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AP U.S. NewsBrief at 4:20 p.m. EST
[December 10, 2012]

AP U.S. NewsBrief at 4:20 p.m. EST


(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) AP PHOTOS: World marks Human Rights DayNEW YORK (AP) _ The United Nations marked Human Rights Day on Monday by declaring that everyone has the right to be heard and to shape the decisions that affect their lives and communities. "International law is clear: No matter who you are, or where you live, your voice counts," U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the day.



Ariz. Powerball jackpot winner's name releasedPHOENIX (AP) _ The second winner of the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot is a 37-year-old electronics industry professional who grew up in a modest home in Pennsylvania and moved to an affluent Phoenix suburb last year before striking it rich in the lotto. The winner is Matthew Good of Fountain Hills, who chose to remain anonymous after claiming the prize last week. Lottery winners in Arizona are a matter of public record, and The Associated Press filed a public records request to learn his name.

Brig boss: Manning's treatment closely watchedFORT MEADE, Md. (AP) _ The former boss of a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., testified Monday that she was shocked when the base commander asked for advance notice of any orders she planned to give regarding the confinement of Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier charged with sending classified information to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. The request was surprising because brig commanders have sole authority to determine the custody status of detainees, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Denise Barnes said. She testified on the 10th day of a pretrial hearing at Fort Meade, near Baltimore, to determine whether the nine months Manning spent in tight confinement at Quantico amounted to illegal pretrial punishment, possibly warranting dismissal of his case.


APNewsBreak: Sotomayor book offers personal lookWASHINGTON (AP) _ Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor says in her upcoming memoir that her lifelong battle against diabetes and the fear that she might die early played a big part in her decision not to have children. The 58-year-old Sotomayor says in an unusually personal book for a Supreme Court justice that she feels an occasional tug of regret at not having borne or adopted children. The memoir, "My Beloved World," is being published by Knopf in January. An early copy was sent by the publisher to The Associated Press.

Cops knew man who killed 4 on Calif. reservationPORTERVILLE, Calif. (AP) _ Authorities on Monday were trying to determine what prompted a man to kill four family members and wound two others on a rural Indian reservation in California. Hector Celaya, 31, had had contact with police, but there was no indication that he would go on a shooting rampage on the Tule River Indian Reservation, tribal police chief Mike Blain said.

Fiscal cliff stalemate spurs anxiety in statesJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ A plunge over the federal "fiscal cliff" may sound like a terrifying risk for many state officials anxiously watching as Washington struggles to avert automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to start with the new year. Yet their greatest angst may stem not from the potential loss of billions of dollars, but the confusion surrounding it all. The longer the White House and Congress remain at odds, the more difficult it becomes for governors and lawmakers who are trying to piece together their own budgets. Many states depend on federal grants to help finance education, environmental and community programs that are on the chopping block. Their economies are powered by military bases and defense contractors that could get whacked. And their state income tax revenues could rise or fall as a direct result of federal tax hikes.

4 years in, Madoff trustee still pursuing assetsNEW YORK (AP) _ When he was first told in 2008 about Bernard Madoff's epic Ponzi scheme, attorney David Sheehan had a response that now sounds inconceivable. "Who," he wondered, "is Bernie Madoff " Obama criticizes Michigan right-to-work billsREDFORD, Mich. (AP) _ President Barack Obama says right-to-work legislation in Michigan is more about politics than economics. He is criticizing a measure that would prevent requiring non-union employees to financially support unions at their workplace. Obama received loud applause at a Michigan engine plant when he said we shouldn't be "taking away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions." Obama tax plan no small deal to small businessmenWASHINGTON (AP) _ President Barack Obama's plan to increase taxes on top earners would have only a small impact on the nation's economy, according to congressional budget experts. But don't tell that to small business owners facing a tax hike. Obama's proposal would hit about 940,000 people who report business income on their individual or household returns, says the Joint Committee on Taxation, the official scorekeeper for Congress. That's only 3.5 percent of the people who report business income, but those business owners are projected to earn 53 percent of the $1.3 trillion in business income that will be reported on individual returns next year.

Pot legalized in Colo. with gov's proclamationDENVER (AP) _ Marijuana for recreational use became legal in Colorado Monday, when the governor took the procedural step of declaring the voter-approved change part of the state constitution. Colorado became the second state after Washington to allow pot use without a doctor's recommendation. Both states prohibit public use of the drug, and commercial sales in Colorado and Washington won't be permitted until after regulations are written next year.

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