Today's Headlines & Columnists

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Sunday, December 11, 2011 TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS Gingrich under attack in GOP debate Republicans met for their 12th debate of the year, with Newt Gingrich under attack from his rivals. (By Dan Balz and Philip Rucker) Dan Balz: The surprising candidacy of Ron Paul THE TAKE | Ron Paul has made himself a force in the Republican presidential campaign by the consistency of his message and the passion of his supporters. (By Dan Balz) Hinckley: 'Flawed' or dangerous? In hearings to determine his future, lawyers and those who have treated him dissect the would-be assassin's troubled romances and evasions. (By Del Quentin Wilber) The legacy of Haditha As U.S. troops head home, they leave behind ill will in the minds of many Iraqis because of the casualties inflicted by the American military on civilians. (By Liz Sly) Thousands of protesters in Russia demand fair elections Russians protested across the country, with 25,000 or more in Moscow demanding free elections. (By Will Englund and Kathy Lally) NATION At U.N. climate talks, a last-minute deal Delegates in South Africa early Sunday salvaged a proposal that would chart a new path to an international accord by 2015. ( by Juliet Eilperin , The Washington Post) Program to battle roadside bombs could be trimmed Budget hawks may cut back a five-year-old Pentagon program aimed at curbing casualties from the makeshift bombs known as IEDs. ( by Walter Pincus , The Washington Post) Russia gives up on failed Mars probe Bracing for a crash landing, country's space agency expects it to plunge back to Earth around Jan. 9. ( by Brian Vastag , The Washington Post) In Durban, delegates struggle on new climate pact Optimism at the U.N. talks in Durban, South Africa, gave way to pessimism Saturday, as delegates bickered over how to launch a process that could forge a new global warming pact by 2015. ( by Juliet Eilperin , The Washington Post) More National: Breaking National News & Headlines - Washington Post METRO Donald 'thrilled' to lead family services Her introduction as director of the agency she worked at from 2001 to 2005 seemed more like a reunion. ( by Mike DeBonis , The Washington Post) Carjacking suspect fatally shot by police A suspect in a carjacking attempt in Takoma Park was fatally shot by police Saturday as he struggled with an officer after a chase, authorities said. ( by Matt Schudel , The Washington Post) Man is killed in Brentwood A 21-year-old man was fatally shot in the Brentwood area of Prince George's County on Friday. Acquaintances said he "was loved by everybody." ( by Hamil R. Harris and Martin Weil , The Washington Post) Bill Bolling to be Virginia's part-timer 'decider' With even split in the state Senate, Virginia's part-time lieutenant governor will see an increase in power and stature. ( by Laura Vozzella , The Washington Post) Outbreak of assaults D.C. police reported seven incidents late Friday or early Saturday in Northwest Washington in which people attacked others with fists or open hands. ( by Martin Weil , The Washington Post) More Post Local: Washington, DC Area News, Traffic, Weather, Sports & More - The Washington Post POLITICS Donald 'thrilled' to lead family services Her introduction as director of the agency she worked at from 2001 to 2005 seemed more like a reunion. ( by Mike DeBonis , The Washington Post) McCaskill-led earmark probe finds $834 million in requests A study of the defense authorization bill identifies 115 spending proposals as earmarks, including 20 by Republican freshmen who campaigned against the pet projects, according to the report. ( by Kimberly Kindy , The Washington Post) Gingrich under attack in GOP debate Republicans met for their 12th debate of the year, with Newt Gingrich under attack from his rivals. ( by Dan Balz and Philip Rucker , The Washington Post) Romney's steadiness is also his weakness Mitt Romney has polled steadily, but he needs to capture more conservative voters in order to win. ( by Chris Cillizza , The Washington Post) Romney's claim that Obama is an apologist for U.S. is based on distortions In his campaign book "No Apology," Mitt Romney asserts that President Obama does not believe in American strength and greatness. The Fact Checker found that the statements that partisans like Romney claim were apologies by Obama were either misquoted or taken out of context. ( by Glenn Kessler , The Washington Post) More Post Politics: Breaking Politics News, Political Analysis & More - The Washington Post