The Lede: Assad Denies Starting War in New Interview

Last Updated, Thursday, 3:48 p.m. The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, denied in an interview broadcast last week on German television that he was responsible for starting the bloody conflict tearing his country apart.The interview, featured in a new documentary on the conflict in Syria by the filmmaker Hubert Seipel, was conducted in English but later overdubbed in German for broadcast on the network...

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Diem Brown Blogs: Farewell for Now

By Diem Brown 02/21/2013 at 04:00 PM EST In her PEOPLE.com blog, Diem Brown, the Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestant recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer for the second time, opens up about her desire for a child and the ups and downs of cancer and fertility procedures. First and foremost, I feel so...

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Flu shot did poor job against worst bug in seniors

ATLANTA (AP) — For those 65 and older, this season's flu shot is only 9 percent effective against the most common and dangerous flu bug, according to a startling new government report.Flu vaccine tends to protect younger people better than older ones and never works as well as other kinds of vaccines. But experts say the preliminary results for seniors are disappointing and highlight the need for...

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Wall Street drops on growth concerns, fear index jumps

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell for a second day on Thursday and gauge of investor concern hit its highest in two months after reports cast doubt over the health of the U.S. and euro-zone economies. The second day of sharp declines in equity markets put the S&P 500 on course for its worst two-day loss since November. The CBOE Volatility Index <.vix> or VIX,...

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Russian Mother of Adopted Boy Who Died in U.S. Wants His Brother Back

MOSCOW — The Russian mother of two young boys who were adopted by a Texas couple requested on Wednesday that the younger child be returned to her, after his brother died under unclear circumstances in a case that has given new impetus to a long-running controversy over foreign adoptions. The older boy, Max Shatto, 3, died in a West Texas hospital in late January. His birth mother, Yulia A....

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Check Out Pregnant Maya Rudolph's Undercover Bump

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 02/20/2013 at 03:00 PM ET Jason Merritt/Getty What baby bump?Maya Rudolph, who recently told Up All Night producers that she’s expecting her fourth child with Paul Thomas Anderson, swathed her belly in an animal-print teal and black sheath dress for Tuesday’s...

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Obama administration tackles colonoscopy confusion

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's one part of the new health care law that seemed clear: free coverage for preventive care under most insurance plans.Only it didn't turn out that way.So on Wednesday, the Obama administration had to straighten out the confusion.Have you gone for a colonoscopy thinking it was free, only to get a hefty bill because the doctor removed a polyp?No more.Taking out such precancerous...

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Wall Street extends losses; Nasdaq off one percent

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, "Doug" (24), and I (22) have been in a long-distance relationship for a year, but we were friends for a couple of years before that. I had never had a serious relationship before and lacked experience. Doug has not only been in two other long-term relationships, but has had sex with more than 15 women. One of them is an amateur porn actress.I knew about this, but it didn't...

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At War Blog: Korean War Veteran Is Buried Six Decades After He Disappeared

The passengers aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 2125 didn’t get up when the plane taxied into its gate at Baltimore Washington International Airport earlier this month. They didn’t retrieve their bags from the overhead bins. Instead, they looked out the right side of the aircraft, where an honor guard and black hearse were waiting to escort the remains of Cpl. James R. Hare home, the final portion of...

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Mindy McCready 'Really Loved Her Dog'

People Pets 02/19/2013 at 03:45 PM EST When Mindy McCready was found dead on Sunday of an apparent suicide, the country singer was not alone: Her dog, who'd been fatally shot, was by her side.But a source close to the star tells Fox News that her decision to end the animal's life would "not have been an act...

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