From now through Dec. 31, you can get a free 1-year membership to ShopRunner -- the service that affords, among other things, free 2-day shipping from dozens of big-name stores. (Use offer code runner when filling out the registration form.) That may come in awfully handy for you last-minute gift shoppers.
Before I go any further, and to help prevent another SiriusXM Internet Radio-style debacle, I must point out that this offer is ostensibly for American Express Platinum Card members only. Consequently, it could disappear at any time, and it's even possible that ShopRunner will revoke the freebie for anyone who turns out not to have an Amex.
That said, I signed up without any problem, and it appears my membership is valid -- at least for the time being. Again, this offer is technically not for you, but for the moment it's definitely available to you (if you're a new ShopRunner member, that is). If something changes, well, please think twice before you blame me, American Express, or ShopRunner. (But especially me.)
For those unfamiliar with it, ShopRunner upgrades you to free 2-day shipping at stores ranging from American Eagle to MacMall to Newegg to Toys R Us. And there's no minimum purchase, either, so you can get that fast, free shipping even if you spend only a couple bucks.
ShopRunner also entitles you to free return shipping, a huge plus if you've ordered something big and heavy (like, say, a TV or speaker system) and decided you don't like it. (Restocking fees may apply, though, so the return itself may not be "free.").
Finally, the service offers various members-only deals, like "10 percent off your order" here and "save $15 on $75 or more" there. These aren't exactly earth-shattering, though, nor are they even the best discounts you can find. For example, ShopRunner offers 20 percent off your order at Fathead, but a little Googling reveals a coupon code for 25 percent off -- one anybody can claim.
Still, the big draw here is the shipping upgrades. And would you believe a year of ShopRunner normally costs $79? It would be a cold day in Bermuda before I'd pay that much for this service. But free? Yeah, I'll take it for free.
Eric Boswell, the head of diplomatic security at the State Department, has resigned, CBS News confirmed, following the release of a harsh report detailing State Department missteps that led to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.
Boswell's resignation from his post as assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security is effective immediately. Sources say he will stay on as director of the Office of Foreign Missions for a short, indefinite time.
The report, released today by an independent board led by retired Ambassador Thomas Pickering and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, did not single out any individuals for culpability. It did, however, blame failures within two bureaus at the State Department for the missteps that eventually lead to the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three additional American personnel in Libya. The two bureaus cited -- Near Eastern Affairs and Diplomatic Security -- were criticized for a security posture that was "grossly inadequate to deal with the attack," and for failing to coordinate with other agencies to better secure the consulate.
Members of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees were briefed this morning on the report. "I think the conclusion was very stark, very candid, very honest," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said after the briefing. "And [the report] told us the following: Mistakes were made, lives were lost, lessons need to be learned."
Durbin said the review board's conclusions were: "Our intelligence fell short, our security personnel were inexperienced and unprepared, our security systems failed, our host nation was lacking in protection for our own people, and senior State Department officials unfortunately showed a lack of leadership and management ability."
He added, "That is a challenge to all of us, it is a challenge for us to assess this in an honest fashion and to change policy to put resources in place that will make a difference."
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said after the briefing that there were "no doubt a numbers of problems" that led to the Sept. 11 attack.
"There is no question there were people within the State Department that were remiss and did not execute in an appropriate way," Corker told reporters. "There are also some cultural issues."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was scheduled to testify before Congress on Thursday in two hearings reviewing the Benghazi attack. However, after falling ill and suffering from a concussion, she's no longer scheduled to appear at the hearings. Clinton sent a letter to Congress, indicating she accepts the Benghazi report's 29 recommendations for strengthening security at diplomatic posts and recognizes the the need to address the "systemic challenges" at the State Department.
Corker said it's "imperative" Clinton testify before a new secretary of state is confirmed in President Obama's second term. "I think that is very important to her, I think it is very important for our country, and I think it is very important to really understand the inner workings of the State Department itself," he said.