STYLE Girlfriend, or a semester in Spain? He didn't balk when she went to college 12 hours away. Now he's planning a semester in Spain, and she's threatening a breakup. (, The Washington Post) Theater's Top 10 of 2011 This was a strong year for Washington theater, so it was pretty hard to pick the Top 10 productions. ( by Peter Marks , The Washington Post) Date Lab: A gentleman and a classy lady walk into a bar ... They're both fitness buffs. But can they work out a spark? ( interviews by Ellen McCarthy , The Washington Post) More Style: Culture, Arts, Ideas & More - The Washington Post SPORTS Colder leads Briar Woods to another title Junior running back Cory Colder rushes for 186 yards, leading Briar Woods to its second consecutive Div. 4 state championship with a victory over Christiansburg. ( by Matt Brooks , The Washington Post) TV and radio listings: December 11 ( , The Washington Post) D.C.'s Peterson takes title Lamont Peterson scores an upset for the unified super lightweight title in his home town when two of three judges say he outpointed Englishman Amir Khan, who disputes the decision. ( by Gene Wang , The Washington Post) Hunter brings an authentic approach to Caps Coach Dale Hunter will use his genuine demeanor, fun-loving side and wealth of on-ice experience as he attempts to turn around the Caps' season. ( by Tarik El-Bashir , The Washington Post) Centreville falls in Division 6 final Centreville loses Ken Ekanem to an injury early and loses to Oscar Smith, 47-21. ( by Paul Tenorio , The Washington Post) More Sports: Sports News, Scores, Analysis, Schedules & More - The Washington Post WORLD India's anti-corruption activist resumes fast Anna Hazare begins a symbolic one-day hunger strike, the third this year, against a new draft legislation. ( by Rama Lakshmi , The Washington Post) The legacy of Haditha As U.S. troops head home, they leave behind ill will in the minds of many Iraqis because of the casualties inflicted by the American military on civilians. ( by Liz Sly in HADITHA, IRAQ , The Washington Post) Program to battle roadside bombs could be trimmed Budget hawks may cut back a five-year-old Pentagon program aimed at curbing casualties from the makeshift bombs known as IEDs. ( by Walter Pincus , The Washington Post) After 5 years, Mexican drug war still rages Many Mexicans would say the goals of the army-led effort launched by President Felipe Calderon in 2006 remain unmet. ( by William Booth , The Washington Post) Merkel caught between upsetting her voters or Europe If Merkel keeps holding out against bigger fixes to ease other countries' pain, she could fracture the fragile coalition of EU countries that pledged to work toward slashing their budgets. ( by Michael Birnbaum , The Washington Post) More World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post EDITORIAL Europe at the brink A summit deal that may be a day late and many euros short ( by Editorial Board , The Washington Post) Virginia Tech's tragedy, and America's The killing of a campus officer is part of a surge of violence against police nationwide. ( by Editorial Board , The Washington Post) Tinkering at immigration's margins While Congress fiddles, the nation's system fails. ( by Editorial board , The Washington Post) William Lockridge deserved to have a namesake library (, The Washington Post) Why we need health insurance (, The Washington Post) More Opinions: Washington Post Opinion, Editorial, Op Ed, Politics Editorials - The Washington Post BUSINESS Britain balks as rest of E.U. forges fiscal pact (, The Washington Post) Case in Point: Change the business model To pull Aetna out of its downward spiral, John W. Rowe reached out to physicians to build collaborative approaches to improving the quality and efficiency of care. (, The Washington Post) How AT&T fumbled its $39 billion bid to acquire T-Mobile How did one of Washington's most feared lobbying operations wind up in a losing battle with regulators? ( by Cecilia Kang and Jia Lynn Yang , The Washington Post) Rich advice from billionaires Bloomberg Markets asked 10 billionaires 14 questions about the global economy, investment opportunities and the best advice they ever got. Here are the answers. ( by Matthew G. Miller and Peter Newcomb , The Washington Post) Trimming more than just your tree Here's one more must-do item for your holiday list: Whittling down your 2011 income tax liability. (, The Washington Post) More Business News, Financial News, Business Headlines & Analysis - 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 © 2011 The Washington Post Privacy Policy