FISCAL CLIFF NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE: The White House and House Speaker John Boehner's office held more "fiscal cliff" negotiations Monday (December 10th), but little
progress was reported and neither side indicated publicly that they're willing to give any ground. President Obama made another campaign-style appearance to motivate public support for his stance, appearing in Redford, Michigan, where he said, "What you need is a
package that keeps taxes where they are for middle-class families, we make some tough spending cuts on things that we don't need, and then we ask the wealthiest Americans to pay a slightly higher tax rate, and that's a principle I won't compromise on." Early in the day, Boehner's spokesman said Republicans were still waiting for Obama to make a new offer that identifies the spending cuts he would agree to make.

HSBC TO PAY $1.9 BILLION IN MONEY-LAUNDERING SETTLEMENT: British banking giant HSBC said today (December 11th) that it will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering investigation by federal and state authorities in the U.S. The probe has focused on the transfer of billions of dollars on behalf of nations like Iran, which are under international
sanctions, and the transfer of money through the U.S. financial system from Mexican drug
cartels. Stuart Gulliver, Group Chief Executive of HSBC, said in a statement, "We accept responsibility for our past mistakes. We have said we are profoundly sorry for them, and we do so again."

EX-IMF HEAD STRAUSS-KAHN AND DIALLO SETTLE LAWSUIT: A judge announced a settlement Monday (December 10th) between former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn and hotel housekeeper Nafissatou Diallo in the civil lawsuit she brought against him.  The details of the settlement were sealed, and Strauss-Kahn was not in the courtroom or even in the U.S., remaining in Paris. Diallo had accused Strauss-Kahn of
sexually assaulting her last year when she went to clean his New York City hotel room. Strauss-Kahn had contended the encounter was consensual. However, police dropped criminal charges because they had concerns about Diallo's credibility. The judge also said yesterday
that Diallo settled a separate libel lawsuit against the New York Post over a series of articles that claimed she was a prostitute. The details of that settlement also weren't disclosed.

REPORT MAKES PREDICTIONS FOR STATE OF THE WORLD IN 2030: The National Intelligence Council released a report yesterday (December 10th) called Global Trends 2030:
Alternative Worlds, in which the director of national intelligence's office makes predictions about the state of the world in 2030, although making it clear that these forecasts aren't definitely how it's going to be. The aim of the report is to give policymakers some idea of what's in store for the world to help them makes the right economic and military decisions. Among the predictions:

• As climate change continues and the world's population grows to near 8.3 billion, food and water may be scarce in some areas, especially Africa and the Middle East.
• The U.S. will most likely remain what the report called "first among equals" among the other leading nations. But with the rapid rise of other countries, quote, "the 'unipolar moment' is over and Pax Americana -- the era of American ascendancy in international politics that began in 1945 -- is fast winding down."
• Asia will have passed North America and Europe combined in global power, based upon gross domestic product, population, military spending and technological
       investment.
• The time of Islamist extremism may have passed, but small groups will have increasing ability to cause havoc, through biological or cyber terrorism. The report states, "With more widespread access to lethal and disruptive technologies, individuals . . . might sell their services to the highest bidder, including terrorists who
       would focus less on causing mass casualties and more on creating widespread economic and financial disruptions."

AMERICA'S ROADS SAFEST IN MORE THAN 60 YEARS: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported Monday (December 10th) that America's roads were safer in 2011 than they've been in more than 60 years, and the number of fatalities per vehicle miles
traveled was at its lowest level ever. According to NHTSA, traffic fatalities fell to 32,367 in 2011, a 1.9 percent drop over 2010 and the lowest since 1949.  Experts say the decline is due to better seatbelt and airbag technologies, improved driver behaviors on the highways, and more safely designed cars. There has also been more recent emphasis on official programs to improve safety.

AURORA MASSACRE SUSPECT SENT BURNED MONEY TO PSYCHIATRIST: It was revealed in court testimony yesterday (December 10th) that James Holmes, the accused killer in the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater massacre in which 12 people were killed and 58
injured, mailed burned money to his psychiatrist at the University of Colorado, according to local station KUSA-TV. Three people testified about the contents of a package mailed to psychiatrist Lynne Fenton, who was seeing Holmes professionally before the July 20th shooting when he'd still been a doctoral student at the school. A police commander who was the first to open the envelope said it contained a spiral notebook along with burned currency and ashes.  The existence of the package came to light soon after the shooting, when Fenton
got a phone call from the public defender's office saying Holmes sent her a package and he wanted it back. Authorities then found the unopened package in the campus mailroom. The hearing was being held to try to determine who told Fox News that the package contained a notebook outlining violent plans.

