What's next in the looming budget crisis?

(CBS News) WASHINGTON -- We are nine days from the next national self-inflicted budget crisis: big, across-the-board cuts in the federal budget will hit automatically on March 1. The cuts are designed to be so deep and damaging that they would force the president and Congress to compromise on a better way. "These cuts are not smart, they are not fair, they will hurt our economy, they will add hundreds...

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Former Navy SEAL on Coming Out of Shadows

It used to be that Navy SEALs didn't just operate in the shadows. They trained in them too. Their whole story stayed shrouded in mystery. Their secret missions stayed secret to the rest of us.But when they got Osama Bin Laden, snatched back an American cargo ship taken by pirates and rescued two air workers held hostage in Somalia, then suddenly, it seemed that SEALs were headline-makers.Add...

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We need to rethink how we name exoplanets

Fed up with dull names for exoplanets, Alan Stern and his company Uwingu have asked the public for help. Will it be so long 2M 0746+20b, hello Obama? How did you come up with the idea for a list of potential names for exoplanets?The...

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Turkey crackdown on radical group after US embassy attack

ANKARA: Turkish police launched a massive nationwide crackdown on Tuesday against a radical Marxist group which claimed a suicide bomb attack against the US embassy this month, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.Police issued arrest warrants for 167 people in 28 cities as part of the operation against the Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP-C), which is classified as...

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Pistorius cries in court as slain girlfriend is laid to rest

Oscar Pistorius is pictured with Reeva Steenkamp in Johannesburg, South Africa, in January.STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Pistorius' defense says he shot his girlfriend thinking she was a burglarA prosecutor asks why a burglar would lock up in a bathroom The funeral for Steenkamp will take place Tuesday Pistorius, known as the "Blade Runner," is in court for a bail hearingPretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Oscar...

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WH: Leaked immigration plan is only partial draft

(CBS News) WASHINGTON -- Over the weekend, a partial White House plan for immigration reform leaked to the press and caused an uproar. White House officials tell CBS News that what was leaked is real -- it's a partial draft of half a bill. What we know is the administration's current thinking about what to do about the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States right now....

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Russian Meteor: Close Encounter, Preventing Impacts

Feb 18, 2013 7:03pm MOSCOW — As if Friday’s massive meteor explosion over central Russia weren’t enough, just hours later a large asteroid buzzed dangerously close to Earth.And that evening, the California sky was lit up by a fireball, apparently entering Earth’s atmosphere.It’s a barrage from space that has people asking: Are we ready for the big one?Nearly 100...

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Nuclear waste: too hot to handle?

Cumbria's decision to veto an underground repository for the UK shows how hard it is to find a long-term solution THERE are 437 nuclear power reactors in 31 countries around the world. The number of repositories for high-level radioactive waste? Zero. The typical lifespan of a nuclear power plant is 60 years....

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Indonesia floods, landslides kill 17

MANADO, Indonesia: Four children were among 17 people killed over the weekend in central Indonesia after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides, officials said on Monday.The children, aged between two and nine, died along with 13 adults when flooding and landslides hit the northern part of Sulawesi island early Sunday, provincial disaster management agency spokesman Howke Makawarung...

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Pope delivers one of his final messages

By Hada Messia and Josh Levs, CNNupdated 7:21 PM EST, Sun February 17, 2013Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to lead the Angelus prayer at the Vatican on Sunday.STORY HIGHLIGHTSIt's the pope's second-to-last Angelus prayer as pontiffPope Benedict XVI thanks his flock for prayers and supportHe discusses "decisive moments of our lives"Cardinals may meet before March 15(CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI...

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