Kourtney Kardashian Shows Off Major Weight Loss

Second-time mom Kourtney Kardashian is back in a bikini after gaining 45-pounds while pregnant with her daughter, Penelope. Kardashian put on a tiny purple bikini, showing off a flat stomach and toned thighs, for an Us Weekly exclusive on her weight loss. The new mom, who gave birth to her second baby in July, dropped 44 pounds in just six months and rocked a gold bikini for the cover of Us Weekly. "This time, the focus is really on being a mom and being present, knowing my priorities," Kardashian told the magazine. She used celebrity fitness guru Tracy Anderson's 90-minute dance-focused exercises and cut her portions to get back down to 105 pounds. ”It took me twice as long as last time but I feel healthy and really much better about it,” Kardashian wrote on her Celebuzz blog.

Kourtney gave her sister, Kim, some of the credit for her getting back in such great shape after the baby. "If she wasn't scheduling the workouts, I probably wouldn't have been as motivated," she told E! News of Kim helping her keep to a strict exercise regimen. With Kim set to give birth in July, Kourtney will likely be able to teach her a thing or two about motherhood -- something Kim has dissed in the past. "Mom life is so torturous," Kim told Kourtney in a recent episode of E!'s "Kourtney and Kim Take Miami." Adding, "I have a whole new perspective on how boring and miserable your lives are." She went on to say that she would "literally die" if she were to have kids right now, but later apologized and blamed the outburst on her own fertility fears. At the time, she didn't know she was pregnant with Kanye's baby.

Hadiya Pendleton Dead: Chicago Teen Who Performed At Inaugural Events Fatally Shot

A 15-year-old majorette who performed at some of President Barack Obama's recent inauguration festivities has been shot to death in Chicago. Police say Hadiya Pendleton was shot in the back Tuesday in a South Side park and died at a city hospital. Authorities say Hadiya was one of about 12 teenagers sheltering from heavy rain under a canopy when a man jumped a fence, ran toward the group and opened fire. The man fled the scene in a vehicle. No arrests have been made. Police do not believe Hadiya was the intended target of the shooting. A teenage boy was shot in the leg. Police did not release his name. Hadiya belonged to the King College Prep High School band, which performed at several inaugural events in Washington, D.C.

Obama To Push Progressive Immigration Plan Today

President Barack Obama is encouraged by work in the Senate on immigration reform, and he will now use his bully pulpit during a speech in Las Vegas on Tuesday to push for concrete legislation, aides said on Monday. Administration officials briefed reporters on the speech Monday evening, on the condition they not be quoted directly. Obama's speech, which was announced on Friday, will come a day after a bipartisan group of eight senators -- dubbed the "gang of eight" -- released a framework for immigration reform.

The White House knew the Senate group was working toward an agreement, but they didn't expect it to come so quickly, and did not think the president would have a concrete example of bipartisan agreement to point to in his speech, an official said. Another official said the Senate group may have been sped along by the president's announcement of his Las Vegas speech, but the White House does not suspect any ill will. Rather, it's a good sign that lawmakers are jockeying for credit for immigration reform, the official said. Regardless of order, the president wants to see action, and he will acknowledge the senators' announcement as a positive step. There have been conflicting opinions about the president's role in immigration reform, which Obama has made a top priority for his second term.

Lawmakers have asked him to lead on the issue, but some want legislation and others want him to keep clear as bipartisan groups in both chambers find agreement. The White House officials said they have worked on legislative language on immigration since 2009, but are unlikely to unveil it when progress is being made in Congress. Instead, Obama can push for reform in other ways, such as speaking to the public and meeting with lawmakers and interested parties, one official said. The president's speech on Tuesday will focus on his own framework for immigration reform, which largely aligns with the broad principles put forward by the gang of eight -- although officials emphasized that Obama issued a blueprint with the same values in 2011. An aide said the president will go into more detail on Tuesday than he did then, but the speech will largely be about building momentum for reform in Congress. Obama will press for immediate action, but not a specific timeline, according to one official. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a member of the bipartisan senate group, said earlier on Monday that the senators hope for a bill in March or April, and then a vote by late spring or early summer.

Brazil Nightclub Fire Kills At Least 233 People

A fast-moving fire roared through a crowded, windowless nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, filling the air in seconds with flames and a thick, toxic smoke that killed more than 230 panicked partygoers, many of whom were caught in a stampede to escape. Inspectors believe the blaze began when a band's small pyrotechnics show ignited foam sound insulating material on the ceiling, releasing a putrid haze that caused scores of university students to choke to death. Most victims died from smoke inhalation rather than burns in what appeared to be the world's deadliest nightclub fire in more than a decade. Survivors and the police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from exiting the club.

Brazilian bars routinely make patrons pay their entire tab at the end of the night before they are allowed to leave. But Arigony said the guards didn't appear to block fleeing patrons for long. "It was chaotic and it doesn't seem to have been done in bad faith because several security guards also died," he told The Associated Press. Later, firefighters responding to the blaze initially had trouble getting inside the Kiss nightclub because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance," Guido Pedroso Melo, commander of the city's fire department, told the O Globo newspaper. Authorities said band members who were on the stage when the fire broke out later talked with police and confirmed they used pyrotechnics during their show.

Police inspector Sandro Meinerz, who coordinated the investigation at the nightclub, said one band member died after escaping because he returned inside the burning building to save his accordion. The other band members escaped alive because they were the first to notice the fire. "It was terrible inside – it was like one of those films of the Holocaust, bodies piled atop one another," said Meinerz. "We had to use trucks to remove them. It took about six hours to take the bodies away." Television images from Santa Maria, a university city of about 260,000 people, showed black smoke billowing out of the Kiss nightclub as shirtless young men who attended the university party joined firefighters using axes and sledgehammers to pound at the hot-pink exterior walls, trying to reach those trapped inside.