SEATTLE MAN SENT TO JAIL FOR LIFE FOR GIRL'S 1957 KILLING: A 73-year-old Seattle man who was convicted in September of kidnapping and killing a young girl in Illinois 55 years ago was sentenced Monday (December 10th) to life in prison. Seven-year-old Maria Ridulph was abducted and killed in December 1957. Prosecutors charged that Jack McCullough, who was then 17, approached Ridulph and a friend in front of Ridulph's house and played with them for a while. When the other girl ran home to get her mittens,
McCullough dragged Maria into an alley and choked her with a wire, then stabbed
her in the throat and chest. Prosecutors say he then put her body into his car and drove more than 100 miles to where he disposed of her body in a wooded area, where it wasn't found until the next April. McCullough was briefly a suspect, but had what seemed like a solid alibi, saying he'd been traveling to Chicago for a medical exam before joining the Air Force. However, in 2010, investigators looking at the case again reinterviewed a woman who dated McCullough in 1957 and asked her to search through some personal items, and she found his unused train ticket for that day. Additionally, the friend who'd been playing with Ridulph picked
McCullough's photo out of a lineup as the man who'd approached them that day.

STUDY: BRAIN CELLS CAN BE CREATED FROM URINE: A new study led by a Chinese stem cell biologist claims that brain cells can be created from human urine, allowing a way to study disease and even potentially avoid the debate over stem cell research and treatment.
The process works by transforming cells present in the urine into precursors of brain cells, known as neural progenitor cells. The study says the cells from urine are a, quote, "much more accessible source" than those from skin and blood. There is another potential benefit as well, in that embryonic stem cells have a high risk of developing tumors, which reportedly wouldn't be an issue with cells taken from urine.

NHL CANCELS MORE GAMES: The news from the NHL just keeps getting worse, as the league yesterday (December 10th) canceled another 16 days worth of games, through December 30th, as the lockout goes on. All games through December 14th had already been wiped out, and the lost games together make up nearly 43 percent of the regular season that was supposed to start in October. The latest round of negotiations between the league and the players' association broke off last week, but NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the
two sides are trying to restart talks this week. Meanwhile, the cancellation of the entire season becomes more and more of a possibility. Commissioner Gary Bettman said last week that a
season must consist of at least 48 games to protect its integrity.

DAVE GROHL CONFIRMS NOT TOURING WITH QUEENS, SAYS THEM CROOKED VULTURES WILL RETURN: Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has confirmed that he will
not be part of the touring lineup of Queens Of The Stone Age, according to NME. Even though Grohl plays drums on the upcoming Queens studio set, he told CBS Local that
he will not join the group on the road. Grohl played drums on the Queens' 2002 album, Songs For The Deaf, and did go on a short club tour with the group before returning to active duty
with the Foos -- who took Queens Of The Stone Age out as support.

As for his other project with Queens frontman Josh Homme, Them Crooked Vultures,
Grohl said that he expects the currently dormant power trio -- which also featured Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones -- to return. He revealed, "We've talked about it, I know that someday we'll get back together and do stuff, because we love playing with each other."

ROCK QUICK HITS:

• Blink-182 has released "Boxing Day," the first track from the punk
       trio's upcoming EP, Dogs Eating Dogs. The set is due out December
       19th and is the band's first new collection of music since leaving
       Interscope Records earlier this year. It will be out in three different
       packages. Check out the tune at http://tinyurl.com/by3p9a2 (Billboard)
• Trent Reznor has revealed that two brand new Nine Inch Nails songs will
       be included on a greatest hits compilation coming out in 2014 from the
       band's former label, Interscope Records. Those new tracks will preview a
       new full-length NIN album due out sometime after that. Meanwhile, Reznor
       also said that he is developing a music streaming service called
       "Daisy" with hip-hop mogul Dr. Dre, which aims to help
       listeners find music they like through a less random approach than other
       online services. Reznor explained, "What's missing is a system that
       adds a layer of intelligent curation . . . It's like having your own guy
       when you go into the record store, who knows what you like but can also
       point you down some paths you wouldn't necessarily have encountered."
       (The New Yorker)
• Danish rockers Volbeat plan to unveil some new music on a five-date tour of their home country in late February 2013. Volbeat has been off the road for the latter half of 2012, recording the follow-up to 2010's breakthrough album Beyond Hell/Above Heaven.  A North American tour is in the works for March, with the new disc slated
       to arrive sometime in the first half of 2013. (Loudwire)

LUKE SKYWALKER'S LIGHTSABER TO BE AUCTIONED OFF: The lightsaber used by Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi is being auctioned off along with other props from the movie franchise. It is expected to fetch up to $50,000.

