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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Huge Wave of Google App Updates Hits iOS, Android

Google just brought iPhone and Android phone users a holiday gift. Google Maps has returned to the iPhone, this time in the form of its own separate app, while Google Currents — the company’s Flipboard-style online magazine app for Android — received a substantial update as well.Besides the two big updates, about a half-dozen other apps for Android and Google TV received bug fixes and new features,...

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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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Gov. Scott calls for bids to build transparency web site

TALLAHASSEE -- A budget tracking web site paid for by Florida taxpayers but never made public will remain on the shelf as Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that he will seek bids to create a public budget watchdog site and the vendors of the existing system can get in line with everyone else. “We have decided to begin a competitive procurement process to contract with a company...

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Celebs Tweet Reactions to CT School Shooting

There was breaking news this morning out of Newtown, Connecticut when at least one gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. CBS News is reporting that a minimum of 27 people were killed in this massacre, including an estimated 18 young children.Lt. J. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police held a press conference to assure concerned citizens that "the scene is secure" and "the shooter...

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SHOCKING AUDIO: Gunman's rampage took only minutes, cop radio calls reveal

AFP/Getty ImagesState Police inspect the area near Sandy Hook Elementary School.Judging by the radio calls, it took only a few minutes for a gunman to snuff out the lives of 20 Newtown school children and six adults.The first word of the horrifying Newtown school shooting went out over the town’s police radio at 9:36 this morning. Two minutes later,...

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Gasoline prices soon to hit low point for 2012

Gas prices will soon drop to their lowest level of the year. By Monday, the national average should fall below the $3.28 a gallon that drivers paid on Jan. 1, according to analysts. The drop is a gift for those hitting the road during what is expected to be the busiest Christmas travel season in six years. Still, it’s more like a stocking stuffer. That’s because for the second...

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Citizens to postpone action on controversial loan program

TALLAHASSEE -- Citizens Property Insurance Corp will shelve a controversial $350 million loan program while it gathers data and looks at more options to reduce its number of policies. Citizens Chief Financial Officer Sharon Binnun told a Citizens’ panel Thursday that recent success in other depopulation efforts and uncertainty over the long-term success of those efforts...

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iPhone 5 hits China as Apple market share slips

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The China release of its iPhone 5 on Friday should win Apple Inc some respite from a recent slide in its share of what is likely already the world’s biggest smartphone market, but its longer-term hopes may depend on new technology being tested by China‘s top telecoms carrier.Cupertino, California-based Apple has been in talks about a tie-up with China Mobile for four years. A...

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'Star Trek' Stars Take on Warp Speed Round

How well do the stars of Star Trek Into Darkness know their source material? We put Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Alice Eve, Benedict Cumberbatch and director J.J. Abrams to the test by throwing a little unexpected Trek trivia their way in a fun "Warp Speed Round." Watch the video!One Step Closer to 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Soaring into theaters and IMAX 3D on May...

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Frail-looking Anthony Marshall appears in court for appellate hearing

Daniel ShapiroBrooke Astor's son Anthony Marshall and his wife Charlene leave court today.A frail, pale, weary-looking Anthony Marshall was rolled in his wheelchair into the audience of the Manhattan Appellate Division today -- the unofficial Exhibit A in arguments that he really oughtn't go to jail for swindling millions from his famous, white-gloved philanthropist...

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Florida leads nation in foreclosure activity

Florida led the nation in foreclosure activity for the third month running in November, a dubious distinction that will likely dampen the momentum of the real estate recovery in the coming year, according to RealtyTrac.Even as foreclosure activity decreased nationally, foreclosure filings in Florida jumped 20 percent in November from a year earlier and rose 3 percent from...

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PSC takes up pivotal case allowing FPL to raise rates through 2016

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida utility regulators on Thursday will consider one of the most pivotal cases of their term — whether to approve a base rate increase of more than $543 million for Florida Power & Light without the consent of the office that represents consumers.The proposed settlement, which would mean a $1 increase for average customers next year with additional...

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‘The Hobbit’: Like One Bad Video Game

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Peter Jackson‘s landmark, blockbuster Lord of the Rings films was that they made fans, through a combination of stunning landscapes and intricate special effects and soaring music and dramatic spectacle, feel as though we were seeing an almost impossible elevation of the potential size and scope of movies. Here was a rich, dense, sprawling series of films that...