Britain's 'Triple Dip' Recession Perilously Close As Economy Shrinks

Britain's economy shrank more than expected at the end of 2012 with a North Sea oil production slump, lower factory output and a hangover from London's Olympics pushing it perilously close to a "triple-dip" recession. The country's gross domestic product fell 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday, sharper than a 0.1 percent decline forecast by analysts. The news is a blow for Britain's Conservative-led government, which a day earlier defended its austerity program against criticism from the International Monetary Fund. It needs solid growth to meet its budget targets, keep a triple-A debt rating and bolster its chances of winning a 2015 election.

Sterling fell to its lowest in 13-1/2 months against the euro and hit a five-month low against the dollar in response to the data. The euro was also buoyed by a stronger-than-expected German Ifo sentiment survey. "There are no positive takeaways from today's first (GDP)estimate," said Lee Hopley, chief economist for the EEF manufacturers' association. "Even assuming some unwinding of activity from the Olympics boost in the previous quarter, this still leaves no real signs of underlying growth in the economy." Britain's economy is now 3.3 percent smaller than its peak in Q1 2008, having recovered only about half the output lost during the financial crisis - a worse performance than most other major economies. The country slipped back into recession in the last three months of 2011, and only emerged from it in the third quarter of 2012, after a boost from the London Olympics.

John Kerry's Confirmation Hearing Begins

Democratic Sen. John Kerry, on a smooth path to confirmation as secretary of state, is likely to face friendly questioning when he testifies before the committee that he's served on for 28 years and led for the past four. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman will sit at the witness table Thursday when he appears before the panel, a month after President Barack Obama said he wanted him to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Clinton is stepping down. The five-term Massachusetts senator is widely expected to win overwhelming bipartisan support from his colleagues, and that notion was reinforced by the list of people who will introduce him: Clinton, Massachusetts freshman Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican Sen. John McCain. McCain and Kerry are friends who have worked closely on national security issues.

They're also decorated Vietnam War veterans and former presidential candidates who know the sharp sting of defeat. At the conclusion of a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday, McCain joked about Kerry's hearing and the tough tactics that won't be employed. "We will look forward to interrogating him at his hearing – mercilessly," McCain said to laughter. "We will bring back, for the only time, waterboarding to get the truth."The hearing is the first of three for Obama's national security nominees and the least controversial. Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, nominated for defense secretary, will face tough questions about his past statements on Israel, Iran, nuclear weapons and defense spending at his confirmation hearing next Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. John Brennan, the president's choice for CIA director, will be quizzed about White House national security leaks and the use of unmanned drones at his hearing next month. The job of the nation's top diplomat would be the realization of a dream for Kerry, whom Obama passed over in 2008 when he chose Clinton. When Joe Biden became vice president, Kerry replaced the former Delaware senator as chairman of the committee. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the incoming chairman, will preside at Kerry's hearing.

Obama nominated Kerry after Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, removed her name from consideration following criticism from Republicans over her initial comments about the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. Kerry, 69, is the son of a diplomat and has served as Obama's unofficial envoy, using his skills of persuasion with leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although a rough hearing is unlikely, Kerry will be pressed about the civil war in Syria and other hot spots, foreign aid and the Keystone XL oil pipeline, about which he'll have a major say. More than half the Senate has urged quick approval of the pipeline, increasing the pressure on Obama to move forward on the project despite concerns from environmentalists. "We urge you to choose jobs, economic development and American energy security," wrote 53 senators, who added that the pipeline "has gone through the most exhaustive environmental scrutiny of any pipeline" in U.S. history. The $7 billion project would carry tar sands oil from Canada to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Background Checks: Senate Republicans In Disarray Over Popular Gun Control Measure

Ask a Senate Republican if he or she supports an assault weapons ban and you'll likely get a "no." But ask about tighter background checks -- one of few items in President Barack Obama's gun violence package with a shot at passing Congress -- and you'll likely get a vague response about needing more information, if you get a response at all. "Uh, I don't know what you mean," said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who then ended the conversation by turning around and walking into a room where senators were having lunch, closing the door behind him. "I need to have more details.

I, you know, I just need -- you need to ask me after I've talked to our judiciary staff in our office," said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), also heading to the Senate lunch. "I hate to respond just in the hallway, so I won't." "I've got -- my wife's here. I'm sorry. I've gotta -- thanks," said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). In the days since Obama spoke to the nation about gun violence and put forward proposals to address it, lawmakers in both parties have signaled support for stricter background checks -- mostly Democrats, but some key Republicans, too -- and the White House has made the proposal a top priority. Public support for universal background checks is extremely high, possibly even at 92 percent, per a recent CBS News/New York Times poll. The provision would require anyone selling a firearm to run a background check on the prospective buyer. Under current federal law, background checks are only required for guns sold by licensed firearm dealers, whose sales make up an estimated 60 percent of U.S. gun sales. Private dealers sell the remaining 40 percent without checks -- at gun shows, via the Internet or just between individuals. Some Republicans said they don't support universal background checks because they don't think the government should have any more control over people's access to guns.

Inauguration Ceremony To Include Beyonce Kelly Clarkson And James Taylor

President Barack Obama can expect some sweet serenades at his inauguration ceremony, with hit-makers Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson and James Taylor on tap to perform some of the country's most patriotic songs. From Hollywood to Music Row, celebrities have been a staple of Obama's candidacy and presidency, so it was with little surprise that some of the biggest names in entertainment are helping him celebrate his Jan. 21 swearing-in. Planners said Wednesday that Obama picked Beyonce to sing the national anthem, Clarkson to perform "My Country `Tis of Thee" and Taylor to sing "America the Beautiful." Beyonce and Taylor have been devoted Obama supporters. Beyonce sang the Etta James classic "At Last" for the president and first lady's dance at the inaugural balls four years ago and hosted a $4 million fundraiser for his re-election. Taylor sang at the White House in Obama's first term and at the Democratic National Convention last summer. 

