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Presidential Race
9:40 am
Tue January 31, 2012

The Slimary Process: Is This The Nastiest Race Ever?

Credit Matt Rourke / AP
Republican presidential hopefuls former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney debate in Jacksonville, Fla., on Thursday.

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 11:04 am

The Two-Way
9:20 am
Tue January 31, 2012

Italian Authorities Call Off Search For Missing In Costa Shipwreck

Credit Pier Paolo Cito / AP
Italian firefighters scuba divers approach the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy on Friday.

Citing safety concerns, Italian officials said they were calling off the search for those still missing at the site of the Costa Concordia shipwreck.

The AP reports:

"Italy's Civil Protection agency said Tuesday that technical studies indicated that the deformed hull of the ship created too many safety concerns to continue the search. It said in a statement that relatives and diplomatic officials representing the countries of the missing have been informed of the decision.

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The Two-Way
8:48 am
Tue January 31, 2012

Stephen Colbert Says His Super PAC Raised $1 Million

Credit Richard Ellis / Getty Images
Comedian Stephen Colbert at a campaign stop in Charleston, South Carolina.

"I'm rolling seven digits deep!" is what Stephen Colbert told the Federal Election Commission in his superPAC's filing this morning.

The comedian said that as of January 30, his political action committee had collected $1,023,121.24 in donations.

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The Two-Way
7:44 am
Tue January 31, 2012

VIDEO: Mitt Romney Sings 'America The Beautiful'

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at The Villages, Fla. on Monday.

Maybe it's the latest poll numbers. Maybe it was being among a crowd of a few thousand supporters.

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The Two-Way
7:11 am
Tue January 31, 2012

As Florida Votes, Polls Put Mitt Romney Comfortably Ahead

Credit Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets people during a grassroots rally with supporters at Lake Sumter Landing on Monday.

Odds are that today's Republican primary in Florida won't be nearly as dramatic as the previous contest in South Carolina. Polls have been predicting a comfortable win for Mitt Romney and, as The Washington Post reports, a Quinnipiac University poll released, yesterday, gave Romney a 14-point lead over Newt Gingrich.

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Sports
12:01 am
Tue January 31, 2012

It's A Good Time To Be An LA Clippers 'Superfan'

Credit Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images
"Clipper Darrell" dances with the "Clipper Spirit" during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in 2002.

For a long time, Los Angeles has been a Lakers town, but thanks to some of the NBA's brightest young stars it's now the perennially-ridiculed Clippers that have the better record, and much of the city's attention. That's especially gratifying for one die-hard Clippers fan.

Darrell Bailey, better known as "Clipper Darrell," has missed only one Clipper game in the past 11 seasons. "I was in the hospital," he says. "That's the only reason they kept me out."

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Law
12:01 am
Tue January 31, 2012

GOP Seeks Big Changes In Federal Prison Sentences

Credit iStockphoto.com

Every year, federal judges sentence more than 80,000 criminals. Those punishments are supposed to be fair — and predictable. But seven years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court threw a wrench into the system by ruling that the guidelines that judges use to figure out a prison sentence are only suggestions.

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Shots - Health Blog
12:01 am
Tue January 31, 2012

'I Wanted To Live:' New Depression Drugs Offer Hope For Toughest Cases

A club drug called "Special K" is generating a lot of buzz among researchers who study depression.

That's because "Special K," which is actually an FDA-approved anesthetic named ketamine, can relieve even suicidal depression in a matter of hours. And it works on many patients who haven't responded to current antidepressants like Prozac.

Those traditional drugs, which act on the brain's serotonin system, can take more than a month to kick in, and don't work for up to 40 percent of people with major depression.

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Election 2012
12:01 am
Tue January 31, 2012

The Golden Age: Florida Primary Centers On Seniors

Just how important is the senior vote in Florida?

Nearly one in five Floridians is retired. And a survey conducted by AARP predicts that as many as 60 percent of those who cast ballots in Tuesday's Republican primary — 6 out of 10 voters — will be retirees.

If that number is surprising, AARP Florida director Jeff Johnson says it helps to remember that primaries typically have a low turnout.

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The Salt
12:01 am
Tue January 31, 2012

Lamb Boom Has Sheep Farmers Flocking Together

Credit Meta Van Nostran
A holding pen for lamb at the Will-O-Wood Farm in southeastern Ohio.

When city folk think of lamb, they may think of very young sheep — perhaps six weeks old. But six months is the average age of spring lamb going to market these days.

Don Van Nostran has one in a holding pen in his barn at Will-O-Wood Farm in southeastern Ohio. It soon will be butchered and sold in a local Kroger store.

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