5 reasons Charlie Crist should (and shouldn’t) run for Florida governor

It was the biggest piece of thoroughly unsurprising news in months: Charlie Crist is becoming a Democrat. The next expectation is Crist will announce a campaign for Florida governor. He’s tanned, rested and ready after two years at a high-profile law firm and anyone who follows his career has a hard time picturing Crist out of public life forever. But the Florida Republicans’...

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Riveting Details Emerge from CT School Rampage

As morning turned to afternoon on Friday, further details continued to emerge from Newtown, CT, a tight-knit community shaken by a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took the lives of innocent students and teachers, in addition to the gunman, reportedly identified as Adam Lanza.RELATED: President Fights Tears as He Addresses NationAs President Barack Obama touched on in his tear-jerking...

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Domino's founder sues federal government over mandatory contraception coverage in Obamacare

DETROIT — The founder of Domino's Pizza is suing the federal government over mandatory contraception coverage in the health care law.Tom Monaghan, a devout Roman Catholic, says contraception isn't health care but a "gravely immoral" practice.He filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court. It also lists as a plaintiff Domino's Farms, a Michigan office park complex that Monaghan owns.Monaghan offers health...

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Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events

Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues...

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Florida lawmakers to look into FPL settlement

TALLAHASSEE -- The approval of a utility rate settlement opposed by the state’s consumer advocate is likely to come under scrutiny by the Florida Supreme Court and Legislature. Public Counsel J.R. Kelly said Friday that he probably will appeal the deal between Florida Power & Light Co. and groups representing industrial, health care and federal government customers. The...

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Sony’s PlayStation 4 could lose to the next Xbox before it’s even released

I love all game consoles equally. My Xbox 360 is used equally as much as my PlayStation 3. The Wii — oh, I’ll just leave it at that. The current generation of consoles is all but over — 10-year life cycle be damned — and new consoles are rumored to be coming next fall. If not next fall, then in 2014. Whatever is the case, Sony (SNE) can’t afford to lag in third place again. Sure, the Xbox...

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President Obama Fights Tears as He Addresses Nation

President Barack Obama addressed the nation moments ago to respond to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Having trouble composing his raw emotions, the president wiped tears streaming down his face.He said, "I offered Governor Malloy my condolences on behalf of the nation" and vowed to give the community "every resource" they need to recover.RELATED: Celebs Tweet Reactions...

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Emotional Obama on school shooting: Child victims 'had their entire lives ahead of them'

REUTERSPresident Obama speaks about the shooting.WASHINGTON – President Obama today wiped away tears and got a lump in his throat as he gave voice to America’s pain and anguish in the wake of a horrific shooting rampage in a Connecticut elementary school."The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful little kids between the ages of five...

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NBCUniversal bolsters Telemundo as US Latino market grows

Telemundo has long been like a remote Caribbean island, cut off from its sprawling media homeland. NBCUniversal acquired the Spanish-language television network a decade ago for $2 billion but became discouraged by its seemingly limited prospects. But Comcast Corp.’s takeover of NBCUniversal last year may be building Telemundo a bridge to the mainland. “Telemundo now has...

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Jackson Health System chairman says UM relationship has caused ‘irreparable harm’

Planning for a closed-door meeting next week to discussion strategic planning, board chairman Marcos Lapciuc said Thursday that the Jackson Health System needs to reconsider its future because it is currently “misaligned with our academic partner,” the University of Miami.Lapciuc said that the UM relationship in recent years has “created irreparable harm” to Jackson and has...

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Verizon Offering $5 Shared 4G Plan for Samsung Galaxy Camera

Imagine the powerful Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, except that it can’t make phone calls and its backplate has been replaced by a digital camera — handgrip, zoom lens, and all. That’s basically the Samsung Galaxy Camera in a nutshell, and whether it’s a small, awkwardly-shaped Android tablet or a digital camera that you can play Modern Combat 3 on depends on how you look at it.When the Galaxy Camera...

