On Saturday, Bay of Pigs invasion veterans mark 50 years since their release

In the days before Christmas 50 years ago this weekend, 1,113 Bay of Pigs fighters captured by Fidel Castro’s forces and imprisoned for 20 months were finally released to a heroes’ welcome in Miami.The first planeload of POWs arrived at Homestead Air Force Base on Dec. 23, 1962. Gaunt and betrayed by the John F. Kennedy administration, members of the proud Brigade 2506 were...

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Vatican says pope beats Justin Bieber on re-tweets

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Benedict, white-haired, 85, and a neophyte to social media site Twitter, has beaten out 18-year old heartthrob Justin Bieber to set a percentage record for re-tweeting by his followers, the Vatican said on Thursday.The Vatican newspaper said that as of noon Italian time on Thursday the pope had 2.1 million followers on Twitter, eight days after his first tweet was sent.While...

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Buzzmakers: New X Factor and Miss Universe Winners

What had ET readers buzzing this week?1. 'The X Factor' Crowns A Winner!And the $5 million recording contract goes to…Tate Stevens! The 37-year-old country crooner beat out runner-up 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar for the top prize Thursday night. 35 million votes were cast Wednesday to determine victory for L.A. Reid's mentee.Near tears, the Raymore, Missouri native thanked his fans for their overwhelming...

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Funerals for three more kids killed in Newtown massacre set for today

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The funerals for the victims of a Connecticut elementary school shooting are wrapping up after a wrenching week of farewells in Newtown.Services are scheduled Saturday in Connecticut for 7-year-old Josephine Gay and 6-year-old Ana Marquez-Greene. A service is also planned in Utah for 6-year-old Emilie Parker.Twenty children and six adults...

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Investors shuffling assets ahead of fiscal cliff

Some citizens aren’t waiting to find out if the White House and Republicans in Congress will be able to reach a last-minute deal to pull the country away from the “fiscal cliff.” They are selling securities while capital gains tax rates are still low or transferring millions into trusts for the benefit of children and grandchildren before estate tax laws become more stringent....

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Weather alert: South Florida to feel ‘freezing’

Get ready to say, “Brr.”South Florida temperatures will dip into the 40s Friday night, but the wind chill will leave Miami-Dade and Broward feeling more like the 30s.Although a freeze watch is in effect late Friday through Saturday morning, the cold front will be mostly dry. There is a 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms Friday morning, but no chance of rain late...

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Investors shed shares of Blackberry maker

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Blackberry maker Research in Motion slumped more than 16 percent Friday with future revenue coming into question and a declining number of subscribers.RIM’s stock jumped initially Thursday when the Canadian company released better-than-expected third-quarter results and a stronger cash position.Shares reversed course during a conference call later, when executives said that...

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Jerry Seinfeld Makes Surprise Appearance on Late Night

Billy Crystal made an appearance on Thursday's Late Night With Jimmy Fallon for an encore performance of Who's On First?, and it included another funny man showing up on the scene!Jerry Seinfeld surprised the audience when he came in on the Abbott & Costello sketch, finally revealing the identity of the St. Louis Wolves' first-baseman "Who" and their second-baseman "What." RELATED VIDEO: Tom Cruise...

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Obama nominating Kerry for secretary of state

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Friday will nominate Sen. John Kerry as his next secretary of state, a senior administration official said, making the first move in a sweeping overhaul of his national security team heading into a second term.If confirmed, Kerry would take the helm at the State Department from outgoing Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, who...

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Cuba lashes out against U.S. fines on foreign banks

The Cuban government Thursday denounced what it called the “unjust and illegal” multi-million dollar fines the U.S. government slapped on two foreign banks for violating Washington’s sanctions on the island. The U.S. actions show that its “ferocious persecution of financial and commercial transactions by Cuba and those with legitimate relations … has only changed but has...

