GOP MOVING TO RAISE DEBT CEILING -- BUT ONLY FOR THREE MONTHS: House Republicans have decided to vote to raise the debt ceiling and avoid the crisis of a potential first-ever U.S. default -- but only for three months.  The GOP had been gearing up to try to extract spending cuts from the Democrats in return for raising the government's borrowing cap, but are set to vote today (January 23rd) instead in the House on legislation to raise the borrowing cap enough for three months' worth of obligations. The White House said yesterday
that it wouldn't oppose the measure, even though President Obama last week said incremental debt ceiling increases were harmful to the economy. But the White House is apparently okay with the proposal because it separates the debt ceiling from other upcoming fiscal battles and signaled that Republicans are at least for now not going to demand
a dollar of spending cuts for every dollar of federal borrowing, as House Speaker John Boehner long has demanded. The GOP strategy is apparently to avoid a battle that could cause a government default, and instead clash in March over automatic across-the-board
spending cuts that are set to hit the Pentagon and many domestic programs.

ISRAELI ELECTIONS END IN SURPRISE DEADLOCK: In a stunningly unexpected result, Israel's elections ended Wednesday (January 23rd) in a deadlock between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc and center-left rivals, forcing him to scramble to try to put together a coalition from both sides. With 99.8 percent of the votes counted, each had 60 of the parliament's 120 seats, a result that badly weakens Netanyahu, who called early elections three months ago and had been expected to have an easy victory, although he's
expected to remain the prime minister since the center-left's 60 seats contain 12 from Arab parties who traditionally don't join governing coalitions. An unexpectedly strong showing by a new party, the centrist Yesh Atid, upset the pre-election forecasts. Yesh Atid's leader has said he would only join a government committed to sweeping economic changes and a serious push to resume peace talks with the Palestinians.

TOP COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN CLEARED IN PETRAEUS SCANDAL: The top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has been cleared by a Pentagon inquiry
into potentially inappropriate email communications with a Florida socialite. Marine General John Allen was placed under investigation in November over email exchanges with Jill Kelley, one of the women at the center of the scandal that forced retired General David Petraeus
to resign as CIA director. Allen had denied any wrongdoing and President Obama kept him in his job. Now that he's been cleared, it's likely his nomination to the military's top job in Europe will be put back on track.

CLINTON TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS TODAY ON BENGHAZI: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify before Congress today (January 23rd) about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last September that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Clinton, who will appear separately before both the
Senate and House foreign policy committees, had been scheduled to testify last month, but an illness, followed by a concussion after a fall and a subsequent blood clot near her brain forced her to postpone her appearance.

NORTH KOREA SAYS WILL STRENGTHEN MILITARY DEFENSES AFTER U.N. CONDEMNATION:  North Korea lashed out Wednesday (January 23rd) against the U.N. Security Council's condemnation hours earlier of its December launch of a long-range rocket, saying defiantly that it will strengthen its military defenses, including its nuclear weaponry, in response. The U.N. resolution also expanded sanctions against the North. North Korea maintained the launch was a peaceful attempt to send a satellite into space, not a test of long-range missile technology. However, the wording of its response suggests, according to
analysts, that the North may conduct a nuclear test. That would fit in a pattern by North Korea, which in 2006 and 2009 followed up rocket launches just weeks later by testing nuclear devices.

TALIBAN RESPONDS TO PRINCE HARRY'S COMMENTS ON FIGHTING IN AFGHANISTAN: Taliban leaders have fired back at Britain's Prince Harry over comments he
made during media interviews he gave as he returned home after a five-month tour in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot. The 28-year-old Harry, who said he killed insurgents during his time in Afghanistan, compared piloting the helicopter to playing a video game. He said in a BBC interview, "It's a joy for me because I'm one of those people who loves playing PlayStation and Xbox. So with my thumbs I like to think I'm probably quite useful." A Taliban spokesman told London's Telegraph newspaper, "To describe the war in Afghanistan as a game demeans anyone -- especially a prince, who is supposed to be made of better things. It shows the lack of understanding, of knowledge. It shows they are unfamiliar with the situation and shows why they are losing. . . . It's not a game. It's very, very
real." The same Taliban spokesman had told Reuters about Harry while he
was still deployed, "We are using all our strength to get rid of him, either by killing or kidnapping."

BLOCKBUSTER TO CLOSE 300 MORE STORES: The steep fall of former industry leader Blockbuster continues, with the company announcing Tuesday (January 22nd) that it will close some 300 stores and slash about 3,000 jobs in the coming weeks. The company, which was bought by Dish Network in 2010 after going bankrupt, will continue to operate about
500 stores in the U.S., down from 1,700 in 2011 and thousands more at its peak in 2004. Blockbuster has struggled in recent years to compete with Redbox and Netflix, and has tried to counter them by offering on-demand digital streaming services, mail order plans, and Blockbuster Express kiosks.