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Ginnifer Goodwin's Ethereal Emmy Magazine Shoot

As the star of ABC's Once Upon a Time, Ginnifer Goodwin knows a thing or two about the fantastical, so it's only fitting that she would captivate readers and fans in a surreal cover shoot for Emmy magazine.RELATED: Once Upon A Time Gets Really DarkIn the pages of the issue, Goodwin explained why her role as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard was a match made in heaven."I felt like I had summoned it...

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2-year-old Bronx toddler saved by Good Samaritan after wandering into traffic

An adorable 2-year-old Bronx girl dodged death today after wandering alone out of her home and walking into a traffic-heavy street — where she was scooped up by a quick-thinking Good Samaritan.“As a father, this is nuts!” fumed Pepsi deliveryman Martin Rodriguez, 32, who spotted Samira Dawson teetering barefoot across busy White Plains Road in Parkchester...

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Lennar to borrow $1.7 billion from Chinese bank

Miami-based Lennar Corp. has gotten approval on $1.7 billion in loans from China Development Bank to fund the development and construction of two major projects in San Francisco, according to a person familiar with the transaction.The contract, set to close by Dec. 31 subject to various conditions, would mark the first U.S. loan by the big state-owned Chinese bank. One condition...

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Slated for execution, ex-Sweetwater cop enjoys Cuban-style last meal

STARKE -- Hours before he was set to be executed by lethal injection, ex-Sweetwater cop Manuel Pardo visited with eight relatives and friends and enjoyed a Cuban-style last meal.Pardo, who murdered nine people during a series of robberies in Miami-Dade in 1986, is to be executed at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison, just north of Gainesville.Pardo, who brashly urged jurors to...

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Jamie Foxx Dishes on Leonardo DiCaprio

It's an ET exclusive!On Wednesday Oscar-winner and Django Unchained star Jamie Foxx sits down with Nancy O'Dell to talk about his new film and open up about his interesting on-set relationship with co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.Video: Oscars Flashback '05: Jamie Foxx Wins for 'Ray' Also tomorrow, Anne Hathaway's style evolution and an update on Kate Middleton's health. Plus, we unveil a mystery Hollywood...

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OWS partiers cop plea deals for destructive bash

Four Occupy Wall Street protesters collared for breaking into a vacant Williamsburg building and throwing a destructive party copped plea deals in Brooklyn Supreme Court today that land them 105 hours of community service and $500 in restitution.The four radicals could have faced seven years in prison for their role in the illegal bash, which injured three...

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Brisker growth ahead in Latin America, Caribbean

Despite global economic uncertainties, Latin American and Caribbean economies are expected to show an uptick in 2013, according to a report released Tuesday by the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Next year, regional economies will grow by an estimated 3.8 percent, compared to 3.1 percent — the figure projected for 2012, said Alicia...

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Third person dies from injuries in bus crash at Miami International Airport

The bus that rammed into an overpass at Miami International Airport has claimed a third life. The crash happened a few minutes before 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 1. The bus carried members of a Jehovah’s Witness congregation on their way to the annual general assembly meeting in West Palm Beach.The driver, Ramon Ferreiro, 47, took a wrong turn on Le Jeune Road. He sped past multiple...

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Behind the New Modern Seinfeld Twitter Account, Which Is Not About Nothing

Seinfeld has never left our pop culture lexicon. Just recently we’ve seen it referenced in the presidential race and in Game of Thrones parodies. But what would the seminal “show about nothing” be like if its characters could use cell phones or Facebook? The @SeinfeldToday Twitter account, which popped up Sunday evening, ventures to propose of-the-moment plots for a modern Seinfeld....

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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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U-Haul chase suspect appears in Miami-Dade court on Sunday

The suspect arrested in connection with Friday’s chase through the streets of Miami-Dade in a rental U-Haul truck appeared in front of judge Sunday morning. Darrell Conyers, 45, made his first appearance in bond court. Conyers faces a number of charges including grand theft, fraud and resisting arrest with violence. During the hearing, the judge noted...

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Skyfall Regains its Lead Over Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2 lost its traction this weekend at the box office, dropping to the number three spot after three weeks at the top.Skyfall, the latest James Bond flick starring Daniel Craig, emerged triumphant for its fifth weekend in US theaters with an estimated $11 million earned between Friday and Sunday.Related: 'Skyfall' Wins Box Office, Sets Franchise Record Not far behind,...

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No apparent survivors: Singer Jenni Rivera believed dead in plane crash

MEXICO — Authorities in Mexico say the wreckage of a small plane believed to be carrying singing superstar Jenni Rivera has been found and there are no apparent survivors.Transportation and communication minister Gerardo Ruiz Esparza tells Mexican television that the plane was found in Nuevo Leon state without survivors.The minister said that "everything...

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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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