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President Barack Obama smiles as a reporter asks a question about Afghanistan during a joint news conference with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, not pictured, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama expects support for more Afghanistan troops

23 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama expects Americans to support more U.S. troops in Afghanistan once they understand the perils of losing, and he is preparing to make his case to the nation next week.

  • FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 file photo, Israeli soldiers wear gas mask as they take part in a home front command army drill simulating a chemical missile attack at an army base near Tel Aviv.  With cutting-edge anti-missile systems and two new submarines that can carry nuclear weapons, Israel is readying a new generation of armaments designed to defend itself against egression from outside its borders, according to Eyal Ron, one of the system's developers, saying that final dress rehearsals are expected in December 2009, before the system goes live next year.(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)
    Israel readying new arms to meet Iran challenge 54 minutes ago

    JERUSALEM - With cutting-edge anti-missile systems and two new submarines that can carry nuclear weapons, Israel is readying a new generation of armaments designed to defend itself against distant Iran as well as Tehran's proxy armies on its borders.

  • Mike Wilder, Executive Director of the Kentucky State Medical Examiners office, answers questions about the death of Kentucky census worker Bill Sparkman Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, at the Kentucky State Police Central Forensic Laboratory in Frankfort, Ky. The Kentucky census worker found naked, bound with duct tape and hanging from a tree with 'fed' scrawled on his chest killed himself but staged his death to make it look like a homicide, authorities said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon)
    Authorities: Hanged Ky. census worker killed self 1 hour, 48 minutes ago

    FRANKFORT, Ky. - When an eastern Kentucky census worker was found naked, bound with duct tape and hanging from a tree with "fed" scrawled on his chest, suspicion fell on the hardscrabble Appalachian area where bad news seems like a way of life.

  • Police investigators tag a body found in a shallow grave at the massacre site of a political clan that included several journalists in the outskirts of Ampatuan, Maguindanao in southern Philippines November 25, 2009. The latest death toll in the massacre is 52, police said on Wednesday.  REUTERS/Erik de Castro   (PHILIPPINES CRIME LAW CONFLICT)
    Philippine massacre probe focuses on Arroyo ally 56 minutes ago

    AMPATUAN, Philippines - Philippine authorities, under intense public pressure to make arrests in the country's worst election massacre, said Wednesday they are investigating a member of a powerful clan allied with the government along with four police commanders.

  • FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 file photo, South Carolina's Gov. Mark Sanford listens as his attorney Butch Bowers talks about the actions of the Ethics Commission during a news conference, at the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina legislators upset with Gov. Mark Sanford's summer disappearance to see his lover in Argentina on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, began debating a measure that ultimately would remove him from office. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
    Panel 1st up in SC Gov. Sanford impeachment debate 1 hour, 49 minutes ago

    COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford's tearful confession that he quietly disappeared from the state for five days to rendezvous with his lover in Argentina has shattered his marriage and dimmed his once-bright political future.

  • Belgian patient Rom Houben, seen here using a specially-adapted computer to type messages at the Weyerke institute near Liege. Houben, who was wrongly diagnosed as being in a coma for 23 years, has revived the debate on care for those considered in a vegetative state, with the astonishing case far from unique according to a recent study.(AFP/Stringer)
    Comatose for 23 years, Belgian feels reborn 21 minutes ago

    BRUSSELS - Helped by a therapist, Rom Houben's outstretched finger tapped with surprising speed on a computer touchscreen, spelling out how he felt "alone, lonely, frustrated" in the 23 years he was trapped inside a paralyzed body.

  • In this Nov. 16, 2009 photo released by the Australian Antarctic  Division, an iceberg is seen at Sandy Bay on Macquarie Island's east coast, in the Southern Ocean 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) southeast of Tasmania, Australia. It is very rare to see icebergs from Macquarie Island and is uncommon to find icebergs in this general region. (AP Photo/Australian Antarctic Division, Eve Merfield)
    Icebergs head from Antarctica for New Zealand 49 minutes ago

    WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Ships are on alert and maritime authorities are monitoring the movements of hundreds of menacing icebergs drifting toward New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean, officials said.

  • In this Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, photo, Michael Rader, of Ashland, Pa., looks over small electronics at Best Buy in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Americans' confidence in the economy improved slightly in November, but they remain gloomy amid a weak job market heading into the holiday season.(AP Photo Carolyn Kaster)
    Wary consumers, rising unemployment snag recovery 1 hour, 47 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - The economy is not growing as fast as the government first thought and the recovery still faces significant obstacles, including households nervous about spending and rising unemployment.

  • In this Monday Nov. 23, 2009 photo provided by ABC, Donny Osmond, left,  and Kym Johnson perform during 'Dancing with the Stars' in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/ABC, Adam Larkey) NO SALES
    Donny Osmond wins `Dancing with the Stars' Tue Nov 24, 11:54 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Donny Osmond was declared the new champion of "Dancing with Stars" on Tuesday night, taking home the show's mirror ball trophy in the season finale of the ABC contest reality program.

  • Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert (1) goes to the basket against Washington Wizards center Fabricio Oberto (21) of Argentina during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
    Wizards edge 76ers 108-107 after owner's death Wed Nov 25, 1:47 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - Antawn Jamison had 32 points and 14 rebounds to lead Washington past the Philadelphia 76ers 108-107 on Tuesday night, hours after the death of Wizards owner Abe Pollin.

  • Impatience with Obama trade policy grows 1 hour, 47 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - The third anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-Colombia free trade pact came and went this month with the Obama administration still negotiating the fine print, Congress showing little interest and business groups frustrated by the lack of action on trade deals.

  • UNAIDS: Sex main cause for HIV spreading in China Wed Nov 25, 1:06 AM ET

    SHANGHAI - The virus that causes AIDS is now spreading fastest in China through heterosexual sex, a trend demanding new strategies to stave off a rebound in the epidemic after years of progress in containing it, a United Nations report said.

  • FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2009, file photo Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, holds a copy of the health care bill, trussed in sturdy rope, in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington during a Republican news conference. The full draft of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's House version of the health care bill has been published in the Congressional Record in the official and conventional manner.  It is not much of a spectacle, nor much trouble to move: it's 209 pages.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
    SPIN METER: 'War and Peace' in 209 pages? Tue Nov 24, 9:30 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Republicans are using everything short of forklifts to show Americans that Democratic health care legislation is an unwieldy mountain of paper. They pile it high on desks, hoist it on a shoulder trussed in sturdy rope and tell people it's longer than "War and Peace," which it isn't.

  • Thanksgiving traveler Natalie Richards, 4, arrives with her luggage at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco from her home in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
    Americans searching for cheaper Thanksgiving trips 1 hour, 19 minutes ago

    CHICAGO - The Miles family is changing it up this year in the annual American race to make it to the table for Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of booking plane tickets, they opted to take the 1,100-mile trip by train.

  • President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wait to welcome India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur to the State Dinner at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
    Evening gowns, saris at Obama's first state dinner 1 hour, 45 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON - Traditional evening gowns and vibrantly colored saris mixed with banded-collar dinner jackets and tuxedos at President Barack Obama's first state dinner.

  • Police: Dad leaves boy and goes into strip club Tue Nov 24, 9:24 PM ET

    INDIANAPOLIS - A man was arrested after police said he left his 5-year-old son in a tractor-trailer while he ducked into an Indianapolis strip club to drink. The 39-year-old was arrested at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday on child neglect and public intoxication charges after calling police to report his truck stolen and his child missing. Police said the man was too drunk to remember where he had parked.

  • Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis (8) looks to pass around Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41), of Germany, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)
    Ellis, Morrow lead Warriors past Mavericks 111-103 Wed Nov 25, 1:12 AM ET

    DALLAS - Monta Ellis scored a season-high 37 points, Anthony Morrow added a season-best 27 and the short-handed Golden State Warriors ended Dallas' five-game winning streak with a 111-103 victory over the injury-depleted Mavericks on Tuesday night.

  • FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2009, file photo, St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols watches the flight of a solo home run hit off of San Diego Padres pitcher Edward Mujica during the fourth inning of a baseball game in San Diego. Pujols was unanimously voted National League MVP on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, becoming the baseball first player to repeat since Barry Bonds won four in a row from 2001-04. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File)
    Albert Pujols wins 2nd straight NL MVP award Tue Nov 24, 9:08 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Albert Pujols' third National League MVP award put him in select company.

  • This undated handout photo provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, shows a drop-side crib by Stork Craft Manufacturing of Canada.  More than 2.1 million drop-side cribs by Stork Craft Manufacturing of Canada are being recalled following reports of four infant suffocations. The CPSC said the recall involves 1.2 million cribs in the United States and almost 1 million in Canada, where Stork Craft is based. (AP Photo/Consumer Product Safety Commission)
    CPSC chief pledges swift action after crib recall Tue Nov 24, 9:30 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday promised swift action to get dangerous products off the market, acknowledging that the agency didn't move quickly enough on a record recall of more than 2 million cribs linked to four deaths.

  • A baboon called Fred, back ground, sits inside a car with a baboon called Michael Jackson, left, as he eats at Cape Point on the outskirts of  Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday,  Nov. 24, 2009. Visitors heading to South Africa premier holiday destination during the 2010 World Cup maybe worried about becoming victims of the country's high crime rate but they are more likely to find themselves robbed or mugged by a rather furry kind of felon: baboons. The baboons were named local officials who are supposed to prevent baboons from entering houses and cars. (Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
    Furry felons rob SAfrican tourists, steal food Tue Nov 24, 3:37 PM ET

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Visitors to South Africa's premier holiday destination who are worried about becoming victims of the country's high crime rate could find themselves instead robbed by a more furry kind of felon: baboons.