The people of Newtown, Conn., and the surrounding towns are filled with fear and doubt in light of the rampage that turned their worlds upside down. Despite the uncertainty, however, there is one thing parents are adamant about: They're not going anywhere.
"I know it's an awful thing, but this town and the towns surrounding it, it's a big community where people come together and people know each other," resident Chris Roman said. "Growing up here, I would definitely stay."
He paused a moment, before saying with great resolve, "I'm definitely going to stay. One tragedy is not going to push us away."
Roman and his wife, Ellen Roman, are the parents of 16-month-old Stella and they have held her even closer since the Adam Lanza killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School before turning the gun on himself. He had killed his mother at her home earlier that morning.
"I don't think I've kissed her as much as I have in the past three days as I have the entire time she's been alive," Ellen Roman, 33, said. "I constantly am picking her up and kissing her and hugging her."
The new mom is still shaken by the shooting, gasping to choke back tears as she recalled hearing the news.
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"Before I even knew that anyone had died, before I even knew that anyone had been shot, I was bawling; just to know that gunfire had happened anywhere near a school in Newtown affected me," she said through tears. "This town is so small and it's such a tight community and everyone knows everyone so it's just, it just doesn't happen here. It just doesn't happen in this town."
Chris Roman, 36, said there's "a big hole to fill that will never be filled" in the community, and he hopes for change so that the only tricky conversation he'll have to have with his young daughter in the future is "the birds and the bees talk."
"It's something that we all have to deal with and work together and try to stop it from happening so I wouldn't have to explain it to her," he said of school shootings.
Other parents echoed the Romans' sentiments.
Maureen Pendergast is the mother of 11-month-old James and her 8-year-old nephew is a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
"It's absolutely terrible," Pendergast said. "My nephew, Brian, was in the school when it did happen and James goes to day care right down the street here, so it's hard to say [Lanza] didn't stop into the day care."
She said Brian is "as OK as he can be" and that his parents are planning on putting him in counseling. Pendergast knows that healing will take time, but she plans on sticking it out.
"I want to stay," she said. "Overall, it's a very cute and quiet town. My husband has lived here his entire life and I like it. It's a tough community."
Others are equally committed, including Ana Deaguiar of nearby Danbury.
"I'm not going anywhere," Deaguiar, mother of 16-month-old Giovanni, said. "I've spent 11 years in Danbury and I don't think about moving at all. I want him to grow up here and not let this be the only memory there is of this state and this region."
In the aftermath of Friday's Newtown school shooting, we've heard tales mostly horrifying and occasionally heroic, from surviving witnesses and mourning citizens alike, but this one lies somewhere in between, all the more unshakeable. One six-year-old Sandy Hook student played dead in her first-grade classroom, her family pastor said late Sunday, with the kind of quick thinking that ended up saving her life but now leaves her with the unshakeable memories of watching all her classmates being shot and killed. ...
SINGAPORE - Singapore took a firm grip on the AFF Suzuki Cup final Wednesday with a 3-1 win over Thailand in the first leg at Jalan Besar Stadium.
Goals from Mustafic Fahruddin, Khairul Amri and Baihakki Khaizan gave the Lions a deserved win which will raise hopes of a record fourth Southeast Asian title ahead of Saturday's second leg in Bangkok.
Thailand were briefly on level terms in the second half through Adul Lahso but the goal-scorer's departure on a stretcher later meant they finished with 10 men, as coach Winfried Schafer had already made all his substitutions.
In a carnival atmosphere, Singapore were quickly into their stride with some slick interchanges on the artificial surface, and Bosnian-born striker Aleksandar Duric, 42, headed over as early as the third minute.
Duric, who will retire after the tournament, proved himself a handful again just minutes later when he was hauled down in the box by Piyaphon Buntao, with Japanese referee Masaaki Toma pointing straight to the spot.