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Florida schools buy emergency toilets for extended lockdowns

TRINITY -- The Seven Spring Middle School eighth-graders warily eyed the white plastic bucket.Is it for carrying cleaning supplies? Moving mulch?Then they noticed the black plastic seat on top. Their eyebrows raised, their noses crinkled, as it dawned on them that this was a portable toilet, designed for use during emergency lockdowns in classrooms without restrooms. ...

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Facebook predicted to overtake Google in mobile display ad revenue this year

Shares of Facebook (FB) have begun to rebound since the company’s disastrous initial public offering this past May. After opening at $ 38 per share the company’s stock plummeted into the mid-20s over the summer months and eventually fell to a low of $ 17.55 in early September. Since then, however, Facebook shares have begun to bounce back after the company posted better-than-expected results...

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Backstreet Boys As Long As You Love Me Its Christmas Time Again Late Night

The Backstreet Boys were on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to promote their new Christmas song on December 19, and while you can watch that below, you're going to want to start with the video up top. Trust me. VIDEO FLASHBACK - BSB Hits The Grammys in 1999That's because the Late Night web-exclusive performance is of BSB rocking out to The Roots' take on As Long As You Love Me. Yes, that's right. And...

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Sales of previously occupied US homes jump to highest level in three years

WASHINGTON — US sales of previously occupied homes jumped to their highest level in three years last month, bolstered by steady job gains and record-low mortgage rates.The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales rose 5.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million in November. That's up from 4.76 million in October.Previously...

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Survey shows better lending climate

Most Miami-Dade businesses believe they have easier access to borrowed money amid a slowly improving economy.That’s one result from a recent survey of executives by Miami’s Bilzin Sumberg law firm. The online survey of about 200 top executives was conducted during the second half of 2012. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they thought the financing environment had improved...

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New poll: Many Florida voters say they wouldn’t re-elect Scott as governor

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott continues to suffer from poor approval ratings despite an improving economy and lowering unemployment, and a majority of voters say they wouldn’t vote to re-elect him, a new poll shows.The poll found, among other things, that many voters are crediting the Obama administration with an improving economy, rather than Scott. A Quinnipiac University...

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Facebook CEO Zuckerberg donating $500M in stock

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he is donating nearly $ 500 million in stock to a Silicon Valley charity with the aim of funding health and education issues.Zuckerberg donated 18 million Facebook shares, valued at $ 498.8 million based on their Tuesday closing price. The beneficiary is the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a nonprofit that works with donors to allocate their...

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Killer Joe Exclusive Clip

When Matthew McConaughey first read the script for Killer Joe, he was at a loss for words. "I didn't get any of the humor," he says in ETonline's exclusive clip off the DVD's bonus features. RELATED - McConaughey Opens Up About Shocking Weight LossMcConaughey was so perplexed by the script, he nearly passed on the project. "It took me a couple days to shake that off," the actor says, adding that he...

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MTA approves sweeping fare, toll hikes

Angel ChevresttThe MTA has approved a sweeping fare and toll hike, including a raise in the price of a monthly MetroCard from $104 to $112.The MTA's board – including Chairman Joe Lhota, who will step down on Friday in order to run for mayor -- approved sweeping fare and toll hikes at their monthly board meeting this morning that will raise the price of...

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Stone-crab season suffers in the Keys

Despite rocketing prices for stone-crab claws, many Florida Keys commercial fishermen have nearly given up on the season only 2 months old."We may see record prices but also record pain," said Gary Graves, general manager of Keys Fisheries in Marathon. "Prices don't mean anything if you can't catch anything."Harvests since shortly after the season opening Oct. 15 have been...

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Miami owner of mental health chain pleads guilty to stealing millions from Medicare

Kept behind bars because of fears he might flee to Cuba, Armando “Manny” Gonzalez has pleaded guilty to stealing tens of millions of dollars from Medicare by fraudulently billing the taxpayer-funded program through a mental health chain in Miami and North Carolina.Gonzalez, 50, a convicted cocaine trafficker who joined the Medicare rackets in the mid-2000 era, had opened...