CAR CRASHES ARE MORE DEADLY FOR OBESE DRIVERS: A new study found that in addition to the other health risks it presents, obesity also increases the risk of dying if a person is involved in a car crash. The research found that obese drivers, meaning those
with a body mass index between 30 and 35, were 20 percent more likely to die during a car crash compared to normal-weight individuals, and those who were morbidly obese, with a BMI of 40 and over, were 80 percent more likely to die. Researchers said that obese people are more likely to have medical conditions that may increase their risk of dying during a car crash, and that car design may also play a role. One study found obese drivers traveled farther in their seats before their seat belts engaged in the pelvis area during a crash compared to
normal-weight drivers.

MORE THAN 4 IN 10 AMERICANS NOW CHOSE CREMATION OVER BURIAL: The funeral industry is a big business in America, amounting to some $17 billion annually, according to CNBC, which says the fastest growing part of it is cremation, as Americans' attitudes have shifted. In 2011, 42 percent of those who died were cremated, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, double the rate of just 15 years earlier. And in some states,
mostly in the West, the cremation rate is over 70 percent. There are several factors behind this big rise, among them the Catholic Church's ending of its ban on the practice and the spreading out geographically of families, with more Americans farther from their hometowns and parents, making cremation a more practical way to care for a loved one's remains. But the biggest factor is cost, with a cremation about one-third or less as expensive as burial.

SPORTS: SAINTS' COACH PAYTON'S SUSPENSION LIFTED EARLY: Sean Payton is back as coach of the New Orleans Saints after his season-long suspension for his role in the Saints' bounty program was lifted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Tuesday (January 22nd), nearly two weeks earlier than expected.  The move allows Payton to attend the Senior Bowl on Saturday, where some of the top college players available for the NFL draft will be competing. The suspension was scheduled to end after the Super Bowl on February 3rd, but was moved up after Payton and Goodell met on Monday.

WOMAN WHOSE PHOTO USED IN TE'O FAKE GIRLFRIEND HOAX SPEAKS OUT: The woman whose photo was used for the Twitter account of Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend, who supposedly died in September, has spoken out, saying the man allegedly behind the hoax confessed and apologized to her. Los Angeles marketing executive Diane O'Meara told
NBC's Today show Tuesday (January 22nd) that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo used pictures of her without her knowledge in creating a fake woman called Lennay Kekua. The 23-year-old O'Meara went to high school with Tuiasosopo, but says they're not close. She says he called to
apologize on January 16th, the day Deadspin.com broke the hoax story, but she stated, "I don't think there's anything he could say to me that would fix this." Te'o maintains he was tricked into an online romance with Kekua and didn't realize the who thing was fake until last week. He's scheduled to appear on Katie Couric's talk show on Thursday.

CHRIS CORNELL ON FUTURE SOUNDGARDEN ALBUMS: ‘I DON’T SEE ANY REASON WHY NOT.’  Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell is confident that King Animal is just the
start of a new phase for the group, with more new albums to come. Unlike many
reunited acts who make one album at most and call it quits again, Cornell told Pulse of Radio that he thinks Soundgarden can go the distance: "I think it can. I don't see any reason
why not. The overall attitude about keeping it going, that attitude seems to be really good. I mean, there's nothing stopping us from continuing to make records, that's for sure, and continuing to play shows. We had a great experience doing this album and since we've been back together everything we've done has kind of been that way."

• Cornell told Billboard.com about the way the band is handling itself these days, "I think that's a simple as us making the conscious decision to not be influenced by
       anything other than what the four of us want to do and not putting a
       business version of a timeline on it. Our attitude is that we're doing
       this because we love it and because it matters to us and not for any other
       reason, and everything else kind of takes care of itself."
• The group, which reunited in 2010 after a 13-year layoff, recorded King Animal last year and released it in November. It's the band's first new set of studio material since 1996's Down On The Upside.
• Soundgarden kicked off a North American tour last week that brought the band over the weekend to Washington D.C., where they performed as part of the festivities surrounding the second inauguration of President Barack Obama.
•  

ROCK QUICK HITS:

• Paramore has officially released "Now," the first single from the
       band's upcoming self-titled fourth album. In a recent message to fans, the
       band said about the track, "It just feels like the perfect way to
       start this new journey we are embarking on not only as a band but as a
       movement. To show people that you can lose battles but come back and win
       full on wars. You can rise from ashes. You can make something out of even
       less than nothing. The only thing you have to do is keep moving
       forward!" The new disc, the band's first since its contentious split
       with founding members Josh and
       Zac Farro in late 2010, is
       due out on April 9th and follows 2009's Brand New Eyes.

