Wednesday Morning Headlines [Jul 18, 2012]

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Wednesday, July 18, 2012 TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS Intense fighting rocks Syrian capital Clashes in capital raise speculation about whether an endgame might be shaping up in the country's bloody 16-month-old uprising. (By Babak Dehghanpisheh and Joby Warrick) Tax issue divides Romney camp The political pressure on Mitt Romney to release more of his personal income tax returns is causing some divisions inside the GOP presidential candidate's camp, according to a Republican strategist close to the campaign. (By Felicia Sonmez and Philip Rucker) U.S. economic fears shift back home For much of the year, economists worried about the impact of the European slowdown on the U.S. Now, analysts say the fast-approaching "fiscal cliff" poses the biggest threat. (By Michael A. Fletcher and Zachary A. Goldfarb) In the new Egypt, beards appear where they were once banned Battles over facial hair reflect Egypt's messy struggle to redefine its relationship with Islam in the post-revolution era. (By Steve Hendrix) Movie review: 'The Dark Knight Rises' brings trilogy to a satisfying close With "The Dark Knight Rises," Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have delivered a completely satisfying end to the trilogy that began in 2005 with "Batman Begins." (By Ann Hornaday) NATION Ice split from glacier is twice size of Manhattan Scientists attribute break the size of Manhattan to warming ocean temperatures. ( by Juliet Eilperin and Jason Samenow , The Washington Post) White House eases proposed soot rule The White House recently weakened an EPA proposal to limit soot emissions, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. ( by Juliet Eilperin , The Washington Post) South Korea's engineering pipeline One in four Korean college students majors in engineering, compared to one in 20 in the U.S. The reason for the glut of engineers can be summed up easily: South Korea's education system was designed to produce them. ( by Michael Alison Chandler , The Washington Post) Israeli named to top U.N. post David Scharia will oversee a team of 12 international legal experts who advise the U.N. Security Council. ( by Colum Lynch , The Washington Post) More National: Breaking National News & Headlines - Washington Post LOCAL D.C. community calendar, July 19 to July 26, 2012 Concerts, museum programs, book talks, cathedral tours and other events in the District. (, The Washington Post) Artists audition to perform at Metro stations At the "MetroPerforms!" auditions on Tuesday night, dozens of performing artists crowded into the Metro system's headquarters in the Chinatown area in an effort to become a permitted performer at the nation's busiest transit lines. ( by Robert Samuels , The Washington Post) D.C. wellness calendar, July 19-25 Health and fitness events and meetings in the coming week. (, The Washington Post) Her dinner with Barack A grandmother from Accokeek made a $25 contribution and got to have dinner with the president. (, The Washington Post) Pilot killed in crash was local legend Frank Schmidt trained hundreds of new pilots at the same small Md. airstrip where he crashed Monday. ( by Ashley Halsey III and Luz Lazo , The Washington Post) More Post Local: Washington, DC Area News, Traffic, Weather, Sports & More - The Washington Post POLITICS Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of the way Barack Obama is running his presidential campaign? ( by  , The Washington Post) Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of the way Mitt Romney is running his presidential campaign? ( by  , The Washington Post) Study finds cost to voter ID laws Voter ID laws raise obstacles for voters without financial resources and transportation, a study finds. ( by Krissah Thompson , The Washington Post) Obama raises campaign cash in deep-red Texas The Republican stronghold has been surprisingly fruitful territory for the Obama fundraising machine. ( by David Nakamura , The Washington Post) Tax issue divides Romney camp The political pressure on Mitt Romney to release more of his personal income tax returns is causing some divisions inside the GOP presidential candidate's camp, according to a Republican strategist close to the campaign. ( by Felicia Sonmez and Philip Rucker , The Washington Post) More Post Politics: Breaking Politics News, Political Analysis & More - The Washington Post STYLE Carolyn Hax: A wedding roiled by grief A bride-to-be is spurned by her maid of honor — a close relative who's engulfed in grief and anger over a tragic loss. Can the bride-to-be "make things right" before the wedding? (, The Washington Post) ( by Katherine Boyle , The Washington Post) Rush Limbaugh claims 'Dark Knight' is attack on Romney Will the latest Hollywood blockbuster be the bane of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign? ( by Paul Farhi , The Washington Post) Secrets are at the heart of this novel Minty and Raymond find secrets in the knot of a tree in Natalie Standiford's young-adult novel. (, The Washington Post) 'Stars in the Shadows' is next book "Stars in the Shadows" is next week's selection for the summer book club. ( , The Washington Post) More Style: Culture, Arts, Ideas & More - The Washington Post BUSINESS BPA banned from baby bottles The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday banned the use of the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups. ( by Dina ElBoghdady , The Washington Post) A push to 'Fix the Debt' The campaign's founders believe policymakers may finally be forced to compromise on an ambitious debt-reduction strategy. ( by Lori Montgomery , The Washington Post) U.S. economic fears shift back home For much of the year, economists worried about the impact of the European slowdown on the U.S. Now, analysts say