Fahruddin survived some nervy moments after his first, successful spot-kick was ruled out for encroachment, and he planted the second effort high and right to spark jubilation in the packed 7,500-capacity stadium.
Singapore were dominant and Amri, the match-winning hero when the two sides met in the 2007 final, floated a showboating effort from distance which tested Thai goalkeeper Kawin Thamasatchanan.
Teerasil Dangda's shot from a tight angle was as close as Thailand came in the first half but the classy forward brought his team roaring back into it on 59 minutes when his cut-back was swept in off the post by Adul.
However, parity lasted just two minutes as Duric found Amri in the box from the left and the striker span away from his marker, turned and buried his shot right-footed at the near post.
Singapore goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud was at full stretch when he palmed away a stinging free-kick by Thailand's Jakkapan Ponsai, and Duric should have done better with a header from a set-piece as the chances flowed.
With 10 minutes to go, Thailand were dealt a blow when goal-scorer Adul was stretchered off injured, reducing them to 10 men.
And Khaizan made them pay when he bundled in a corner with just seconds left to make Singapore favourites to seal victory in the second leg.
Apple on Tuesday released another minor update to iOS 6 that promises to fix a Wi-Fi issue affecting some devices.
The software, which went this morning, says simply that it "fixes a bug that could impact Wi-Fi." No additional features or security fixes are a part of the update, according to the company's release notes.
The update comes just a day after Apple gave developers a fourth beta of iOS 6.1. That software, which is expected by the end of the year, or shortly thereafter, brings new boarding pass behavior in Apple's Passbook software, tweaks to Safari, reworked music playback controls from the lock screen, ticket purchases through Fandango in Siri, and a back-end change in Apple's mapping software.
Apple's last update to iOS 6 was iOS 6.0.1 on November 1. That software fixed a handful of bugs, including one that kept iPhone 5 users from installing over-the-air software updates. It also fixed an issue with lines appearing on the software keyboard, and a bug that deleted meetings from calendars when accepting an invitation.
NEWTOWN, Conn. Family members have gathered for the first of eight funerals for school shooting victims to be held at a Catholic church in Newtown, Conn.
A motorcade of dozens of vehicles led by police motorcycles accompanied the family of 6-year-old James Mattioli to St. Rose of Lima on Tuesday. His funeral comes a day after two other 6-year-old boys were laid in the first of a long, almost unbearable procession of funerals.
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Victims of Conn. school shooting
At least one other funeral was planned - for 6-year-old Jessica Rekos - as well as several wakes, including one for teacher Victoria Soto, who has been praised as a hero for sacrificing herself to save several students in one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.
Margarita Rosniak and her 10-year-old daughter, Charlotte, watched from the sidewalk as people entered the church for Mattioli's funeral. They had traveled from California for a Christmas vacation in New York and came to Newtown to join the residents in their grief.
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Holiday week is full of funerals for Newtown, Conn.
Clutching her daughter close, Margarita Rosniak spoke of sympathizing with the parents. Her daughter says she plans to do a school project on the massacre. She asks, "What was the point of it? They're just little kids."
Gunman Adam Lanza shot his mother Friday, then headed to Sandy Hook Elementary where he killed 20 children and six adults, and himself.
Security remained high, and the small, affluent Connecticut community was still on edge as the rest of the country prepared for the Christmas holidays.
"There's going to be no joy in school," said 17-year-old P.J. Hickey. "It really doesn't feel like Christmas anymore." But he added, "This is where I feel the most at home. I feel safer here than anywhere else in the world."
In the middle of town, an ever-growing memorial has become a pilgrimage site for strangers who want to pay their respect.
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Funerals begin for Conn. shooting victims
One man told CBS Station WCBS why he visited: "Because I'm a dad with four beautiful daughters, when I found out it broke my heart. It's hard to sleep, I don't know how to feel."