• Deftones released its latest album, Koi No Yokan, in several different vinyl versions on Tuesday (January 22nd). The four configurations include a standard retail version pressed on 140-gram black vinyl, limited to 3,000 copies; a direct-to-consumer version on 180-gram black vinyl with foil-stamped numbered jackets, limited to 1,000 pieces; an international edition; and an exclusive 1,500-copy edition sold through
       Hot Topic retailers pressed on 140-gram clear-colored vinyl. Koi No Yokan came out last November and debuted at Number 11 on the Billboard album chart. The band kicks off a spring headlining tour in support of the disc on March 1st in Toronto. (Blabbermouth)
• Is Pearl Jam planning a show at Chicago's legendary Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs? Both the band and the Cubs posted updates on their Twitter pages on
       Tuesday (January 22nd) with the hashtag #StayTuned. The Cubs' tweet showed
       a team jersey with the number 10 on it, while the group's post asked if
       fans remembered a previous show in the Windy City. Pearl Jam later issued a second tweet that contained a photo of a massive stage on the field. There's no word yet on when the presumed gig will happen. (Antimusic)

GUNS N’ ROSES ISSUE TEASER CLIP FROM 3D CONCERT FILM: All the news lately seems to be about Metallica's upcoming 3D movie, but their one-time tour mates Guns N' Roses have their own stereoscopic concert epic coming as well. Guns filmed one of the shows during their recent 12-show residency last November at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas and will release it at some point in 2013. The disc will be the band's first concert DVD in more than 20 years.

The DVD was filmed on November 21st and while the final set list for the 3D release has yet to be determined, the show that night was more than three hours long and included 26 songs spanning the entire range of Guns' history and lineups. Tracks that could appear include
"Chinese Democracy," "Welcome To The Jungle," "Mr. Brownstone," "Estranged," "You Could Be Mine" and more.

• The group has released a teaser clip of the final song of the show, "Paradise City."
• The film will also see a limited release in theaters, along with video-on-demand outlets.
• Guns N' Roses will head to Australia in March for a handful of shows that include
       stops in Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

CHECK IT OUT: Watch the DVD teaser clip featuring "Paradise City":

'IRON MAN 3' TO BE RELEASED IN IMAX 3D: IMAX corporation has announced that Iron Man 3 will be released in IMAX 3D format. The Marvel flick will hit theaters on April 25th internationally and on May 3rd domestically.

ABC PULLS 'DON'T TRUST THE B-' FROM SCHEDULE: ABC has pulled the plug on the James Van Der Beek sitcom Don't Trust the B-- in Apartment 23 after two seasons. The network will double up on episodes of Happy Endings to fill the empty space in the schedule.

HBO TO DEVELOP 'BORED TO DEATH' INTO A FILM: HBO has put a feature film version of their cancelled series Bored To Death into production. The series ran for three seasons
and starred Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, and Ted Danson.

JAMES FRANCO TO DIRECT 'AMERICAN TABLOID': James Franco has announced that he will direct and star in American Tabloid. The film will be based on a 1995 novel by James
Ellroy of the same name.

TBS CANCELS 'THE WEDDING BAND': TBS has cancelled its musical comedy The Wedding Band which premiered in November but did not catch on with viewers during its 10-episode run. The show starred Brian Austin Green and Harold Perrineau.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO NEEDS A BREAK: After filming three movies in two years, Leonardo DiCaprio told Germany's Bild, "I'm a little bit drained, I am now going to take a long, long break." DiCaprio can be seen in Django Unchained and upcoming films The Great Gatsby and The Wolf of Wall Street.

TREES LINKED WITH HUMAN HEALTH, STUDY SAYS: Researchers say results of a new study show that people experience more deaths from heart disease and respiratory disease when they live in areas where trees had disappeared. The study is published in the American
Journal of Preventative Medicine, and includes data from nearly 1,300-counties spread over 15-states. Researchers examined how many deaths from heart and  respiratory disease occurred in 18-years, and found that areas affected by beetles that kill trees had 15-thousand more deaths from heart disease and six-thousand more deaths from respiratory disease than in areas without the beetles. (Huffington Post)

FLU-FIGHTING SORBET? Common home remedies for the flu might include chicken soup or hot tea, but what if it another home rememdy was something colder? A small-batch ice cream company claims they can cure the flu with their product called "Influenza Sorbet." Jeni's Splended Ice Creams says the cold concotion includes Maker's Mark bourbon, lemon, cayenne pepper, ginger, honey, and a small dose of pectin, which is found in cough drops. Company owner Jeni Britton Bauer says it eases sore throats and clears up nasal passages. (Fox News)

RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR ASSOCIATED WITH A GENE: A new study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports finds that risk-takers are more
likely to have a certain-gene than those that are not risk-takers. Researchers studied nearly 500-skiers and snowboards and found that people with with the particular gene were more likely to agree with thrill-seeking statements such as, "I like to go down runs I've never been down before" than those without the gene. Researchers say the gene is releated to dopamine, which is associated with reward-seeing tendancies, in the body. (Men's Health)