the fast-approaching "fiscal cliff" poses the biggest threat. ( by Michael A. Fletcher and Zachary A. Goldfarb , The Washington Post) Keeping credit bureaus in check COLUMN | Finally, the companies that have been keeping track of how we handle our credit will be watched closely by a single federal agency. (, The Washington Post) Mayer's decision to work through maternity leave renews talk of work-life balance There's been an interesting debate brewing around the fact that New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer all but said she'll take no maternity leave at all. ( by Hayley Tsukayama , The Washington Post) More Business News, Financial News, Business Headlines & Analysis - The Washington Post SPORTS Six walks ruin Britton's return Zach Britton's wildness helps Minnesota overcome a three-run deficit and eventually top Baltimore. ( by Eduardo A. Encina , The Washington Post) Nats beat Mets on wild pitch in the 10th Ryan Zimmerman scores from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the tenth inning as the Nationals find a way to recover from Tyler Clippard's first blown save as closer to upend New York. ( by James Wagner , The Washington Post) TV and radio listings: July 18 (, The Washington Post) Terps hope for instant back court Aaron and Andrew Harrison, guards from Fort Bend, Texas, will pick their college as a package, making them the recruiting catch of the class of 2013. And Maryland is very much in the hunt to land them. ( by Mark Giannotto , The Washington Post) Tony Skinn, a long shot again Point guard on GMU's 2006 Final Four team will be back in the spotlight for Nigeria at the Games. ( by Matt Breen , The Washington Post) More Sports: Sports News, Scores, Analysis, Schedules & More - The Washington Post TECHNOLOGY Mayer's decision to work through maternity leave renews talk of work-life balance There's been an interesting debate brewing around the fact that New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer all but said she'll take no maternity leave at all. ( by Hayley Tsukayama , The Washington Post) Yahoo reports earnings, but without new CEO New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer did not address shareholders in her first day on the job. ( by Hayley Tsukayama , The Washington Post) With Office 2013, Microsoft is betting on the cloud, touch and tablets Microsoft's decision to go cloud-first with Office signals it's ready to play ball. ( by Hayley Tsukayama , The Washington Post) Microsoft Office 2013 to include social, cloud features Microsoft Corp., the world's biggest software maker, unveiled the next version of its Office software with social and cloud features that will work with touch-screen devices powered by its Windows 8 operating system. ( by Dina Bass Bloomberg News , The Washington Post) 5 challenges Marissa Mayer faces at Yahoo Analysts may be upbeat on Mayer, but she's got a lot of work ahead of her. ( by Hayley Tsukayama , The Washington Post) More Technology News - The Washington Post WORLD N. Korea promotes leader to top military rank Kim Jong Eun's appointment as "marshal" of the military further solidifies his power over the authoritarian state. ( by Chico Harlan , The Washington Post) For Syrian refugees who fled with nothing, the wait seems endless Camp in Turkey takes on an air of permanence as growing influx of refugees strains resources. ( by Liz Sly in KILIS, Turkey , The Washington Post) Greece again in a tough spot As the country struggles to meet an August debt-payment deadline, Germany signals new resolve against committing more cash to the cause. ( by Michael Birnbaum , The Washington Post) In the new Egypt, beards appear where they were once banned Battles over facial hair reflect Egypt's messy struggle to redefine its relationship with Islam in the post-revolution era. ( by Steve Hendrix , The Washington Post) Intense fighting rocks Syrian capital Clashes in capital raise speculation about whether an endgame might be shaping up in the country's bloody 16-month-old uprising. ( by Babak Dehghanpisheh and Joby Warrick , The Washington Post) More World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post EDITORIAL Stepping lightly on the moon Researchers want to preserve Apollo 11 sites. ( by Beth O'Leary, Lisa Westwood and Robert Kelso , The Washington Post) Cheney sings an old song The GOP bizarrely seeks his advice on the deficit. (, The Washington Post) Get smart, America Dumbness permeates our lives and our media. (, The Washington Post) The offshoring squabble The political back-and-forth is cold comfort to those who have lost jobs. (, The Washington Post) Overheated claims on climate change You can't yet blame it for extreme weather. (, The Washington Post) More Opinions: Washington Post Opinion, Editorial, Op Ed, Politics Editorials - The Washington Post LIVE DISCUSSIONS Eugene Robinson Live: The GOP's crime against voters Eugene Robinson discussed his latest columns and political news. (, vForum) Tuesdays with Moron: Chatological Humor Update Gene Weingarten brings you an update to his monthly Chatological Humor live chat. (, vForum) ComPost Live with Alexandra Petri The Compost, written by Alexandra Petri, offers a lighter take on the news and political in(s)anity of the day. (, vForum) Got Plans: Advice from the Going Out GurusGot Plans: Got Plans? Discuss great ideas for local entertainment, dates and family fun. (, vForum) More Conversations: Discussions, Blogs, Debates, Live Q&A's and More - The Washington Post Get The Washington Post, your way. Want to stay on top of the latest news, features, commentary and more? Here's how: Mobile: Alerts: Social Media: Applications Web site E-mail SMS RSS Feeds Facebook Twitter SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE E-NEWSLETTER CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 © 2012 The Washington Post Privacy Policy