Clarkson, however, once said she was a fan of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul for the 2012 race, although she said she voted Obama in 2008. She said on Twitter Wednesday that she is "excited & honored" to be performing at the inaugural. Richard Blanco, the son of Cuban exiles, is the 2013 inaugural poet, joining a select group that includes Maya Angelou and the late Robert Frost. Blanco's works explore his family's exile from Cuba and "the intersection of his cultural identities as a Cuban-American gay man," inauguration planners announced. They said Blanco, 44, will be the youngest-ever inaugural poet and the first Hispanic or gay to recite a poem at the ceremonial swearing-in. "His contributions to the fields of poetry and the arts have already paved a path forward for future generations of writers," Obama said in a statement. "Richard's writing will be wonderfully fitting for an inaugural that will celebrate the strength of the American people and our nation's great diversity.

" Obama also gave a nod to the diversity of styles and backgrounds of the musical performers, saying that "their music is often at the heart of the American story and speaks to folks across the country." Blanco said in the statement that he was "brimming over with excitement, awe, and gratitude" at being selected. "In many ways, this is the very `stuff' of the American Dream, which underlies so much of my work and my life's story – America's story, really," he said. Paperbacks of Blanco's books are out of stock on Amazon.com. They, along with virtually all works of poetry, are not available as e-books because publishers have not figured out how to format poetry properly for a digital device, so the only way to buy them is to find a used print copy. The announcements are part of the specifics beginning to emerge for the festivities planned over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 21, because inaugurations aren't traditionally held on Sundays. The president will have a private swearing-in ceremony at the White House at noon on Jan. 20, the time the Constitution says his second term begins.

The official celebration will include the swearing-in on the Capitol's west front, followed by a luncheon inside the building's Statuary Hall for 200 including congressional leaders, Cabinet members and Supreme Court justices. Planners said the lunch menu will feature steamed lobster, New England chowder, hickory grilled bison with wild huckleberry reduction and red potato horseradish cake and a dessert of apple pie, ice cream, cheese and honey. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, chairman of the congressional committee overseeing events at the Capitol, said wines will be served with each course from his home state. Planners say they are decorating the tables with orange flowers in silver cachepots, "a geometric patterned tablecloth that picks up the copper and bronze tones of Statuary Hall," while the head table will be draped in blue velvet. Schumer's committee plans to present Obama with a custom hand-cut crystal Lenox vase with an etching of the White House. Vice President Joe Biden will be given one etched with an image of the Capitol.

Britney Spears Flashes Sideboob In Loose-Fitting Dress Post-Split From Jason Trawick

Britney Spears obviously isn't afraid to show off her assets following her split from Jason Trawick. The former "X Factor" mentor flashed a bit of sideboob as she stopped by a friend's house in Beverly Hills, Calif., yesterday (Jan. 19). The newly single 31-year-old wore a slinky blush-colored dress and brown ankle boots as she displayed her ringless left hand. Spears recently ended her engagement with longtime manager and beau Trawick, announcing the breakup last week. "Jason and I have decided to call off our engagement. I'll always adore him and we will remain great friends," Spears said in the statement, with Trawick adding, "As this chapter ends for us a new one begins. I love and cherish her and her boys and we will be close forever." Check out Brit's near wardrobe malfunction below and see more pics at Us Weekly:

Ashley Judd Fuels Speculation About Senate Run

Actress and liberal activist Ashley Judd continued to field questions about a prospective Kentucky Senate run over the weekend, telling reporters that she still hadn't made up her mind about jumping into politics. “I am incredibly honored and frankly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support -- that the people of Kentucky are interested in having me represent them is the greatest honor of my life so far, and I am certainly taking a close look at it,” Judd, a current resident of Tennessee, said Saturday before attending The Kentucky Society of Washington’s Bluegrass Ball in Washington, D.C. Admitting that she was "taking a close look" at challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Judd declared that "the people of Kentucky need a fighter."

As HuffPost reported earlier this month: Judd, a Kentucky native and vocal Democrat who has supported President Barack Obama in his two presidential campaigns, has reportedly been mulling the prospect of challenging McConnell, a political powerhouse in Kentucky. The stirrings led to preliminary polling on Judd's potential candidacy -- by both Democratic and Republican-aligned firms -- which showed Judd within four points of McConnell. But a deeper look at the survey by the Republican pollster showed support for Judd plummeting when respondents were provided with details about the actress, such as her outspoken views against certain forms of coal extraction and current residence in Tennessee, which she represented as a delegate at last year’s Democratic National Convention. HuffPost's Jason Linkins also reported last month that Judd's liberal politics could be a tough sell in the Bluegrass State, which last sent Rand Paul, son of libertarian-leaning former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), to the Senate.

Obama's Legacy Tied To Health Care Reform That Bears His Name

In his first term, President Barack Obama made history. Now he has to make good. In 2010, Obama bested Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton by pushing through Congress a big health care reform law -- a sweeping measure that aims to extend coverage to at least 30 million of the country's 49 million uninsured. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare -- the president now says he likes the term -- since then has withstood relentless attacks from congressional Republicans, conservative governors, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and even the Supreme Court. But none of those triumphs will mean a thing to the American people, especially the uninsured, if Obama can't meet the complex administrative and technical challenges involved in implementing the law or the job of selling it to those it aims to help.

There is another threat as well. In budget talks and debt-ceiling brinksmanship, Republicans are pressing to slash Medicaid funding -- the same funding Obama is counting on to pay for expanding the rolls of the insured poor. Nothing could be more important to Obama's legacy. The massive health care overhaul stands as a test of one of the central premises of his political philosophy: that government, carefully and judiciously applied, can be a positive force in the lives of the citizens it serves. Obamacare's success could shift Americans' attitudes about the role of government in society. Its failure could cement the notion that government isn't capable of doing big things and doing them well. The public remains skeptical of the health care reform law. According to a HuffPost/YouGov poll conducted last Tuesday and Wednesday, just 20 percent of people believe they will be better off as a result. Forty-one percent expect to be worse off and 25 percent responded the law won't make much difference in their lives.

