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fensive maneuvers and evasive actions used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• It wants to add three "military operation areas" to create a fly space of about 27,500 square miles -- an area larger than the state of West Virginia. The complex would encompass a portion of southwestern North Dakota and new parts of northwestern South Dakota and southeastern Montana.
• The draft plan has irked some civilian pilots concerned about the additional air traffic as well as some ranchers who worry that flyovers by low-flying, 146-foot-long aircraft will spook their livestock.
• The original Powder River airspace will continue to be used the most, as the boundary contains ground-based emitters that simulate enemy radar and systems. Pilots can't drop bombs in the Powder River area, but they would be allowed to release magnesium flares and chaff, a countermeasure made of aluminum-covered silica fibers.
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• The Associated Press
• 1. LAST DAY TO AVOID THE 'CLIFF'
• With the deadline less than 24 hours away, Congress remains at odds over tax rates for the wealthy and budget cuts to pay for Democratic proposals.
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• 2. CLINTON HOSPITALZED WITH BLOOD CLOT
• The secretary of state was admitted to a New York hospital after suffering a concussion earlier this month.
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• 3.WHERE AL-QAIDA'S NEW OUTPOST IS
• The AP's Rukmini Callimachi reports that Islamists have built a stronghold in northern Mali.
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• 4. DEADLY BUS CRASH ALONG TREACHEROUS STRETCH
• Oregon police said an interstate was caked with ice when the tour bus crashed through a guardrail and down an embankment, killing at least nine people.
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• 5. CHAVEZ SUFFERS A SETBACK
• The Venezuelan president is in "delicate" condition after new complications following his cancer surgery.
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