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Smurfs 2 Trailer

The Smurfs are back and this time, Smurfette is getting into a bit of trouble.Kidnapped by Vladamir (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) after he learns she has a secret spell that can turn the evil sorcerer's newest creation, the Naughties, into real Smurfs, Smurfette (Katy Perry) is coerced into becoming bad. It's up to her Smurf and human friends to rescue her before it's too late.Also starring Neil Patrick...

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Woman shot dead while calling 911 in apparent Colorado murder-suicide

DENVER — Four people were found dead Tuesday in Colorado after a woman called police to report a shooting and was apparently shot to death while she was on the phone.Weld County sheriff's spokesman Tim Schwartz says dispatchers heard the woman who called 911 scream "No, no, no," and then heard a gunshot. Schwartz says a man grabbed the phone and said he...

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Dick's stores suspend sales of certain rifles

PITTSBURGH (AP) – A sporting goods chain says it's suspending sales of modern rifles nationwide because of the school shooting in Connecticut. Dick's Sporting Goods also says it's removing all guns from display at its store closest to Newtown, where the massacre took place. Authorities say a gunman killed 26 people, mostly children, with a military-style rifle at Sandy Hook...

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Rilya Wilson legal guardian testifying in murder trial

The lover of the woman charged in the murder of foster child Rilya Wilson is on the stand Monday morning.Pamela Graham, who was also the child’s legal guardian, is so far the most high-profile witness to appear in the 4-week-old murder trial of Geralyn Graham. The two are not related.Geralyn Graham, 66, is on trial for the death of the 5-year-old foster child whose disappearance...

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Winona Ryder Stars in Killers Music Video Here With Me

Winona Ryder, 41, reunited with her Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands director Tim Burton for The Killers' creepy new music video for Here With Me.In the dark pairing to the somber ballad, Submarine star Craig Roberts falls for a figure from a wax museum, who in his mind is the real-life Winona. He then takes the doll on a number of "romantic" outings, including a beach date and slow dancing in...

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Clearwire accepts slightly sweeter bid from Sprint

(Reuters) – Clearwire Corp agreed to sell roughly half of the company for $ 2.2 billion to majority shareholder Sprint Nextel Corp, which would then have full ownership of spectrum that will help it offer high-speed wireless services.The $ 2.97-per-share deal is only 7 cents per share higher than a bid many minority shareholders said was too low days before. Clearwire shares tumbled 12.2 percent to...

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R train back to Brooklyn by end of week

The R train could begin operating between Brooklyn and Manhattan for the first time since Sandy by the end of the week, a top MTA official said today. Transit workers are making repairs on the badly-damaged Montague Street Tunnel - which was heavily flooded in the super storm - round the clock, said Carmen Bianco, senior vice president of subways.The tunnel...

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Boat sales jump 10% this year

More evidence that the U.S. economy is climbing out of the recession: Sales of new recreational powerboats are estimated to be up by 10 percent in 2012, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.“We are pleased to see the industry growing,” NMMA president Thom Dammrich said. “Our projection is the industry will grow in 2013 by another 5 to 10 percent.”Dammrich...

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7-year-old in critical condition after accident

Police were investigating an accident involving a 7-year-old who was struck by a vehicle in a Lauderhill neighborhood late Saturday, Lauderhill Police spokesman Rick Rocco said. The vehicle and its driver, who has not yet been identified, remained on scene after the incident near the intersection of Northwest 27th Court and 56th Avenue.The child was transported to Broward...

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8 Christmas Light Shows That Will Rock Your Stockings Off

1. A Christmas Rock MedleyThis mind-blowing video comes from South Dakota. Its creator uses the show’s publicity to help raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.Click here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: 63 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed]The winter celebration of the evergreen tree is not a modern tradition — it extends back to pre-Christian times and to cultures all over...

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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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Egypt rights groups say constitution vote marred

CAIRO — Key Egyptian rights groups called Sunday for a repeat of the first round of the constitutional referendum, alleging the vote was marred by widespread violations. Islamists who back the disputed charter claimed they were in the lead with a majority of "yes" votes.Representatives of the seven groups charged that there was insufficient supervision...

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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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