In a sign of investors distancing themselves from gun makers, private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management announced it would sell its stake in major arms manufacturer Freedom Group. It said in a statement, "It is apparent that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level."
The mystery of why a smart but severely withdrawn 20-year-old, Adam Lanza, shot his mother to death in bed before rampaging through Sandy Hook Elementary, killing 20 children ages 6 and 7, was as deep as ever.
Sandy Hook Elementary will remain closed indefinitely.
Investigators say Lanza had no ties to the school he attacked, and they have found no letters or diaries that could explain why he targeted it. He forced into the school shortly after its front door locked as part of a new security measure. He wore all black and is believed to have used a Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle, a civilian version of the military's M-16. Versions of the AR-15 were outlawed in the U.S. under the 1994 assault weapons ban, but the law expired in 2004.
Debora Seifert, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said both Lanza and his mother fired at shooting ranges and visited ranges together.
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Political reaction to Newtown, CT tragedy
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CBS News poll: Strong support for tougher gun laws
At the White House on Monday, spokesman Jay Carney said curbing gun violence is a complex problem that will require a "comprehensive solution." He did not mention specific proposals to follow up on President Barack Obama's call for "meaningful action."
New York City's billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, perhaps the most outspoken advocate for gun control in U.S. politics, again pressed Obama and Congress to toughen gun laws and tighten enforcement.
"If this doesn't do it," he asked, "what is going to?"
At least one senator, Virginia Democrat Mark Warner, said Monday that the attack has led him to rethink his opposition to the ban on assault weapons. And West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who is an avid hunter and lifelong member of the powerful National Rifle Association, said it's time to move beyond the political rhetoric and begin an honest discussion about reasonable restrictions on guns.
In Newtown on Monday, minds were on mourning.
Two funeral homes filled for Jack Pinto and the youngest victim, Noah Pozner, who turned 6 just two weeks ago..
A rabbi presided at Noah's service, and in keeping with Jewish tradition, the boy was laid to rest in a simple brown wooden casket with a Star of David on it.
"I will miss your perpetual smile, the twinkle in your dark blue eyes, framed by eyelashes that would be the envy of any lady in this room," Noah's mother, Veronique Pozner, said at the service, according to remarks the family provided to The Associated Press. Both services were closed to the news media.
Noah's twin, Arielle, who was assigned to a different classroom, survived the killing frenzy.
At 6-year-old Jack Pinto's Christian service, hymns rang out from inside the funeral home, where the boy lay in an open casket.
Editor's Note: This post is part of a larger series by ABC News examining the complex legal, political and social issues in the gun control debate. The series is part of ABC's special coverage of the search for solutions in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
When the 113th Congress is sworn in in January, expect the debate over gun control to have renewed urgency. Several prominent lawmakers have already come forth to call for a re-examination and re-working of our nation's gun laws in the wake of Friday's mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.
While new legislation likely won't be introduced until after Jan. 3, statements from top Senators such as Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) suggest that new proposals could be similar to the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that was in in place from 1994 to 2004.
"I can tell you that he is going to have a bill to lead on because as a first-day bill I'm going to introduce in the Senate and the same bill will be introduced in the House -- a bill to ban assault weapons," Feinstein said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
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"High-capacity magazines -- devices that dramatically boost a weapon's firing power -- were prohibited from 1994 until 2004, when the federal assault weapons ban was in place... It's time to end the bloodshed and restore common sense to our gun laws -- beginning with a permanent ban on high-capacity gun magazines," Lautenberg wrote in an op-ed on the Huffington Post that he penned with Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was killed in the Long Island Railroad shooting of 1993.
What Did the Assault Weapons Ban Do?
Passed by Congress on Sept. 13, 1994, and signed by Bill Clinton later that day, the Federal Assault Weapons Ban prohibited the manufacturing of 18 specific models of semiautomatic weapons, along with the manufacturing of high-capacity ammunition magazines that could carry more than 10 rounds. The ban had a provision that allowed it to expire in September 2004.
