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Middle East
6:26 am
Sat December 1, 2012

Shutdowns Raise Issue Of Who Controls The Internet

Credit Narciso Contreras / AP
Night falls on a Syrian rebel-controlled area on Thursday, the same day an Internet blackout struck the country. The cause is still unclear, but many claim the Syrian government was responsible.
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Originally published on Sat December 1, 2012 4:12 pm

First, it was Egypt. At the height of the protest against the Mubarak regime in 2011, authorities shut the Internet down.

This week, it was Syria. Just as rebel forces there were making big gains, someone pulled the plug on the Internet, and Syria went dark.

Service was restored on Saturday, but Andrew McLaughlin, former White House adviser on technology policy, expects we'll see more of this.

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Latin America
6:26 am
Sat December 1, 2012

High Expectations Welcome Mexico's New President

Credit Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Mexico's new president, Enrique Pena Nieto, has made big promises in a country with a mixed record.
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Originally published on Sat December 1, 2012 10:33 pm

It's Inauguration Day in Mexico, and President Enrique Pena Nieto inherits a country with a mixed record.

Most of Mexico is embroiled in a deadly drug war that has claimed the lives of as many as 50,000 people, but Pena Nieto is also taking over an economy that is doing surprisingly well — thanks, many say, to the outgoing head of state.

Calderon's Violent Legacy

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Around the Nation
6:26 am
Sat December 1, 2012

White House Holiday Spirit A 'Joy To All'

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Credit Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images
Lauren Rae (left) and Olivia Marlow look at the ornaments in the Grand Foyer during the first viewing of the White House 2012 holiday decorations in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. This year's theme is "Joy to All."
Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
The East Wing features a stained glass window created by Chicago-based artist David Lee Csicsko.
Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Many ornaments and other decorations celebrate members of the military, veterans and their families.
Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Models of Bo sneak into a number of the displays.
Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
A replica of the White House kitchen garden is part of the edible display.
Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
A nearly 300-pound White House gingerbread house sits in the State Dining Room.
Credit Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images
Volunteers from around the country traveled to Washington to help with the decorations.
Credit Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images
Christmas trees are ubiquitous: The White House has 54 up this year.
Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
First lady Michelle Obama welcomed military families to the event. The guests' children got to pet the first family's dog, Bo.
Credit Susan Walsh / AP
The official White House Christmas tree, an 18-foot-6-inch Frasier fur from Jefferson, N.C., was adorned with ornaments decorated by military children living on bases all over the world.
Credit Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images
Lauren Rae (left) and Olivia Marlow look at the ornaments in the Grand Foyer during the first viewing of the White House 2012 holiday decorations in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. This year's theme is "Joy to All."
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Originally published on Sat December 1, 2012 5:29 pm

The bows are tied, the garlands are hung, and the White House is aglow for the holidays. Volunteers from all over the country handled the decorations with care, and on Wednesday, first lady Michelle Obama showed off their efforts to military families. This year's theme is "Joy to All."

Ship Capt. Pete Hall from Louisville, Ky., followed family tradition by helping with the decorations. His grandfather was the chief usher of the White House from 1938 to 1957. "So this is part of my family heritage," Hall says.

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It's All Politics
5:49 am
Sat December 1, 2012

Using Campaign Tactics, Obama Takes Tax Fight On The Road

Credit Susan Walsh / AP
President Obama looks over a roller coaster with K'Nex inventor and Chairman Joel Glickman (left) and President and CEO Michael Araten on Friday during a tour of the company in Hatfield, Pa.
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Originally published on Sat December 1, 2012 4:07 pm

President Obama is hoping the same campaign tools that helped him win re-election will also deliver a policy win in the fight over federal taxes.

The president wants Congress to extend Bush-era tax cuts for most Americans, while allowing taxes to go up for the wealthiest 2 percent. His aides are using email, social media and beyond-the-Beltway campaign appearances in hopes of putting pressure on Republican lawmakers.

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National Security
5:43 am
Sat December 1, 2012

Farewell, USS Enterprise

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Credit Steve Helber / AP
Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Joseph carries his 1-year-old daughter, Maleah, to his re-enlistment ceremony aboard the USS Enterprise at the Norfolk Naval Station on March 8. The ship began its final deployment on March 11.
Credit Matthew Hostetler / AP
USS Enterprise sails in the Persian Gulf while in support of Operation Southern Watch and the extended "no-fly" zone over Iraq on Sept. 22, 1996.
Credit U.S. Navy
The Enterprise under construction in 1958.
Credit U.S. Navy
The world's largest ship, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, is shown leaving Newport News, Va., with a five-tugboat escort during initial sea trials in 1961.
Credit AP
A throng estimated at 15,000 gathers to watch the christening of the USS Enterprise at Newport News, Va., Sept. 24, 1960.
Credit U.S. Navy
Occasionally members of Enterprise's crew create flight formations to commemorate important dates or events. In 1964 they spelled out Albert Einstein's most famous equation.
Credit Mohamed El-Dakahakhny / AP
The Enterprise transits the Suez Canal on Sept. 15, 1996. The aircraft carrier was en route from the Adriatic to join existing U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf for possible action against Iraqi targets.
Credit U.S. Navy / Getty Images
A Navy aviation machinist on the Enterprise watches a Ch-46 Sea Knight fly by after delivering supplies, Oct. 10, 2001. The ship and its carrier battle group were conducting flight operations in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Credit Matthew Hostetler / AP
USS Enterprise sails in the Persian Gulf while in support of Operation Southern Watch and the extended "no-fly" zone over Iraq on Sept. 22, 1996.
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Originally published on Sun December 2, 2012 1:17 pm

Sailors, veterans and their families are saying goodbye in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday to the USS Enterprise, which was the largest ship in the world and the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier when it was commissioned in 1961.

In its illustrious history, the Enterprise served at the center of international events for a half-century — from the Cuban missile crisis to Vietnam to the Iraq War.

And it had a distinguished Hollywood career as well, playing a leading role in the 1986 film Top Gun, which starred Tom Cruise as a young naval aviator.

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