Virginia Mandatory Ultrasound Law's Repeal Blocked By State GOP

A Republican-controlled committee in the Virginia State Senate voted 8-7 on Thursday to block Democrats' efforts to repeal a new mandatory ultrasound law and a set of regulations that could shut down many abortion clinics in the state. The committee also voted down a new anti-abortion bill that would have prevented Medicaid from paying for low-income women's abortions in cases where there is a severe fetal anomaly. Virginia Republicans attracted national criticism in early 2012 when they proposed a bill requiring women to undergo invasive, medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasound procedures before having an abortion. Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) later helped Republicans revise the bill to require only external, "jelly-on-the-belly" procedures, and he signed that version into law.

State Sen. Ralph Northam (D), the only physician in the senate, proposed a bill that would repeal the mandatory ultrasound law because he says it violates the privacy and sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship. "I am giving you the opportunity to right the wrong committed last year," he told committee members on Thursday. The Medical Society of Virginia and the Virginia American College of Obstetricians testified in favor of repealing the ultrasound bill, echoing Northam's concerns. Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia and a top anti-abortion lobbyist, also testified at the hearing. She accused abortion providers of "hiding the picture" of the ultrasound from women in order to prevent them from changing their minds and to increase profits, according to The American Independent's Reilly Moore. The Senate Health and Education Committee voted along party lines to block the repeal of the ultrasound law, as well as the repeal of a set of abortion clinic regulations, known as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP.

The law requires that first-trimester abortion clinics meet the same building standards as newly constructed hospitals. State Sen. Mark Herring (D), the sponsor of the bill to repeal the TRAP law, said he is going to continue fighting to keep the clinics open. "What [the committee] did was wrong," he told The Huffington Post. "I think the votes today indicate that Republicans still have an extreme agenda, and they're intent on reducing access to women's health care." The committee also voted down an anti-abortion bill on Thursday. One Republican on the committee, State Sen. Harry Blevins (R), crossed over and voted with Democrats to kill a bill that would have banned state-subsidized abortions for women with severely impaired fetuses.

Ken Salazar Interior Secretary Leaving Obama Administration In March

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversaw a moratorium on offshore drilling after the BP oil spill, will step down in March, Obama administration officials said Wednesday. Salazar has run the Interior Department throughout President Barack Obama's first term. A former senator from Colorado, Salazar pushed renewable power such as solar and wind, but gained the most attention for his role in the drilling moratorium, a key part of the administration's response to the April 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. It was one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history and led to the unprecedented shutdown of offshore drilling.

Business groups and Gulf Coast political leaders said the shutdown crippled the oil and gas industry and cost thousands of jobs, even aboard rigs not operated by BP PLC. But Salazar said the industry-wide moratorium was the correct call. "I think we're in the right direction," he told The Associated Press during a July 2010 tour of the Gulf, adding that his ultimate goal was to allow deepwater operations to resume safely. Salazar acknowledged that the drilling ban caused hardship, but he said his job was to protect the public and the environment even as the administration tried to boost domestic energy production. The moratorium was lifted in October 2010, although offshore drilling operations did not begin for several more months. Some Gulf Coast lawmakers continue to complain about the slow pace of drilling permits under the Interior Department, which renamed and revamped the agency that oversees offshore drilling in the wake of the spill. Salazar also approved the nation's first offshore wind farm, Cape Wind, off the Massachusetts coast.

On land, Salazar has promoted solar power in the West and Southwest, approving an unprecedented number of projects, even as oil and gas continue to be approved on federal land. Salazar also oversaw the settlement of a multibillion dispute with Native American tribes that had lingered for more than a decade. Salazar tangled with oil companies throughout his tenure. "We don't believe we ought to be drilling anywhere and everywhere," Salazar said in 2010, before the BP spill. "We believe we need a balanced approach and a thoughtful approach" that allows development of oil and gas leases on public lands while also protecting national parks, endangered species and municipal watersheds. Salazar criticized the Bush administration for what he called a "headlong rush" to lease public lands. Early in his tenure, Salazar suspended 60 of 77 leases in Utah that had been approved by the Bush administration. "In the prior administration the oil and gas industry were the kings of the world. Whatever they wanted to happen, happened," Salazar said in January 2010, adding that those days were over.

New York Set To Pass Nation's Toughest Gun Law

New York lawmakers agreed to pass the toughest gun control law in the nation and the first since the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, calling for a stricter assault weapons ban and provisions to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill who make threats. "This is a scourge on society," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday night, six days after making gun control a centerpiece of his agenda in his State of the State address. The bipartisan effort was fueled by the Newtown tragedy that took the lives of 20 first graders and six educators. "At what point do you say, `No more innocent loss of life'?" The measure also calls for restrictions on ammunition and the sale of guns. It is expected to pass Tuesday. "This is not about taking anyone's rights away," said Sen. Jeffrey Klein, a Bronx Democrat. "It's about a safe society ... today we are setting the mark for the rest of the county to do what's right.

" Under current state law, assault weapons are defined by having two "military rifle" features, such as folding stock, muzzle flash suppressor or bayonet mount. The proposal would reduce that to one feature, including the popular pistol grip. The language specifically targeted the military-style rifle used in the Newtown shootings. Current owners of those guns will have to register them. Private sales of assault weapons to someone other than an immediate family would be subject to a background check through a dealer. New Yorkers also would be barred from buying assault weapons over the Internet, and failing to safely store a weapon could lead to a misdemeanor charge. Ammunition magazines would be restricted to seven bullets, from the current 10, and current owners of higher-capacity magazines would have a year to sell them out of state. An owner caught at home with eight or more bullets in a magazine could face a misdemeanor charge. Stores that sell ammunition will have to register with the state, run background checks on buyers of bullets and keep an electronic database of bullet sales.

National Climate Assessment Details Stronger Evidence Of Global Warming And Its Impacts

A federal committee has published a draft of the nation's third climate assessment report, a comprehensive analysis of the latest and best peer-reviewed science on the extent and impacts of global warming on the United States. None of the body's findings are entirely new, but the report suggests that evidence is now stronger and clearer than ever that the climate is rapidly changing -- primarily as a result of human activities, including the copious burning of fossil fuels. Observed weather extremes are on the rise, and the possible connection between at least some of these events and human-induced climate change is also more strongly supported by the science. The nation can expect increased impacts on everything from crops to fresh water supplies, and better and broader national plans for adaptation are needed, the assessment noted.

