250. Friday, December 16, 2011

2011/12/16 Headlines: Manning in 1st Court Appearance as Iraq Occupation Formally Ends; Nearly Half of Americans Below Poverty Line or Low-Income; Spending Deal Avoids Shutdown as Obama Urges Payroll Tax Cut; U.N. Urges Global LGBT Protections; GOP Candidates Hold Final Debate of Year; Gingrich Pressed on Freddie Mac Work; Gingrich: Abolish "Grotesquely Dictatorial" U.S. Courts; FBI Probed Gingrich for Bribery After Wife Met with Convicted Arms Dealer; Justice Dept. Accuses Ariz. Sheriff of Anti-Hispanic Bias; Brazil Sues Chevron, Transocean for Oil Spill; BP Among Winning Bidders for New Gulf Drilling; Daughter of Prominent Activist Arrested in Bahrain Protest Crackdown; Author, Columnist Christopher Hitchens Dies at 62