4 Firefighters Shot, 2 Killed in NY 'Trap'

Two firefighters were shot and killed and two others hospitalized after a gunman targeted them as they responded to a fire he is believed to have set to a home and a car in Webster, N.Y., police said."It does appear that it was a trap that was set for first responders," Police Chief Gerald L. Pickering said.SWAT team officers used an armored personnel carrier to evacuate 33...

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Seeking the truth about Jesus

A nativity scene from St. Catherine's Church in Bethlehem in the West Bank. STORY HIGHLIGHTSJay Parini: There are as many visions of Jesus, and versions, as there are Christians Parini: As a child, I wondered why only two of the gospels mention Christmas He says he believes firmly that Jesus was a real person, complex and inspiring Parini: Jesus's life has mythical resonance with the power to change...

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Venezuelans debate Chavez inauguration

CARACAS: With President Hugo Chavez in Cuba recovering from cancer surgery, Venezuelans are debating what can be done if he isn't back in time for his January 10 swearing in to another six-year term.Debate in the last days has swirled around key articles of Venezuela's 1999 constitution, which socialist ex-paratrooper Chavez approved in his first year in office.Chavez supporters claim...

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More than 100 killed in bakery bombing

By Steve Almasy, CNNupdated 5:17 PM EST, Sun December 23, 2012STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: One resident says 84 people have been buried, with more bodies still on the streetsNEW: People had been waiting for bread for almost a weekActivists say MiG planes bombed a bakery in western SyriaVideos posted on social media show rebel soldiers, civilians rushing to scene(CNN) -- Scores of people who had been without...

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Inouye remembered at Hawaii memorial service

HONOLULU President Barack Obama, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and other dignitaries attended a memorial service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye on Sunday. A 19-gun cannon salute was fired as Inouye's coffin arrived for the service at Honolulu's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the final resting place to thousands of World War II veterans. More than 400 members of the storied Japanese-American...

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NRA Chief LaPierre: 'Call Me Crazy'

National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre fired back at his critics today, defending his proposal to put armed guards in every school in the country as a way to prevent future tragedies like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took the lives of 20 children and six adults."If it's crazy to call for armed officers in our schools to protect our children, then call...

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Will media stay on gun story?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSHoward Kurtz: Conventional wisdom is that media will lose interest in gunsHe says that's been the pattern of media behavior after Columbine, other shootingsThis time seems like it might be different, he saysKurtz: Reporters profoundly shaken by story, should stay on itEditor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" and is Newsweek's Washington bureau chief. He is...

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Rape protesters hit with water cannon

India rape protestIndia rape protestIndia rape protestIndia rape protestIndia rape protestIndia rape protestIndia rape protestIndia rape protestIndia rape protestIndia rape protestSTORY HIGHLIGHTSDozens of people are hurt in protests in New Delhi's government districtPolice blast anti-rape protesters with water cannon, fire tear gasDemonstrators wave banners, chant "We want justice"Police say a 23-year-old...

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Newtown swamped by charity for victims, families

NEWTOWN, Conn. Peter Leone was busy making deli sandwiches and working the register at his Newtown General Store when he got a phone call from Alaska. It was a woman who wanted to give him her credit card number. "She said, 'I'm paying for the next $500 of food that goes out your door,'" Leone said. "About a half hour later another gentleman called, I think from the West Coast, and he did the same...

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'Fiscal Cliff' Leaves Boehner a Wounded Speaker

John Boehner is a bloodied House speaker following the startling setback that his own fractious Republican troops dealt him in their "fiscal cliff" struggle against President Barack Obama.There's plenty of internal grumbling about the Ohio Republican, especially among conservatives, and lots of buzzing about whether his leadership post is in jeopardy. But it's uncertain whether...

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