The draft report, which was prepared by the so-called National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee and written and amassed by a group of 240 scientists, will be subject to a three-month period of review and public comment. "Climate change presents a major challenge for society," the committee's leadership said in a letter addressed to the American people. "This report and the sustained assessment process that is being developed represent steps forward in advancing our understanding of that challenge and its far-reaching implications for our nation and the world." In an emailed statement, Gene Karpinski, the president of the League of Conservation Voters, said the report confirms what many Americans already know. "Hurricane Sandy and the historic droughts, floods and heat waves happening across the country aren't a fluke, but the result of a climate warming much faster than previously thought," he said. "If we put off action on climate change, the costs of addressing its impacts will only rise and this extreme weather will be just the beginning. This report should serve as a wake-up call that it's time to act."

Armed Janitors Approved By Montpelier, Ohio, School Board To Stop School Shootings

One of the big questions we've been asking ourselves in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting is what group of warm bodies are going to be flung into the path of the armed-to-the-teeth gunmen of tomorrow. Will it have to be the children themselves? It's been suggested! (The huskier, the better, apparently.) At this point, the most popular proposal seems to be to have armed guards in the schools. If this notion has a problem, it's just a teensy, little practical matter of ... you know -- the fact that it doesn't work. But as always, "stuff that doesn't work" becomes "the best idea" once it becomes clear that all sides want to do it. And "armed guards in schools" fits the bill. The NRA wants more armed guards in schools because their primary focus is helping gun manufacturers sell the guns they manufacture to people, and a whole new workforce that requires firearms would be terrific from their perspective. The White House seems amenable to the idea because it means they get to create jobs and stimulate the economy and also have an extra layer of "CYA-lacquer" on their rear-ends the next time there is a tragedy like this.Of course, there are a number of reasons why this idea could fall apart despite the fact that both sides of the debate are seemingly open to it. Just off the top of the dome, here are the fault lines that will probably crack under the White House's support for this idea:

1. It represents tax money going to public schools.
2. It creates more public sector jobs.
3. The people who take those jobs might want to be a part of a labor union.
4. That means union members with guns, so that will be a non-starter.
5. So these armed guards will probably look like the Transportation Security Administration agents you see at the airport.
6. Everybody hates the TSA.
7. In general, the GOP manages to discover how much they've already secretly loathed something within ten minutes of President Barack Obama coming out for it. (See also: Chuck Hagel.)

Fortunately, the people of the Montpelier Exempted Village Schools Board of Education of Montpelier, Ohio, may have hit on the idea that squares this circle: The Montpelier Exempted Village Schools Board of Education has approved the carrying of handguns by its custodial staff.The 5-0 vote of the board Wednesday night to allow handgun training for four custodians to be able to tote weapons at the K-12 campus at the Williams County school came after last month's deadly shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.School officials say that having armed personnel -- believed to be the first for any school system in Ohio -- is designed to thwart incidents of violence and prevent what happened in Newtown, Conn., from occurring here.

Will Cheryl Burke Be The Next Bachelorette ?

The rumor mill has been buzzing this morning about Cheryl Burke! Sources are speaking out regarding the Dancing With The Stars pro moving from gracing the dance floor to going on group dates and handing out roses. Will ABC take a chance with Cheryl? Or will they stick with the reported re-casting of Emily Maynard? A source told Radar Online that “Cheryl is in talks with producers to be the next Bachelorette and they think she’d be a really good choice. She has a huge fan base, she’s great on television and they definitely think people would want to watch her find true love on TV.” While Emily Maynard is still riding on media attention coattails following the breakup with her fiance Jef Holm, the producers may be looking for a clean slate to start next season. “Cheryl would be a fun person to have as the Bachelorette, and she was excited when they approached her to be on the show,” the source said. However, other sources have spoken out to E!, saying “ABC has asked her for years to do the show, she is holding out for a big payday because she knows she would bring a lot to the show. She is taking a season off after this All Stars season to take a break and see about other opportunities.” It seems that someone MUST be fibbing, because another source disclosed to E! that this is all just rumors. The source said that Cheryl Burke appearing on the Bachelorette is, “Never gonna happen! Never!” The source also said that Cheryl has been begging ABC to star on the show, not ABC seeking after Burke. Cheryl herself spoke out about doing the Bacherlorette, neither confirming OR denying the rumors. “If they offer it to me, I would love to do it,” she said. “I really want to find someone that I could be with.” However, the star did point out that “It wouldn’t be a career move. It is more about genuinely wanting to find love.”

Pregnant Kim Kardashian Arrives In Miami Photo

Kim Kardashian typically eschews comfort for style when traveling. Who else would hit the airport wearing leather pants, a sheer blouse and stilettos? But when the reality TV queen arrived in Miami Sunday, she was clad in flowy fabrics more appropriate for her growing baby bump. Since announcing that she and beau Kanye West were expecting their first child last week, her sexy take on maternity wear hasn't veered very far from her usual look.

Biden: White House Can Take 'Executive Action' On Guns

Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday heard personal stories of gun violence from representatives of victims groups and gun-safety organizations as he drafts the Obama administration's response to the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. He pledged that action would be taken. "I want to make it clear that we are not going to get caught up in the notion (that) unless we can do everything we're going to do nothing," Biden said. "It's critically important (that) we act." The meeting was part of a series Biden is holding this week to build consensus around proposals to curb gun violence after the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn. Twenty school children were killed. The Huffington Post has obtained additional details about the meeting from a White House Pool Report. Biden, according to the report, explained that "the president IS going to act." The White House has determined that "executive action can be taken," stated the Vice President. The specifics of that action have not yet been settled. Biden meets Thursday with the National Rifle Association and other gun-owner groups.