  • Bill Nash, of Springfield, Mass., speaks with reporters regarding pedophiles in the Catholic diocese, during a news conference outside the Providence Catholic Diocese offices, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, in Providence, R.I. In the background from left, are Skip Shea, from Uxbridge, Mass., Paul Kellen, from Medford, Mass., and Ken Scott, from Beacon Hill, Mass. Clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters say Bishop Thomas Tobin isn't doing enough to protect children even as he's taken on Rep. Patrick Kennedy for the Democratic lawmaker's stance on abortion rights. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)
    Clergy abuse victims criticize RI bishop Tue Nov 24, 7:45 PM ET

    PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters said Tuesday that Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop is not doing enough to protect children from pedophile priests even as he's taken on Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy for his stance on abortion rights.

  • Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin signs a copy her her autobiography, 'Going Rogue', at the North Post Exchange at Fort Bragg, N.C., Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. (AP Photo/Jim R. Bounds)
    Palin stops in Fla. town that feted her in 2008 Tue Nov 24, 5:45 PM ET

    THE VILLAGES, Fla. - Sarah Palin, who says the 2012 presidential election isn't on her radar, took her "Going Rogue" book tour to the biggest of the battleground states Tuesday, including a stop in the retirement community where tens of thousands of people gave her star treatment in the 2008 presidential election.

  • This artist sketch provided  by the FBI Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, shows a likeness of Abu Ibrahim, a Palestinian bomb maker suspected of once targeting commercial airliners and aiding the Iraq insurgency. The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for  Ibrahim whose real name is Husayn Muhammed al-Umari. The approximately 73-year-old Ibrahim was indicted in the 1982 bombing of Pan Am Flight 830 that killed a 16-year-old boy and wounded more than a dozen passengers as the plane headed to Honolulu from Tokyo. (AP Photo/FBI)
    US offers $5M reward for 'Bomb Man' terror suspect Tue Nov 24, 5:45 PM ET

    NEW YORK - The U.S. State Department announced Tuesday that it is now offering a reward of up to $5 million for a Palestinian bomb-maker suspected of once targeting commercial airliners and of aiding the Iraq insurgency.

  • President Barack Obama welcomes India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a State Arrival in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
    Obama hails US-India ties amid talks with Singh Tue Nov 24, 5:45 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Seeking firmer footing for U.S.-India relations, President Barack Obama tried Tuesday to calm India's fears about Asian rival China, salving bruised feelings in the world's largest democracy with an elaborate state visit and assurances of India's "rightful place as a global leader."

  • Adam Lambert, left, gets ready to kiss one of the dancers as he performs during the closing act of the 37th Annual American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
    ABC's `Good Morning America' cancels Lambert Tue Nov 24, 6:57 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Adam Lambert's racy American Music Awards performance cost him a gig on "Good Morning America," but he will perform live instead on ABC's morning rivals at CBS.

  • FILE - In this May 24, 2008 file photo, the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank is seen at sunrise in Washington. The Federal Reserve says the unfolding recovery will probably be gradual, as modest growth keeps the nation's unemployment rate elevated over the next several years.(AP Photo/J. David Ake, file)
    Fed: super-low rates could fuel speculative bubble Tue Nov 24, 3:38 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve doesn't expect the recovery will be strong enough to quickly drive down the jobless rate, and acknowledged its efforts to keep the rebound going could feed a new speculative bubble.

  • Butchers with butcher knives participate in religious rituals before slaughtering buffalos during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in Bariyapur, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. Hundreds of thousands of Hindus gathered at a temple in southern Nepal on Tuesday for a ceremony involving the slaughter of more than 200,000 animals, a festival that has drawn the ire of animal-welfare protesters. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
    Festival of mass animal sacrifice begins in Nepal Tue Nov 24, 12:00 PM ET

    BARIYAPUR, Nepal - The ceremony began with prayers in a temple by tens of thousands of Hindus before dawn Tuesday. Then it shifted to a nearby corral, where in the cold morning mist, scores of butchers wielding curved swords began slaughtering buffalo calves by hacking off their heads.

  • Houston Texans tight end Joel Dreessen (85) is upended by Tennessee Titans' Roderick Hood (37) during the third quarter of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, in Houston. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)
    Late field goal gives Titans 20-17 win over Texas Tue Nov 24, 6:07 AM ET

    HOUSTON - Rob Bironas kicked a 53-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining and the Tennessee Titans beat the Houston Texans 20-17 Monday night for their fourth straight victory after an 0-6 start.

  • In this Oct. 15, 2009 photo, a sign for a newly-constructed home advertises a financing rate in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Home prices rose slightly in September, the fourth straight monthly increases and a clear sign that the housing market's recovery is continuing. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
    Home prices up slightly in September Tue Nov 24, 2:09 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The summer's trend of rising home prices faded at the end of the traditional home shopping season, two reports Tuesday showed.