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Jennifer Lopez's Huge Christmas Charity Donation

Jennifer Lopez is really feeling the Holiday spirit.In a video posted to her YouTube page, Lopez invited her fans from all over the world to be a part of "the biggest Christmas gift ever." In the homemade clip, the superstar and her young twins Max and Emme encouraged J.Lo's 13+ million Twitter followers and 17 million Facebook fans to donate at least one dollar through December 17 (via Omaze) that...

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After 17 years, pair wrongly imprisoned for murder set free

Two people who spent 17 years in prison for the 1995 murder of livery cab driver Baithe Diop in The Bronx before being freed when evidence emerged they did not commit the crime had their convictions vacated and electronic monitoring devices removed from their ankles today.Eric Glisson and Cathy Watkins were greeted by thunderous applause from supporters...

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Europe takes step toward more stable banks

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – The European Union has taken its big first step toward keeping busted banks from costing taxpayers billions and dragging down government finances. After another marathon meeting, finance ministers from the 27 EU member countries agreed Thursday to give the European Central Bank the power to act as a banking watchdog for the 17 EU countries that use...

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Crime Watch: Be careful when giving to charities

Many of our neighbors in South Florida have fallen on hard times, and there are many organizations trying to help those with great needs such as food, school supplies, clothing and toys now for the holidays.Well, we all need to be extra careful to make sure we are dealing with real charitable organizations and not phony solicitations, and many of you asked what to look for.Let’s...

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Hunter Foster Bunheads Casting Exclusive

TV loves a sibling casting coups (Zooey Deschanel on Emily Deschanel's Bones, Justine Bateman on Jason Bateman's Arrested Development, William Baldwin on Alex Baldwin's 30 Rock), but ABC Family is about to stage the most musical double act of all-time on Bunheads! PHOTOS - Exclusive Bunheads First LookETonline can exclusively reveal that Sutton Foster's brother Hunter has been tapped to play her character's...

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Alleged parent killer thinks DNA evidence is 'funny,' pleads not guilty

The Queens drug addict accused of killing both his parents 15 months apart callously tried to claim that DNA evidence against him was nothing more than a remnant of his doting mom’s affection for him, prosecutors said.“Funny that you found DNA now, where did you find it — under her fingernails? My mother likes to run her fingers through my hair,” cocky...

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Fed to hold rates down until jobless rate is below 6.5%

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it plans to hold short-term interest rates near zero as long as the unemployment rate remains above 6.5 percent, reinforcing its commitment to improve labor market conditions.The Fed also said it would continue in the new year its monthly purchases of $85 billion in Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities, the second...

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South Florida students learn the effects of hatred

In a high school round table discussion, all eyes turned to 93-year-old Holocaust survivor Julius Eisenstein as he showed his identification tattoo: Number 1208.The tattoo was proof of the years he spent in the various concentration camps, but also proof of his survival. Eisenstein was one of 70 survivors who shared their stories Tuesday at Student Awareness Day, organized...

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Obama election tweet most repeated but Olympics tops on Twitter

(Reuters) – An election victory tweet from President Barack Obama — “Four more years” with a picture of him hugging his wife — was the most retweeted ever, but the U.S. election was topped by the Olympics as the most tweeted event this year.Obama’s tweet was retweeted (repeated) more than 810,000 times, Twitter said as it published a list of the most tweeted events in 2012. (http://2012.twitter.com/)“Within...

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Oscars Flashback '94: Tommy Lee Jones' Only One

In Tommy Lee Jones' long and storied career, he has taken part in many significant projects, including this year's early Oscar favorite Lincoln, as well as No Country For Old Men, Best Picture of 2008.But while several of Jones' projects hold the honor of winning Oscars, Tommy Lee won his only personal statuette at the '94 Oscars for his supporting role as Samuel Gerald in The Fugitive.In the press...