Meetings with representatives of the video-game and entertainment industries also are planned. President Barack Obama wants Biden to deliver policy proposals by the end of the month. Obama has vowed to move swiftly on the package, which is expected to include legislative proposals and executive action.Participants in Wednesday's meeting with Biden included the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence and groups from Arizona, Illinois and Wisconsin, states with spates of gun violence that garnered national attention, including the shooting in Arizona of then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Also present were two survivors of the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech that killed 32 people, as well as a stepfather of a victim of last July's massacre at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., in which a dozen people were slain. Attorney General Eric Holder also attended. But as the shock and sorrow over the Newtown, Conn., shooting fades, the tough fight facing the White House and gun-control backers is growing clearer.

Gun-rights advocates, including the powerful NRA, are digging in against tighter gun restrictions, conservative groups are launching pro-gun initiatives and the Senate's top Republican has warned it could be spring before Congress begins considering any gun legislation. "The biggest problem we have at the moment is spending and debt," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said this week. "That's going to dominate the Congress between now and the end of March. None of these issues will have the kind of priority as spending and debt over the next two or three months." The killing of 6- and 7-year-olds at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School appeared to stir a deep reaction from the White House and Capitol Hill. Obama pushed gun control to the top of his domestic agenda for the first time and pledged to put the full weight of his presidency behind the issue. Some Republican and conservative lawmakers with strong gun-rights records also took the extraordinary step of calling for a discussion on new measures.

Banks Reach $8.5 Billion Deal With Regulators Over Foreclosure Abuses

Ten major banks and mortgage companies have agreed to pay $8.5 billion to settle complaints that they wrongfully foreclosed on homeowners who should have been allowed to stay in their homes. Federal Regulators say the banks will pay billions to homeowners to end a review process of foreclosure files that was required under a 2011 enforcement action.

The banks mishandled people's paperwork and skipped required steps in the foreclosure process. Under the settlement, people who were wrongfully foreclosed on could receive from a few hundred dollars up to $125,000. Advocates estimate that about 400,000 homeowners would be eligible for compensation under the settlement with the Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Banks involved in the settlement include Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo.

The Enablers: Media Must Label Debt Hostage-Takers As Delusional

One of the things that I hope to successfully convey as Congress proceeds from the pooch punt that averted that "fiscal cliff" (that Congress created so that they could heroically avert it) to the fiscal crisis moment slated for March of this year, it's that debt ceiling hostage takers are dangerous psychopaths. Yes, we can trace instances of Congresscritters shaking the chandeliers on the debt ceiling going back many presidential terms -- heck, there was once a senator from Illinois named Barack Obama who troubled the Bush administration over it. It was a dumb idea then, as it is now.But what's changed to make things worse is that this is no longer mere idle talk and procedural bravado -- there are people in Congress who truly see default as an ideal alternative to having to concede any points in what should be a rational process of negotiation and deal-making. Rep. Michele Bachmann made her willingness to destroy the global economy for the glory of Tea Party Caucus a central selling point for her presidential candidacy. And now, legislators who were once considered reasonable have become enablers to the lunatics. (And unfortunately for everyone, a key enabler to this madness has been that former Illinois Senator, who opened the door to negotiating over the debt ceiling back when he was still hopeful of a "grand bargain" on the debt.)

But the enabling isn't just happening in Congress, it's happening in the media, as well, which is why another thing I would like to make clear is that those who see debt ceiling lunacy as a legitimate side in a debate or just one more interesting point of view among many are just as culpable in what could be a pending economic calamity as the lunatics themselves. I'm not alone in this concern. Greg Sargent has done a fine job outlining the logical fallacy behind legitimizing debt ceiling hostage taking and notes in particular that by and large, the media has framed the entire fiscal debate incorrectly:Indeed, you can read through much of the coverage and come away with the sense that this is a typical negotiation: Democrats want a rise in the debt ceiling; Republicans want spending cuts; therefore, the two sides are squaring off for a game of chicken to see who can extract more from the other. That’s not what’s happening at all, and any accounts that portray it as such present a deeply unbalanced picture.

That is as simple a distillation of what's at stake as I can imagine, and yet I bet that in the next two months of Sundays, the pundits booked on America's political chat shows will fail at anything other than pointlessly mystifying this situation -- and putting our well-being at risk along the way.It wasn't always this way. But as Alec MacGillis explains over at The New Republic, as idle talk over debt ceiling hostake-taking evolved, seemingly overnight, into a more serious and dangerous psychosis, the media coverage has shifted in reverse. Where the hostage-taking was once portrayed properly, as "brazen and unprecedented," the media now gives the hostage-takers a pass.

And since the "fiscal cliff" was "averted" and the media has shifted focus to the next big battle, discussion of the debt ceiling dead-enders and their future plans has only gotten more blithe and unconcerned. MacGillis provides a fine example of what's been steeping in the Beltway brain since New Years Day -- this passage from the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza that treats debt-ceiling hostage taking as a perfectly natural and polite thing to do, never registering even a scintilla of shock over the implication of using the threat to tank the global economy as a bargaining tactic:"Make no mistake: No deal on the fiscal cliff was a political loser for Republicans; this is an issue they needed to get off the table in order to find better political ground -- debt ceiling -- to make their stand."

House Of The Week Capitol Hill Row House For $3.3 Million

Houses showcased in shelter magazines often appear too perfect. You are afraid to touch anything, sit down anywhere or walk around with your shoes on for fear of tracking dirt on the pristine floors. This week’s featured house, which made the cover of House Beautiful in 2011, isn’t like that. The 19th-century Victorian row house on Capitol Hill is as much a family home as it is a showpiece designed by one of Washington’s best-known decorators, Barry Dixon. “It is designed to be beautiful and to be a work of art, yes, but also to be lived in,” said Richard Seaton of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty. He and Claudia Donovan are the co-listing agents on the property. “It is not a house to be afraid of. . . .

