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Middle East
11:54 am
Wed December 26, 2012

Syria's War Leaves Its Scars On The Children

Originally published on Wed December 26, 2012 6:57 pm

The war in Syria is taking a huge toll on the children. An international team of researchers that interviewed Syrian kids in a refugee camp in Turkey found that 3 out of 4 have lost a loved one. Almost half have post-traumatic stress disorder and elevated levels of depression.

There are efforts to help, but it's challenging. In the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, the bell rings at 8 a.m. at the Friendship Elementary School. Syrian kids, in fresh school uniforms, cram into desks, with more than 40 students in every classroom.

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The Two-Way
11:33 am
Wed December 26, 2012

N.Y. Website Posts Map Of People With Gun Permits, Draws Criticism

Credit The Journal News
The Journal News' map of gun owners in Rockland County, N.Y. At its website, the image is interactive so that users can see who has handgun permits and where they live.

Originally published on Wed December 26, 2012 1:49 pm

The website of New York's Journal News newspapers has posted an interactive map showing the names and addresses of people with licenses to own handguns in three counties just to the north of New York City — Westchester, Rockland and Putnam.

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Shots - Health News
10:29 am
Wed December 26, 2012

Dip In Preschoolers' Obesity Hints Worst May Be Past For Weight

Credit John Moore / Getty Images
An overweight child reads her part during a skit that was in a 2010 program promoting healthy lifestyles sponsored by Children's Hospital near Denver.

Obesity among preschoolers has dropped a bit, offering hope that a decades-long trend towards dangerously overweight children may finally be on the wane. If the trend continues, it could mean healthier adults in the future.

The findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention follow a reports earlier this year that found declines in obesity rates among school-aged children.

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Around the Nation
10:17 am
Wed December 26, 2012

A Lull Until New Year's? Not So These Days

Credit Suzanne Kreiter / The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The CambridgeSide Galleria was bustling with people exchanging gifts and taking advantage of sales the day after Christmas 2011.

Originally published on Wed December 26, 2012 12:32 pm

Time was, the stretch following Christmas Day until New Year's Day was a quiet, sleepy spot on the American calendar. The six-day span hung like a lazy hammock between the holidays.

Not anymore.

Nowadays, the WAC — Week After Christmas — is busy and abuzzing. All around the country, Americans continue to celebrate — Kwanzaa, the Christmas afterglow and the coming New Year.

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The Two-Way
10:14 am
Wed December 26, 2012

Gunman Who Killed Two Firefighters Left Chilling Note

Credit Reuters /Landov
William Spengler, in an undated image released by the Monroe County (N.Y.) Sheriff's Office.

We're learning more about Monday's shooting deaths of two firefighters in Webster, N.Y., and the man who police say lured the first responders to the scene by setting fire to his home.

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The Two-Way
8:48 am
Wed December 26, 2012

'Housing Recovery Is Gathering Strength,' New Report On Prices Signals

Credit Daniel Acker / Landov
A "sold" sign outside a home under construction in Peoria, Ill., in October.

Home prices were up 4.3 percent in October from the same month a year before in the 20 major U.S.

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The Two-Way
7:59 am
Wed December 26, 2012

By Showing Ammo Magazine On NBC, Did David Gregory Break The Law?

Credit NBC News
Meet the Press host David Gregory, holding what he said was a high capacity magazine, during Sunday's broadcast.

Originally published on Wed December 26, 2012 1:50 pm

Washington, D.C., city police are investigating whether NBC News' David Gregory broke the district's laws when he displayed what he said was a "magazine for ammunition that carries 30 bullets" on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press.

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Politics
7:44 am
Wed December 26, 2012

After Beating Allen West, House Freshman Faces New Fight

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Rep.-elect Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., speaks during a news conference introducing 37 of the newly elected House Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13.

Of the eight new seats that Democrats picked up in the House of Representatives in November, four of them come from Florida.

Democrats were aided by a big turnout for President Obama, plus new rules that helped erase a Republican advantage in how districts are drawn in the Sunshine State.

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The Two-Way
6:59 am
Wed December 26, 2012

Top Stories: Frightful Weather; Fiscal Cliffhanger; Soft Shopping Season

Credit David Grunfeld / The Times-Picayune /Landov
Will someone come back to fill it up? On Christmas Day at the Lakeside Mall in New Orleans, this shopping cart sat all alone. After what's been said to have been a soft holiday shopping season, retailers are hoping that post-holiday sales will be strong.

Good morning.

Our early headline:

-- Weather Outside Is Frightful; Tornadoes, Snow, Rain Lash Much Of Nation.

Some of the other stories making news today:

-- " 'Fiscal Cliff' To Bring President Obama Back Early From Hawaii." (Los Angeles Times)

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Around the Nation
6:43 am
Wed December 26, 2012

Blind Dog Returned To Alaska Family

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

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