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the missionary in poor health who is being confined in the North for "anti-state" crimes. On CNN on Tuesday, Rodman implied Bae was at fault.
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Same aim, different tactics: Obama, Congress split on best way to prevent a nuclear Iran
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration enters the year locked in a battle with Congress over whether to plow ahead with new economic sanctions against Iran or cautiously wait to see if last year's breakthrough nuclear agreement holds.
• The new sanctions, widely endorsed by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, would blacklist several Iranian industrial sectors and threaten banks and companies around the world with being banned from the U.S. market if they help Iran export any more oil. The provisions would only take effect if Tehran violates the interim nuclear deal or lets it expire without a follow-up accord.
• The House already approved similar legislation last July by a 400-20 vote and would likely pass the new sanctions by an overwhelming margin. But the Obama administration, fearful of squandering a historic diplomatic opportunity to end the nuclear crisis, has succeeded so far in holding off a Senate vote.
• The standoff has prompted sharp barbs from both sides.
• The Nov. 24 agreement "makes a nuclear Iran more likely," argued Sen. Marco Rubio. Fellow Republican Sen. John Cornyn called it an attempt to distract attention from President Barack Obama's health care rollout. "We really haven't gained anything," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said. The deal "falls short of what is necessary for security and stability in the region," added Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu.
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Food companies cut 6.4 trillion calories from their products after 2010 pledge
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Some of the nation's largest food companies have cut calories in their products by more than 6.4 trillion, according to a new study.
• The study sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that between 2007 and 2012 the companies reduced their products' calories by the equivalent of around 78 calories per person per day. The total is more than four times the amount those companies had pledged to cut by next year.
• Seventy-eight calories would be about the same as an average cookie or a me (Continued on page 26)
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