WASHINGTON -- The $143 billion payroll tax cut won by President Barack Obama may be the last significant measure he receives from a deeply divided Congress that promises to only get more polarized as Election Day approaches.
Obama's coveted renewal of the payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and jobless benefits for millions more caps a five-month campaign-style drive against reluctant Republicans.
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. -- Newt Gingrich slammed his Republican rivals Friday for refusing to appear in a nationally televised debate from his home state of Georgia, a state the former House speaker has made central to his strategy of getting his struggling presidential bid back on track.
Gingrich made his remarks at a rally in the congressional district he represented for 20 years, speaking to a few hundred supporters. He planned several campaign stops across Georgia on Saturday with Herman Cain, a fellow Georgian and former contender for the GOP nomination who has since endorsed Gingrich.
LAS VEGAS -- Muhammad Ali had seven prizefights in Las Vegas, with his two losses there coming in the twilight of his legendary career. Now, dozens of heavyweight celebrities are back in Sin City to laud a lifetime in the spotlight and join the icon known as "The Greatest" in fighting neurological diseases.
Roughly 2,000 people were expected to attend a swanky gala to celebrate Ali's 70th birthday on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the site of most of boxing's major fights the past 20 years. Ali turned 70 last month, and had another celebration and fundraiser then in his home state of Kentucky.
CLEVELAND — LeBron James scored 28 in his third game back to Cleveland as a visitor, Dwyane Wade added 22 and the Miami Heat won their fifth straight – all on the road – by destroying the Cavaliers 111-87 on Friday night.
James, booed loudly every time he touched the ball by fans who haven't forgiven him for leaving two years ago, scored 16 in the third quarter when the Heat opened a 34-point lead. James added four dunks, three 3-pointers, five rebounds, five assists and rested the entire fourth quarter.
L.A.'s public radio station KCRW premiered Rufus Wainwright's latest tune, "Montauk," on Friday, off his forthcoming seventh album, Out of the Game. Produced by Mark Ronson, the album will also feature sister Martha, Sean Lennon and members of Wilco. Wainwright told Rolling Stone last year, "The main objective â not for the entire [album], necessarily, but for portions of it â is to be danceable. I just want to make something that you love, driving around in your car listening or losing your mind to on a dance floor. Something to serenade us through these very, very troubling times."
"Montauk," where Wainwright and fiancee Jorn Weisbrodt have a house, is not one of these dancier numbers, but has a lazy, infectious carousel-like rhythm to it.
In other Rufus news, the musician's opera, "Prima Donna" (inspired by Maria Callas saying the words "prima donna") will have its U.S. premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Sunday, which you can catch a glimpse of here.
WASHINGTON — A resurgent Rick Santorum hopes to spring his next big surprise in Michigan. Newt Gingrich looks for a campaign revival in the Bible Belt. Mitt Romney has his home state of Massachusetts, and the luxury of picking his spots elsewhere, if not everywhere, as the race for the Republican presidential nomination roars back to life.
After a brief midwinter lull, the Republican field faces a cross-country series of nine primaries and four caucuses between Feb. 28 and Super Tuesday on March 6. At stake are 518 delegates, more than three times the number awarded so far in the unpredictable competition to pick a GOP opponent for President Barack Obama.
DETROIT -- Pavel Datsyuk scored with 5 seconds left to give the Detroit Red Wings 22nd consecutive home victory, 2-1 over the Nashville Predators on Friday night.
Three nights after breaking the NHL single-season record for consecutive home victories, the Red Wings tied Boston's multiple-season mark. The Bruins closed the 1929-30 season with 20 victories at home and won their first two the following season.
NEWARK, N.J. — The hearse carrying Whitney Houston's casket has arrived at the New Jersey church where her funeral is being held.
About 1,500 people were invited to the service Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. Houston sung in the church choir there as a child.
By Karissa Rosenfield
(click here for original article)
The controversy surrounding Frank Gehryâs proposal for the Eisenhower Memorial has just reached new heights as the Chicago Tribuneâs Blair Kamin has recently published a 1,500-word essay, written by the influential neo-traditionalist architect Leon Krier, that bashes Gehryâs proposal and ideology. Krier calls Gehry a âgreatly confused artistâ whoâs âstyle is a century oldâ and âseems âinnovativeâ only to the ignorantâ. Kier continues to claim the commission who appointed Gehryâs design âshares his [Gehryâs] intellectual confusion and distaste of classical Washington D.C.â
Unemployment has fallen in recent months, but competition for jobs remains tough. According to one report, there are three people who want a job for every opening in the U.S. But the biggest obstacle for some job seekers is an internal one: Many simply fear going back to work.
After Jillaine Smith was laid off three years ago, she went through a period of doubting her professional skills. That was despite her 25 successful years in nonprofit management.
Bob Seger is hard at work on his first studio collection since 2006's Face The Music. "Iâm setting myself a deadline of September 24th to have it out," Seger tells Rolling Stone. "Wish me luck."
The Detroit-based rocker released a greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets, last year. He just finished a highly successful tour built around the classics that earned him a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame: "Night Moves," "Hollywood Nights," "Like A Rock," "Against The Wind" and "Travelin' Man/Beautiful Loser," just to name a few.
George Vaillant, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has overseen the longest-running longitudinal study of health and happiness. His study has tracked the lives of more than 500 Harvard students and men from inner-city Boston since the 1930s, and has drawn some intriguing conclusions, including that stable relationships are one key to a long and happy life.
In episode four of Mike Kravinsky's webseries "The Nextnik," Larry Zimmerman takes his search for a second act to the vines. Larry visits his friend Bill's winery to see if he has a future in vino. While there, he confides in Bill his frustration over being fired from his long-time job. Bill -- who pursued his own second act in the wine industry after a 42-year television career -- gives Larry an inspiring takeaway: "I'm having more fun and more passion for what I'm doing than I've ever had in my entire life," he shares.
So will Larry make grape-stomping his second act, or will a new freelance offer spike his interest? Watch the below video to see Larry's reinvention continue to unfold.