Plumlee leads No. 2 Duke past UNC, 73-68

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — With its star big man on the bench with foul trouble, Duke went small to beat its top rival — and one of its smallest players came up big.The run that propelled the second-ranked Blue Devils to a 73-68 victory over North Carolina on Wednesday night started when Mason Plumlee sat down and backup guard Tyler Thornton warmed up."I think the hero for us this game was Thornton," coach...

Read More..

Obama and Rubio: How did they do?

(CNN) -- CNN asked for views on President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night, which was dominated by domestic issues such as the economy and need to reinvigorate the middle class, gun control, minimum wage, early education and immigration. Afterward, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida delivered the Republican response. Sutter: A night that offered no hope for the joblessJohn D. Sutter is a...

Read More..

Anxiety grows as Chicago Public Schools narrows closing list

After trimming the number of schools that could be closed to 129, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's school administration on Wednesday entered...

Read More..

South Korea unveils missile it says can hit North's leaders

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea unveiled a cruise missile on Thursday that it said can hit the office of North Korea's leaders, trying to address concerns that it is technologically behind its unpredictable rival which this week conducted its third nuclear test. South Korean officials declined to say the exact range of the missile but said it could hit targets anywhere in North Korea. ...

Read More..

Firmer yen boosts Korean shares, underpins Asia stocks

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares outside of Japan rose on Wednesday, led by South Korean exporters as the yen firmed amid conflicting interpretations of G7 comments about the currency's recent weakness. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> gained 0.9 percent. Seoul shares <.ks11> outperformed with a 1.5 percent jump while...

Read More..

Body slam for wrestling: Sport cut from Olympics

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — For wrestling, this may have been the ultimate body slam: getting tossed out of the Olympic rings.The vote Tuesday by the IOC's executive board stunned the world's wrestlers, who see their sport as popular in many countries and steeped in history as old as the Olympics themselves.While wrestling will be included at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, it was cut from the...

Read More..

Obama's chance to lead?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSJohn Avlon: President Barack Obama is well-positioned to help solve debt problemHe says Obama should avoid temptation favored by some Democrats to put off actionRelatively modest changes in entitlements could help ensure their survival, Avlon saysAvlon: Obama can rally his party behind deficit cuts that won't hurt economyEditor's note: John Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political...

Read More..

Obama: Work on restoring middle class 'unfinished'

WASHINGTON — In the first State of the Union address of his second term, President Obama tried to breathe new life into his...

Read More..

U.S. says to take lead to contain North Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said North Korea's third nuclear test, in defiance of U.N. resolutions, was a threat and a provocation and that the United States would lead the world in responding. North Korea has said Tuesday's test was an act of self-defense against "U.S. hostility" and threatened stronger steps if necessary. "Provocations of the sort we saw...

Read More..

Yen off lows vs dollar, Asian shares ease in subdued trade

TOKYO (Reuters) - The yen recovered from lows against the dollar and Tokyo stocks jumped closer to a 33-month high on Tuesday after markets took comments from a U.S. official as approval for Japan to pursue anti-deflation policies that weaken the yen. U.S. Treasury Undersecretary Lael Brainard said on Monday the United States supports Japanese efforts to end deflation, but she noted that...

Read More..