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Medicare has tied incentive payments and penalties to two-dozen quality measurements, including surveys of patient satisfaction and death rates. More than 1,200 hospitals are receiving bonuses. But more hospitals are being paid less for each Medicare patient they treat for the year that began Oct. 1.

When President Obama decided that private health insurers would play a major role in the health care overhaul, he linked the success of his signature domestic policy initiative to the same industry that tried at first to keep the Affordable Care Act from happening.

The change makes it much harder for Republicans to filibuster many of President Obama's nominees.

HealthCare.gov's troubled rollout highlights a systemic problem — the way governments purchase and plan for tech projects. Even President Obama is now calling for procurement reform. But a handful of places are finding ways to solve the problem.

Dallas became known as the "City of Hate" after President John F. Kennedy was killed there. But the city has changed, and it hopes that the 50th anniversary of the assassination on Friday will be a chance to show the extent of that transformation.

In a world of citrusy, sugary drinks that can all taste alike, Fernet Branca stands alone. It has a cult following within the U.S. that elicits a strong reaction, whether its your first sip — or a regular ritual. As we found out at a recent tasting, Fernet's centuries old secret recipe delivers.

Debt, austerity and joblessness have prompted more people to leave the country in search of work. In the first six months of 2012, emigration from Spain is up more than 44 percent from the same period last year. The Spanish government denies it, but the "brain drain" has become something of a flood.

Mitt Romney and President Obama contrasted their economic visions in dueling Ohio events Thursday. In Cincinnati, Romney attacked Obama's record on the economy and talked about his own plan to lower taxes and cut regulations.

Economic progress in China's countryside helps explain the varied reaction to the once-in-a-decade leadership transition. In big cities and online, some derided the process as an authoritarian charade. In rural China, though, there is a reservoir of goodwill and people are more accepting even if they don't know the leaders well.

A single accuser's word is often enough to lead to an arrest and spark mob violence. Human rights advocates say the charges are frequently made against religious minorities, and are often used to settle personal scores.