday strategies and compete in states beyond.

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  Gingrich says he's in the race to stay

  Republican Newt Gingrich on Monday dismissed calls to drop out of the presidential contest in order to set up a direct contest between rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. The former House speaker insisted that his ideas and a new determination to stay positive would help him once again resuscitat his flagging candidacy.

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  Romney raps GOP rivals' government backgrounds

  If Mitt Romney is rattled by polls showing presidential rival Rick Santorum nipping at his heels, he didn't show it Monday at an outdoor rally with about 2,500 people.

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  Santorum calls Occupy protesters 'radical element'

  Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum clashed with Tacoma Occupy protesters Monday night during his first visit to a state he said would be a "momentum changer" heading into Super Tuesday.

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  Analysis: A budget plan or a campaign document?

  President Barack Obama's new budget lays down the political themes he will pound as he campaigns for re-election — more spending on jobs and higher taxes for the wealthy. It sets him apart from the Republican contenders and gives Democrats a platform to run on.

• Obama's proposed tax hikes at odds with GOP rivals

  President Barack Obama proposed tax increases on wealthy individuals and some corporations Monday, setting the stage for an ideological battle that won't be resolved until after the November election — if then.

• Foo Fighters, Cornell to play Obama fundraisers

  President Barack Obama's upcoming West Coast fundraising trip will feature a musical lineup worthy of Grammy gold.

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  White House attacks contraception bills

  The White House said Monday legislation in the Senate that would give employers broad leeway to restrict coverage for contraception is "dangerous and wrong."

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  From the go, roller-coaster GOP White House race

  From the start, it's been a roller-coaster race for the Republican presidential nomination.

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  Most of Romney's top fundraisers remain anonymous

  Despite criticism of Fannie Mae by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, his campaign accepted nearly $280,000 in donations raised by a registered lobbyist who once represented the government mortgage giant and whose clients now include a private equity firm and the drug company Pfizer.

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  Trimming super-size with half-orders, plate colors

  Call it the alter-ego of super-sizing.

• Hungarian home birth advocate looses appeal

  A Hungarian obstetrician known for promoting home births lost an appeal Friday against her two-year prison sentence for malpractice.

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  Nearly 1 in 20 US adults over 50 have fake knees

  Nearly 1 in 20 Americans older than 50 have artificial knees, or more than 4 million people, according to the first national estimate showing how common these replacement joints have become in an aging population.

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  Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor

  It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box.

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  For pregnant women with cancer, chemo possible

  Researchers have encouraging news for women who find themselves in a very frightening situation: having cancer while pregnant. Studies suggest that these women can be treated almost the same as other cancer patients are, with minimal risk to the fetus.

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  Q&A: Obama and the birth control controversy

  What birth control debate? A half-century after the introduction of the pill, acceptance of birth control by American women is virtually universal.

• Russians alarmed by rash of teenage suicides

  A rash of teenage suicides in Russia has set off alarm bells and experts are urging the government to take immediate action.

• Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise

  More and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get out and exercise, according to government survey released Thursday.

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  India's global pharmacy role threatened by EU pact

  Efforts by India and the European Union to strengthen trade are threatening India's ability to deliver lifesaving medicines to the world's poorest, analysts say as the two sides push through protracted negotiations on a free-trade pact.

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  Study: Electric boost helps brain to learn better

  The Obama administration said Monday it backs Arab League plans to end ongoing violence in Syria but noted several obstacles to deploying a proposed international peacekeeping force to the country and stopped short of a full endorsement of the idea.

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  Nearly 1 in 20 US adults over 50 have fake knees

  Nearly 1 in 20 Americans older than 50 have artificial knees, or more than 4 million people, according to the first national estimate showing how common these replacement joints have become in an aging population.

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  Mexican experts excited to find ancient home ruins

  The ruins aren't particularly impressive, just some stone and clay footings for houses that probably supported walls of wood or clay wattle. And it's that very ordinariness that has experts excited.

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  Researchers probe 200-year-old shipwreck off RI

  For two centuries it rested a mile from shore, shrouded by a treacherous reef from the pleasure boaters and beachgoers who haunt New England's southern coast.

• Life in Antarctic lake? It's everywhere else

  If scientists find microbes in a frigid lake two miles beneath the thick ice of Antarctica, it will illustrate once again that somehow life finds a way to survive in the strangest and harshest places.

• La Nina going away, but too late for Texas drought

  Federal weather forecasters say the La Nina weather phenomenon that contributed to the southwestern U.S. drought is winding down.

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  Europe's first Vega rocket blasts off successfully

  Europe's first Vega rocket blasted off from French Guiana Monday in a successful inaugural flight aimed at giving Europe a vehicle for scientific satellite missions.

• Race is on to find life under Antarctic ice sheet

  The race is on to discover life in the most remote and extreme environment known on Earth.

• U.S. tells Europe to go solo on Martian mission

  NASA intends to cancel plans to join Europe on a Mars sampling mission that is considered important to learning if life appeared beyond Earth as the U.S. space agency balances out a virtually flat $17.7 billion budget for 2013, officials said on Monday.

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• Dad plays porn instead of 'Smurfs' at kid's party

  Police aren't filing charges against a father who briefly played a pornographic video instead of "The Smurfs" at his child's birthday party.