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Father of former firefighter accused of beating transsexual lover describes son's motherless upbringing

He wants his mother.There were more waterworks in the War of the Hoses assault trial today -- as beefy FDNY calendar boy Taylor Murphy called his own dad to the stand to talk about his motherless upbringing, and the anguished pair cried enough tears in open court to put out a small kitchen fire."I had custody [over Taylor and his two older brothers] from...

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Diageo moving office to Coral Gables

Diageo will move its Miami office to Coral Gables in the fall of 2013.The world’s leading spirits company will move from its current office at Blue Lagoon when its lease ends and relocate to 396 Alhambra Circle in Coral Gables. Diageo has 175 people based in its Miami office, the majority of whom work for the Latin American and Caribbean region that is headquartered in Miami....

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Keeping your identity safe during the holidays

I have received many emails regarding identity theft, particularly during this time of the year.I have turned to our FBI partners for information. Special Agent Darin M. Didier, a six-year veteran of the FBI who investigates identity theft for the FBI’s Miami Division, wrote this column.Have you ever found unauthorized purchases on your credit card or tried to file a tax...

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Busy Philipps Pregnant With Second Child

Cougar Town star Busy Philipps, 33, just revealed that she's expecting baby number two with her husband, screenwriter Marc Silverstein."So this happened ..." she tweeted, along with a picture of a Clearblue pregnancy test reading positive.Related: Busy Philipps Talks 'Cougar Town'Her rep later confirmed the happy news."I can confirm she is pregnant," Busy's rep, Carrie Byalick, told Life & Style.Video:...

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Fourth accuser sues Kevin Clash: Elmo's puppeteer had sensitive 'medical condition'

Elmo have hard problem.The fourth man to accuse “Sesame Street’’ puppeteer Kevin Clash of inappropriate sexual contact says the older man couldn’t get it up when the two were getting it on in Clash’s New York City pad around 1995, according the alleged victim’s civil lawsuit filed today in Manhattan Federal Court.At the time, Clash, then 35, blamed his...

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AutoNation: Back in the fast lane with expansion, higher sales

Despite an agonizingly slow economic recovery, the country’s largest auto retailer, Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation, is thriving again as demand for vehicles expands. The company, one of Florida’s largest, is posting increasingly strong profits and revenues. Just last week, in a sign of confidence, Autonation announced a major acquisition — buying six large auto stores in...

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Republican insider fight becomes headache for GOP

MiamiHerald.com/columnistsA Republican is suing the Republican Party of Florida, saying it disenfranchised him and some Republican voters.On its face, the lawsuit filed last week by former Miami-Dade School Board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla looks like a simple paperwork fight over an obscure party position. But the underpinnings of the case are much...

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Top 10 Tech This Week

1. Here Comes the First Real Alternative to iPhone and AndroidJolla, a Finnish startup, launched a new mobile OS called Sailfish, which the company believes will become a legitimate alternative to the Coke and Pepsi of smartphone platforms: Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Learn more about the new OS.Click here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: Jimmy Fallon and Mariah Carey Take on ‘All I...

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How They Pulled Off 'The Impossible'

The true story of the devastating 2004 tsunami that consumed the coast of Phuket, Thailand -- and how one family survived it -- is reenacted by Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in The Impossible. Watch the video to go behind the scenes...Video: Tsunami Survivor Petra Nemcova Reacts to Latest Disaster in JapanIn theaters December 21, The Impossible finds Naomi as Maria and Ewan as her husband Henry, who...

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Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera missing after plane disappears over Mexico

MEXICO — A small plane carrying Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera went missing early Sunday after taking off from the city of Monterrey, authorities in northern Mexico confirmed Sunday.Jorge Domene, spokesman for the Nuevo Leon state government, told Milenio television on Sunday that the plane left Monterrey about 3:30 a.m local time after a concert...

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Events showcase Miami’s growth as tech center

One by one, representatives from six startup companies walked onto the wooden stage and presented their products or services to a full house of about 200 investors, mentors, and other supporters Thursday at Incubate Miami’s DemoDay in the loft-like Grand Central in downtown Miami. With a large screen behind them projecting their graphs and charts, they set out to persuade...

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