| Obama warns S. Sudan against military coup Posted: 21 Dec 2013 02:50 PM PST  Obama also urged South Sudan's leaders to protect U.S. personnel and citizens.
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| Gay marriage catches conservative Utah off guard Posted: 21 Dec 2013 04:40 PM PST  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A day after a judge's surprise ruling overturned Utah's same-sex marriage ban, at least one county clerk intended to open early Saturday to issue licenses.
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| Cuba president notes tone of recent relations with U.S. Posted: 21 Dec 2013 02:03 PM PST  By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday called on the United States to establish civilized relations with his country, recognizing a new tone in bilateral talks on secondary issues while reiterating that the country's political and economic system were non-negotiable. The United States and Cuba have appeared more positive of late as talks around immigration, postal services, disaster prevention and other security issues have taken place, with officials from both countries cautiously welcoming each other's pragmatism and seriousness in interviews with Reuters. Castro said that "a civilized relationship between both countries" was something "our people and the immense majority of U.S. citizens and Cuban immigrants desire." Castro's speech came just two weeks after he and U.S. President Barack Obama shook hands at a memorial for the late Nelson Mandela. U.S. and Cuban officials overcame a series of potentially divisive incidents this summer, including the interception of a shipment of Cuban weapons headed for North Korea, with mutual displays of prudent diplomacy rarely seen since the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.
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| Hospital: Teen who was shot at Colo. school dies Posted: 21 Dec 2013 05:04 PM PST  LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) — A suburban Denver high school student who was shot in the head by a classmate died Saturday afternoon, hospital officials said in a statement.
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| US releases more documents on surveillance origins Posted: 21 Dec 2013 04:58 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of national intelligence on Saturday declassified more documents that outline how the National Security Agency was first authorized to start collecting bulk phone and Internet records in the hunt for al-Qaida terrorists and how a court eventually gained oversight of the program, after the Justice Department complied with a federal court order to release its previous legal arguments for keeping the programs secret.
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| In Hawaii, Obama tries for uninterrupted vacation Posted: 21 Dec 2013 04:49 PM PST  HONOLULU (AP) — An ocean away from Washington worries, President Barack Obama opened his annual Hawaii vacation Saturday on a quiet note — and hoped it would stay that way for the next two weeks.
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| Online shopping popular, but won't save season Posted: 21 Dec 2013 12:28 PM PST  ATLANTA (AP) — More Americans are deciding to shop online this holiday season instead of heading to crowded stores.
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| In rural Wisconsin, nurses come to the farm Posted: 21 Dec 2013 03:27 PM PST  SHAWANO, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin dairy farmer Kevin Ainsworth rushed to the emergency room in 1992, when he sliced off the tip of his finger. Other than a quick trip in 2010 when a test during a blood donation raised a false alarm about hepatitis C, that was his last visit to a doctor.
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| USC routs No. 21 Fresno St 45-20 in Las Vegas Bowl Posted: 21 Dec 2013 04:18 PM PST  LAS VEGAS (AP) — Southern California wrapped up its rocky season by rolling over Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
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| Space suit issue prompts delay of second spacewalk Posted: 21 Dec 2013 04:03 PM PST  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronauts removed an old space station pump Saturday, sailing through the first of a series of urgent repair spacewalks to revive a crippled cooling line.
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| NASA astronauts tackle urgent spacewalking repairs Posted: 21 Dec 2013 09:46 AM PST CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronauts removed an old space station pump Saturday, sailing through the first of a series of urgent repair spacewalks to revive a crippled cooling line. |
| Obama stresses economic issues in China envoy pick Posted: 21 Dec 2013 11:03 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Making Sen. Max Baucus the next ambassador to China reflects the importance the U.S. places on advancing its economic relationship with Beijing despite recent strains on security issues.
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| Pope warns against mediocrity, gossip in Vatican Posted: 21 Dec 2013 07:39 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis warned Vatican administrators Saturday that their work can take a downward spiral into mediocrity, gossip and bureaucratic squabbling if they forget that theirs is a professional vocation of service to the church.
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| San Francisco transit, union leaders reach deal Posted: 21 Dec 2013 11:30 AM PST SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit officials and labor union leaders announced a new deal early Saturday, saying the final issue in their ongoing dispute has been resolved. |
| Ice pellets and snow frustrate holiday travel rush Posted: 21 Dec 2013 02:37 PM PST  CHICAGO (AP) — A storm with a 2,000-mile footprint threatened to frustrate Christmas travelers from Texas to Nova Scotia with a little of everything Mother Nature has to offer, from freezing rain, ice and snow to flooding, thunderstorms and possibly some tornadoes in the South.
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