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  On Valentine's day, a museum for broken hearts

  What becomes of a garden gnome hurled in fury at a car during a stormy breakup?

• Ky school officials say bedbugs at school a hoax

  Augusta Independent School Principal Robin Kelsch had enough to worry about with the flu. Kelsch didn't need a student's report of bedbugs at the school to make things worse.

• Retirement ends Ohio family's long-running service

  Members of Hamilton police Chief Neil Ferdelman's family have held public safety jobs serving their southwestern Ohio city for 87 years straight, but that run will end with his retirement next month.

• NYC sewage plant to offer Valentine's Day tours

  It may not smell like a rose but a New York City sewage plant is offering tours for lovers on Valentine's Day.

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  Hundreds ask Vt. to keep prank pig on police decal

  Remember the pig hidden within the decal on the doors of some Vermont State Police cruisers?

• Necklace flushed down toilet returned months later

  A California woman has her gold necklace back months after she accidentally flushed it down her toilet.

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  Pakistani man fights police over 40-foot shark

  Qasim Khan waged the unlikeliest of battles with Pakistani authorities Thursday over the right to charge hundreds of curious visitors the equivalent of 22 cents each to see a roughly 40-foot whale shark he bought from a fisherman.

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  Mom in central China gives birth to 15 pound baby

  A dog named Giorgio Armani has taken its first winning steps at the Westminster Kennel Club show.

• Ex-CA mayor admits stealing mixer to make pizza

  The former mayor of a Los Angeles suburb has pleaded guilty to stealing a commercial food mixer from the local school district so he could make dough for his home pizza oven.

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  US, EU clear Google's $12.5B Motorola Mobility bid

  Google's $12.5 billion bid to buy cellphone maker Motorola Mobility has won approvals from U.S. and European antitrust regulators, moving Google a major step closer to completing the biggest deal in its 13-year history.

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  Chinese company to seek ban on iPad import, export

  A Chinese company said Tuesday it will ask customs officials to ban imports and exports of Apple's iPads due to a dispute over ownership of the trademark.

• Apple stock breaks $500 level, continuing rally

  Apple's stock broke above $500 for the first time Monday. It was the latest step in a rally that began more than two weeks ago, when the company reported staggering sales and profits for the holiday quarter.

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  Independent group inspecting Apple suppliers

  Apple said Monday that an independent group, the Fair Labor Association, has started inspecting working conditions in the Chinese factories where its iPads and iPhones are assembled.

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  AT&T customers surprised by 'unlimited data' limit

  Mike Trang likes to use his iPhone 4 as a GPS device, helping him get around in his job. Now and then, his younger cousins get ahold of it, and play some YouTube videos and games.

• News Corp. consolidates global gov't affairs

  News Corp. is consolidating its global government affairs activities and relocating them to the U.S.

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  Review: Netflix and Hulu's new scripted originals

  Within just over a week, Netflix and Hulu are both debuting their first stabs at original scripted programming.

• Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

  Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.

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  LinkedIn's 4Q revenue doubles, stock soars 8 pct

  LinkedIn provided further evidence of online networking's popularity and moneymaking potential with a fourth-quarter performance that got a glowing review on Wall Street.

• Brazil files injunction against Twitter

  A request for an injunction to stop Twitter users from alerting drivers to police roadblocks, radar traps and drunk-driving checkpoints could make Brazil the first country to take Twitter up on its plan to censor content at governments' requests.

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  James scores 35, Heat finally beat Bucks 114-96

  LeBron James scored 35 points and the Miami Heat finally found a way to beat Milwaukee, using a third-quarter surge to beat the Bucks 114-96 on Monday night.

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  76ers send Bobcats to 15th straight loss

  Lou Williams scored 23 points off the bench as the Philadelphia 76ers built an early lead and held on to send the Charlotte Bobcats to their 15th straight defeat, 98-89 Monday night.

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  Woods goes from inevitable to unpredictable

  Phil Mickelson has beaten Tiger Woods the last five times they have played together in the final round.

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  Arnold gives BC 3-2 win in OT vs. BU in Beanpot

  Bill Arnold wristed a shot into the net, the clock froze at 6.4 seconds, and the Boston College forward was soon belly-sliding on the ice as his teammates piled on top of him.

• Mountain West, C-USA to form new league

  Members of Conference USA and current and future members of the Mountain West are taking a bigger-is-better approach to college sports leagues.

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  Pebble Beach shows Tiger has a long way to go

  Tiger Woods keeps saying his game is close.

• Yankees, Pirates progressing toward Burnett deal

  The New York Yankees and Pirates have made progress toward a trade that would send much-maligned pitcher A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh.

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  Dalmatian is spot on, makes Westminster final ring

  More than 101 Dalmatians have tried to become America's most prized pooch. More than a thousand, probably.

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  Knicks think they'll stay hot when stars join Lin

  Amare Stoudemire watched Linsanity from Florida, a welcome break as he grieved the death of his brother.

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  ND higher ed board to sue to drop Fighting Sioux

  North Dakota's Board of Higher Education voted Monday to sue to attempt to block a public vote on a state law that requires the University of North Dakota's athletics teams to be called the Fighting Sioux.

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