I think it’s very, very hard to pull off in architecture and design something that is classically beautiful and wonderful and at the same time inviting to all kinds of people.” The current owners have three boys, all younger than age 6. “I think that’s my favorite thing about this house,” Seaton said. “It is grand, it is luxurious, it is spacious. Yet at the same time, it invites you to run around with your kids.” The 4,685-square-foot house — built in 1885 by architect Leon E. Dessez, who also designed the official residence for the vice president at the Naval Observatory — was extensively renovated in 2009. The main floor is a riot of color.

The more formal living room is done in a “parfait of pinks,” as Dixon told House Beautiful, balanced with a somberness of browns, while the family room off the kitchen has bold splashes of oranges and tangerines. The state-of-the-art kitchen, with its coffered ceiling, has cabinets custom-made in Germany and countertops of Italian granite. It also has a six-burner gas range, convection and warming ovens, espresso maker, wine cooler and walk-in pantry. Downstairs, Dixon designed the unusual steel fireplace mantel. The lower level bar has a wine cooler, refrigerator, ice machine, dishwasher and beer tap. The upstairs master suite is an oasis of calming neutrals. The master bath has a soaking tub, separate shower and double vanities. Above the two-car garage is a carriage house with a bedroom and full bath, ideal for guests or live-in staff. Within walking distance of the Capitol, the Metro and Eastern Market, the six-bedroom, 4 1 / 2-bath property is on the market for $3.3 million.

8 Wildlife Adventures Worth Traveling For In 2013

By Wendy Worrall Redal
While travel to dramatic landscapes and different cultures is entrancing, nothing in my book compares for sheer exhilaration to an encounter with wildlife at close range.A passion for observing wild animals in their natural environs has brought me eye to eye with a silverback gorilla in the African rainforest, nose to nose with a polar bear peering on his haunches through our Polar Rover's window on the Canadian tundra, mask to whiskers with a curious sea lion while snorkeling in the Galapagos and skin to skin with a huge gray whale in the waters of Baja's San Ignacio Lagoon. She was what the locals call a "friendly," swimming right up to our skiff and allowing us to reach out and commune with her at arm's length.As more species become endangered in the face of human impact, habitat loss and climate change, there is no better time than now to see the world's wild creature. To get you started, here are eight iconic wildlife experiences that should top any nature traveler's bucket list.

The Galapagos Islands
Lying 600 miles off Ecuador's coast, this isolated archipelago harbors a multitude of unique species found nowhere else on earth, which led Darwin to formulate his theory of natural selection during an 1835 visit to the islands. Galapagos wildlife is famously nonchalant about human presence. You can swim with playful young sea lions, snorkel alongside sea turtles, step carefully over colonies of marine iguanas basking on sun-warmed lava and delight in the whimsical courtship dance of blue-footed boobies.

The Mountain Gorillas of Uganda and Rwanda
Profoundly endangered, some 700 mountain gorillas remain in the rainforest-cloaked mountains of central Africa. Small groups led by an expert tracker press through a maze of vines and foliage till they spy them: 10 or 12 gorillas sitting in a forest clearing, several more in the trees. A few feet away is a massive silverback -- twice the size of the females, he sits on massive haunches, stripping leaves from a branch and holding your gaze with liquid brown eyes. Something primal connects you in that moment, on this rarest of primate encounters.

The Gray Whales of Baja
The world's longest annual mammal migration culminates each year as the gray whales return to the warm, protected waters of Baja California from their summer feeding grounds in Alaska. Whales breed and mothers bear their young in San Ignacio Lagoon and Magdalena Bay from December to March, the best time for whale-watching excursions. Occasionally, friendly whales approach the open skiffs and interact directly with enchanted visitors, often swimming within arm's length and showing off their babies.

The Polar Bears of Canada
Perhaps no animal is more closely associated with the threat of climate change than the polar bear. These magnificent Arctic beasts -- the largest terrestrial carnivore -- are endangered by melting sea ice, yet they still congregate in impressive numbers each fall near Churchill, Manitoba, waiting for the ice to freeze on Hudson Bay and seal-hunting season to begin. See them from the warmth and safety of Polar Rovers, custom vehicles designed expressly for polar bear viewing on the tundra.

The Monarchs of Mexico
Another astounding migration takes place each winter to the highlands of central Mexico, as tens of millions of monarch butterflies come from the northeastern U.S. and Canada to nest and breed in the oyamel forests. Tours depart from the former silver-mining village of Anguangeo into the mountains, where guests continue on foot or by horseback into the butterfly sanctuaries. In cloudy weather, the monarchs blanket the trees like autumn leaves; when the sun warms them, they take to the air in a swirl of orange, fluttering in such tremendous numbers that the air vibrates with the sound of their translucent wings.

The Wolves of Yellowstone
Among the planet's most charismatic predators, the gray wolf has made a comeback in Yellowstone National Park. Set out in the quiet of winter to see the packs against a frozen white backdrop, often in pursuit of elk or moose. Excursions into the Lamar Valley at dawn and in the waning light of late afternoon are most likely to reveal the wolves, and their eerie howls rending the air are the ultimate sound of the wild. Many wolf-watching safaris also include a snowcoach ride offering a chance to see the park's geysers and thermal features steaming in the frosty winter air.

The Elephants of Botswana
Kenya's Amboseli and Tarangire National Park in Tanzania may be best known for some of Africa's greatest elephant herds, but Chobe National Park in Botswana is a definite rival, with impressive conservation policies and fewer crowds. During the dry season it's common to find herds up to 300 strong, but even when the Chobe River is high and water is abundant, elephants abound in great numbers along with a host of other African game and predators, including large prides of lion.

The Brown Bears of Alaska
Most everyone has seen images of Alaska's massive brown bears -- the world's largest grizzly -- snagging salmon in their jaws as the fish leap up Brooks Falls on their annual spawning journey. But many would-be Alaska travelers may not know that they'll never see such an arresting sight from a standard cruise ship itinerary. To witness brown bears in action, you have to travel to Katmai National Park or Kodiak Island, where they forage on the salmon runs from rivers and beaches. This is a more remote side of Alaska, which is still true wilderness -- and the abundance of huge bears makes that sense of the wild feel palpable.