GISELE & TOM BRADY WELCOME DAUGHTER: Tom Brady and Gisele have named their daughter Vivian Lake. Vivian was born last Wednesday (December 5.)

4TH ACCUSER COMES FORWARD AGAINST KEVIN CLASH: Another accuser has come out saying that he had a sexual relationship with Kevin Clash when he was under age. The anonymous alleged victim says the two met in Miami when Clash was in his mid-30's and the
boy was only 16 or 17.

AUSTRALIAN DJS BREAK SILENCE OVER SUICIDE: Mel Greig and Michael Christian, the two DJs who pranked Jacintha Saldanha, have finally made statements regarding the
nurse's death. They had been silent and off the air since the tragedy occurred.

Greig appeared on Australia's A Current Affair and tearfully told the reporter, "There's not a minute that goes by where we don't think about her family and what they must be going through and the thought we may have played a part in that is gut-wrenching." She went on to say that she wants to reach out to Saldanha's family to apologize. Her co-host Michael added
that he hopes her family gets the love and support that they need but also took a more defensive stand saying, "We thought a hundred people before us would've tried it."

• The pair deactivated their social media accounts after being attacked on their pages once the story broke.
• Their show has been pulled off the air indefinitely.

WHITE HOUSE PETITIONED TO BUILD DEATH STAR: Over 13,000 people have signed an
official petition on WhiteHouse.gov demanding that the United States government secure funds and resources to begin construction of a Death Star by 2016. According to the petition, "By focusing our defense resources into a space-superiority platform and weapon system such as a Death Star, the government can spur job creation in the fields of construction, engineering, space exploration, and more, and strengthen our national defense." As of Monday (December 10th), it was the most popular petition on the site. (Fox News)

FESTIVUS POLE ADDED TO FLORIDA TOWN'S HOLIDAY DISPLAY: An 8-foot-tall aluminum Festivus pole has been erected near Deerfield Beach, Florida's Nativity display. Activist blogger Chaz Stevens got permission from the city to assemble his metallic pole, consisting of 23 beer cans, as an expression of his non-religious beliefs. The Festivus Pole is a
symbol of a Dec. 23 atheist "holiday" that became a pop culture hit after being featured in a "Seinfeld" episode. (Sun-Sentinel)

DUTCHMAN LAUNCHES LIFE-SIZED REPLICA OF NOAH'S ARK: Dutchman Johan Huibers has launched a full-scale, functioning model of Noah's Ark. Huibers, a Christian, spent the last
20 years using God's instructions to Noah from the book of Genesis to build the vessel, which by modern measurements is 427 feet long, 95 feet across and 75 feet high. It may not contain two of every animal but it does feature a petting zoo, a restaurant and a movie theater. (AP)

CHOCOLATE MAY HELP CALM YOUR COUGH: A compound found in cocoa has been shown to reduce cough symptoms in a new study. For the study 300 people with persistent coughs were given theobromine, which is derived from raw ingredients of chocolate, twice a day for two weeks. Researchers say that early results indicate that 60-percent of patients experienced some degree of relief, however symptoms returned once treatment stopped. Researchers say that each dosage of theobromine given each time was one-thousand milligrams-- unsweetened dark chocolate contains about 450-milligrams per ounce, while sweetened dark chocolate contains about 150-milligrams per ounce. (Daily Mail)

NEW FACEBOOK TREND: ANNOYMOUS "COMPLIMENT PAGES": High school and college students have started a new Facebook trend - anonymous "compliment pages." The
first of these compliment pages was reportedly started by four students at Queens University in Ontario, Canada. The page instructs visitors to "inbox a compliment for a Queen's student and have it published anonymously." The trend has since become popular in the U.S. and in Canada, there are now 98 compliment pages on Facebook. (NBC News)