Election 2012
11:45 am
Tue January 10, 2012

In N.H., Romney's Real Rival May Be Expectation

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who was stumping at Harvey's Bakery in Dover, N.H., is pinning his hopes on a strong finish in the Granite State.

Primary Day in New Hampshire turned into open season as GOP rivals launched a barrage of attacks seeking to undermine front-runner Mitt Romney, whose campaign hopes to live up to expectations that he will deliver a solid victory.

Not only does Romney need to win, he needs to win convincingly — holding challengers such as Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and a resurgent Jon Huntsman comfortably at arm's length.

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The Salt
10:48 am
Tue January 10, 2012

X-Rays Scan Foods For The Secret Ingredient That Could Break A Tooth

Credit Rick Bowmer / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Costco has pushed vendors to X-ray food to find "foreign objects" like metal and stones before the reach consumers.

I don't know about you, but when I spoon into store-bought ice cream or chomp into hot dogs, I don't consider it a risky activity, one that could land me in the dentist's chair with a broken tooth. But it turns out that this does happen. Even Costco, the giant warehouse retailer, says it's true.

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Television
10:35 am
Tue January 10, 2012

A New 'Morning' On CBS, But Will It Work?

Credit John P. Filo / CBS
CBS This Morning is co-hosted by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill.

There are three new hosts of CBS This Morning, which was unveiled yesterday. One is Erica Hill, a holdover from The Early Show, the previous program in the early-morning time slot. Another is Gayle King, still best known as Oprah Winfrey's best friend, who's here to handle most of the entertainment interviews. And the third, the pivot point, is Charlie Rose, brought over from PBS to give this new show an injection of instant respectability and seriousness.

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The Two-Way
10:31 am
Tue January 10, 2012

Cupcakes Are OK; Cupcakes In A Jar Won't Fly Past Security, Says TSA

Credit TSA

The Transportation Security Administration clarified its cupcake policy in a blog post. Cupcakegate — as the agency has termed it — was prompted in December, when TSA officers told Rebecca Hains, who was flying out of Las Vegas, she could not carry cupcakes in her carry-on luggage. The TSA said the icing on the two cupcakes was a security risk.

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Shots - Health Blog
10:25 am
Tue January 10, 2012

Nicotine Patches Up Early Memory Loss In Study

Credit Franck Camhi / iStockphoto.com

Slapping on a nicotine patch may not just be for smokers trying to kick the habit.

In an intriguing test, researchers tried nicotine patches as a memory booster for nonsmokers with mild declines in their thinking ability, a precursor to dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

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Books
9:57 am
Tue January 10, 2012

Michelle And Barack Obama: A Powerful Partnership

Credit Juliana Sohn / Courtesy of the author
Jodi Kantor spoke to over 200 sources, including White House aides and close friends of the President, while reseaching her new biography on the Obamas. Kantor is a Washington correspondent for The New York Times.

In late 2006, Barack Obama held a meeting with his wife Michelle and his advisors to weigh whether he should run for President.

"And Michelle Obama, in front of everybody, asks her husband a very dramatic question," says New York Times Washington correspondent Jodi Kantor. "She says, 'What do you think you can bring to this that the other candidates can't?'"

Her husband paused for a second, and then responded, "I really think if I became President, it would inspire people all over the world to think of new possibilities."

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The Two-Way
9:45 am
Tue January 10, 2012

The Cost Of A Life: Mine Disaster Settlement Talks Enter Fifth Day

The emotionally charged task of putting price tags on the lives of coal miners killed in the nation's deadliest mine disaster in 40 years continues for a fifth day in West Virginia.

Sources familiar with the mediation talks say the families of 13 Upper Big Branch mine explosion victims are still considering settlement of wrongful death claims with mine owner Alpha Natural Resources.

Six families settled yesterday in mediated negotiations that began Friday at a resort in Glade Springs, W. Va.

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The Two-Way
9:27 am
Tue January 10, 2012

Marketplace Explosion Leaves At Least 30 Dead In Pakistan

At least 30 people were killed at a busy market in northwest Pakistan after a bomb was placed inside the car of a local militia group tasked with fighting against the Taliban.

CNN reports the explosion occurred in the Jamrud Market in the Khyber near the Afghan border. The AP adds:

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It's All Politics
8:55 am
Tue January 10, 2012

Don't Get Your Hopes Up Over This Political Coverage

Credit Matthew Cavanaugh / Getty Images
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman speaks to reporters before a campaign stop in Concord, N.H. In interviews, Huntsman has said that his goal in New Hampshire is to "beat market expectations."

This may well be the worst story you've come across yet on politics.

Really, I beg you: You should have very, very low expectations for this story.

And this expectations thing is important stuff.

Pundits, reporters and the campaigns themselves have devoted a lot of energy to setting expectations for the candidates' performances.

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The Two-Way
8:20 am
Tue January 10, 2012

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi Confirms She's Running For Parliament

Credit Soe Than Win / AFP/Getty Images
Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, center, at an campaign event on Tuesday.

Myanmar's upcoming special parliamentary elections just became more legitimate. Aung San Suu Kyi, a leading opposition figure in the country as well as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said she will mount a campaign for a seat in parliament.

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