Drone Strike Kills Top Militant In Pakistan

Pakistan is one of three countries where polio is still endemic. Nine workers helping in anti-polio vaccination campaigns were killed last month by militant gunmen and the killings this week of five female teachers and two aid workers may also have been linked to their work on the polio campaigns. Residents in Angoor Adda and Wana, the biggest town in South Waziristan, said mosque loudspeakers announced Nazir's death. One resident, Ajaz Khan, said 5,000 to 10,000 people attended the funeral of Nazir and six other people in Angoor Adda. Ahmed Yar, a resident who attended the funeral, said Nazir's body was badly burned and his face unrecognizable.

Reports of individual deaths in such cases are often difficult to independently verify. Pakistani and foreign journalists have a hard time traveling to the remote areas where many of these strikes occur, and the U.S. rarely comments on its secretive drone program. Nazir was active in many parts of Afghanistan and had close ties with Arab members of al-Qaida as well as the Afghan Taliban, said Mansur Mahsud, the head of the Islamabad-based FATA Research Centre, which studies the tribal regions. "His death is a great blow to the Afghan Taliban," he said. The Taliban is a widely diverse group. The Afghan Taliban is made up mostly of Afghans who fight against U.S. and NATO troops. In Pakistan the group has been divided with some fighting the Pakistani government because of its support for the U.S. Other Taliban groups in Pakistan, such as Nazir's, focus their energies on fighting American and NATO troops in Afghanistan but have a truce with the Pakistani military.

Nazir, who was believed to be about 40 years old, had property in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. He used to be a member of Hizb-e-Islami, a militant Islamist group run by former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The group has thousands of fighters and followers across the north and east of Afghanistan. Nazir had survived several assassination attempts including at least two previous American drone strikes. In November, a suicide bomber tried to kill him as he was arriving at an office where he used to meet with local residents and hear their complaints. Nazir and more than a dozen other people were wounded in the attack, and seven were killed. No group claimed responsibility, but suspicion immediately fell on rival militants including the head of the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), Hakimullah Mehsud, who had been jockeying with Nazir for power in South Waziristan. The TTP is an umbrella group of militants formed to oust the Pakistani government and install a hardline Islamist regime. They have been behind much of the violence tearing apart Pakistan in recent years. Nazir's non-aggression pact with the Pakistani military allowed the army to launch a massive operation in South Waziristan against the TTP which displaced more than 800,000 people and drove Hakimullah Mehsud from the region. In retaliation for the assassination attempt, Nazir expelled members of the Hakimullah's Mehsud tribe from Wana.

Nazir was meeting with supporters to discuss how to deal with the TTP when the missiles struck on Wednesday night, said Mehsud from the FATA center. Nazir's group quickly appointed his close aide Bawal Khan as a replacement, according to one of Nazir's commanders. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. But it remains to be seen what the new leader's policies will be and whether the tension with the TTP could lead to a power struggle in the region. "Trouble will follow," said Mehsud. The former chief of intelligence in northwest Pakistan, retired brigadier Asad Munir, said Nazir's killing will complicate the fight against militants in the tribal region, and could prompt Nazir's group to carry out retaliatory attacks against the Pakistani army in South Waziristan. It will also raise questions among military commanders here who would like the U.S. to use its firepower against the Pakistani Taliban, which attacks domestic targets, and not against militants like Nazir who aren't seen as posing as much of a threat to the state, Munir said.

He added that the risk now for Pakistan is that the remnants of Nazir's group could join ranks with the Pakistani Taliban in its war with the government and army. Drone strikes have been on the rise during Obama's presidency. According to the Long War Journal, which tracks drone strikes, there were 35 strikes in Pakistan during 2008, the last year President George W. Bush was in office. That number shot up to 117 in 2010 and then dropped the 46 last year. The strike that killed Nazir was the first of 2013. The program has killed a number of top militant commanders over the past year, including al-Qaida's then-No. 2, Abu Yahya al-Libi, who died in a drone strike in June on the Pakistani village of Khassu Khel in North Waziristan. In August, another missile strike in North Waziristan killed Badruddin Haqqani, who has been described as the day-to-day operations commander of the Haqqani network, which has been blamed by the U.S. for carrying out some of the most high-profile attacks against American and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Senate Cliff Deal Packed With Handouts Takebacks

The U.S. Senate packed an eclectic mix of handouts and takebacks into its last-minute deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff," including a measure to repeal part of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare overhaul and a string of special interest tax breaks. At the center of the 157-page bill adopted early Tuesday are provisions to raise taxes on the wealthiest households and to make permanent Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class. The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. But senators also extended higher rum excise taxes to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and provided tax breaks to a wide range of other groups and interests, including motorsports entertainment complexes and mine rescue teams. Among the other sweeteners:

* special expensing rules for certain film and TV productions
* tax-exempt financing for New York Liberty Zone, an area around the site of the World Trade Center.
* extension of American Samoa economic development credit Congressional lawmakers often insert pet

projects and other unrelated provisions into major "must do" bills in the last days of a legislative session, when it is more likely that quick passage will occur. Green energy was another big winner in the bill. Roughly a dozen provisions would extend credits and incentives for plug-in electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, biodiesel and renewable diesel, and other alternative energy initiatives.

The legislation also would kill the part of Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act designed to let millions of elderly and disabled people get help at home rather than be placed in institutional care, which tends to be more expensive. Democrats acknowledge that the insurance initiative known as the Community Living Assistance Services and Support program, or CLASS, is financially flawed but they had argued it should be fixed rather than ended. The House voted to repeal that provision 11 months ago. Also tucked in the bill, known as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, are measures to avert the so-called "dairy cliff" - a steep increase in milk prices that would otherwise take place this year. The measures would extend farm subsidy programs and prevent dairy subsidies from reverting to 1949 levels, which would have meant retail milk prices could have doubled to about $7 per gallon. One thing lawmakers did not slide into the legislation: a raise for themselves. The Senate bill says members of Congress will get no cost-of-living adjustment in their pay for fiscal year 2013.