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Middle East
4:52 pm
Fri February 10, 2012

With Death Toll Soaring, What's Next In Aid To Syria?

As the death toll mounts in Syria, the U.S. and its partners have been scrambling to come up with new diplomatic initiatives to persuade Syrian President Bashar Assad to silence his army's guns and give up power.

Last week, Russia and China blocked a U.N. resolution that would have supported the Arab League peace proposals. Since then, the violence has only intensified.

Like other international diplomats, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is still reeling from Russia and China's refusal to back the Arab League proposal's to solve the crisis in Syria.

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It's All Politics
4:50 pm
Fri February 10, 2012

At CPAC, Gingrich Takes Aim At 'Republican Establishment'

Credit Win McNamee / Getty Images
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

Newt Gingrich was the last presidential candidate to speak Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.

And he kept his Romney powder dry, preferring instead to attack establishment Republicans who have not embraced the Gingrich campaign. To put it mildly.

That establishment, Gingrich charged, is "managing the decay" of the party, and sees his campaign as a "mortal threat" to their insider Washington lives.

"We intend to change Washington," said the former House speaker, "not accommodate it."

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The Two-Way
4:49 pm
Fri February 10, 2012

U.S. Says Satellite Images Show Weaponry Syria Is Using Against Civilians

Credit U.S. State Department
A satellite image taken Feb. 6.

The United States has declassified a series of satellite images it says show the kinds of weaponry the Syrian regime is using against its own people.

The first image was released on the Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. It was accompanied by a note from Embassador Robert Ford, who in the past has taken to Facebook to criticize the regime of President Bashar Assad.

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Music Interviews
4:02 pm
Fri February 10, 2012

An Understudy Turned Star Shines On The Met Stage

Credit Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera
Jay Hunter Morris has received glowing reviews for his role as Siegfried in the Metropolitan Opera's most recent production of Wagner's Ring Cycle.

Originally published on Sat February 11, 2012 10:46 am

Siegfried is a Norse hero, and one of the most demanding roles in all of opera. He slays dragons and has to sing about it — in Gotterdammerung, The Twilight of the Gods, the last opera in Wagner's Ring Cycle.

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Animals
3:53 pm
Fri February 10, 2012

Return Of Gray Wolves Renews Debate Over Hunting

Credit MacNeill Lyons/National Park Service / AP
A gray wolf in the wild. Park officials say hunting restrictions in place in parts of of Montana have protected Yellowstone's wolves from a repeat of a 2009 hunt in which four Yellowstone wolves were shot.

Originally published on Fri February 10, 2012 5:24 pm

Gray wolves were taken off the endangered species list in Idaho and Montana last year and put under state control. But they're still on the list in neighboring Wyoming. That's because Wyoming has been the most aggressive about wanting to kill wolves.

Wyoming has finally struck a deal with the federal government regarding how wolves will be treated once the state takes over. But environmentalists believe the agreement denies wolves an important refuge.

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