Several attempts were made in Congress to re-up the ban, the most recent in June 2008, according to the Library of Congress, but none of them have been successful. Republicans generally opposed it; high-profile Democrats typically shied away from the issue.
In the second presidential debate of the 2012 campaign, President Obama said he was interested in re-instituting the ban.
"Weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don't belong on our streets. And so what I'm trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally," the president said. "Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced."
Could a Ban Have Prevented the Connecticut Shootings?
It's impossible to say for sure, but it seems unlikely that if the law were still in place, as it was written, it could have done much to prevent Friday's tragedy. Lanza's primary weapon, the Bushmaster .223 rifle, is a type of AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, certain models of which were prohibited from being sold under the ban, but the Bushmaster model used by Lanza was not on that list.
Additionally, the language in the law was loose enough that a gun enthusiast who was interested in adding a type of AR-15 to their collection could have purchased one legally.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's public prosecutor resigned under pressure from his opponents in the judiciary, dealing a blow to President Mohamed Mursi and drawing an angry response on Tuesday from the Islamist leader's supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood.
Seeking to keep pressure on Mursi, the main opposition coalition will hold new protests against an Islamist-backed draft constitution that has divided Egypt but which looks set to be approved in the second round of a referendum on Saturday.
Mursi obtained a 57 percent "yes" vote for the constitution in a first round of the referendum last weekend, state media said, less than he had hoped for.
The opposition, which says the law is too Islamist, will be emboldened by the result but is unlikely to win the second round, to be held in districts seen as even more sympathetic towards Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood.
Protesters broke out into cheers when the public prosecutor appointed by Mursi last month announced his resignation late on Monday.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled Mursi to power in elections in June, said the enforced resignation of public prosecutor Talaat Ibrahim was a "crime".
The Supreme Judiciary Council, which governs the country's judicial system, should refuse to accept the prosecutor's resignation, the Brotherhood said.
Further signs of opposition to Mursi emerged when a judges' club urged its members not to supervise Saturday's vote. But the call is not binding and balloting is expected to go ahead.
If the constitution passes next weekend, national elections can take place early next year, something many hope will help end the turmoil that has gripped Egypt since the fall of Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago.
The National Salvation Front opposition coalition said there were widespread voting violations in the first round and called for protests across Egypt on Tuesday to "bring down the invalid draft constitution".
The Ministry of Justice said it was appointing a group of judges to investigate complaints of voting irregularities around the country.
DEMONSTRATIONS
In Cairo, the Front planned to hold demonstrations at Tahrir Square, cradle of the revolution that toppled Mubarak, and outside Mursi's presidential palace, still ringed with tanks after earlier protests.
"Down with the constitution of the Brotherhood," the Front said in a statement. "Down with the constitution of tyranny."
A protester at the presidential palace, Mohamed Adel, 30, said: "I have been camping here for weeks and will continue to do so until the constitution that divided the nation, and for which people died, gets scrapped."
The build-up to the first round of voting saw clashes between supporters and opponents of Mursi in which eight people died. Recent demonstrations in Cairo have been more peaceful, although rival factions clashed on Friday in Alexandria, Egypt's second biggest city.
On Monday evening, more than 1,300 members of the General Prosecution staff gathered outside the public prosecutor's office, demanding Ibrahim leave his post.
Hours later, Ibrahim announced he had resigned and the crowd cheered, "God is Great! Long live justice!" and "Long live the independence of the judiciary!" witnesses said.
The closeness of the first-round referendum vote and low turnout give Mursi scant comfort as he seeks to assemble support for difficult economic reforms.
OPPOSITION BOOST
"This percentage ... will strengthen the hand of the National Salvation Front and the leaders of this Front have declared they are going to continue this fight to discredit the constitution," said Mustapha Kamal Al-Sayyid, a professor of political science at Cairo University.
Mursi is likely to become more unpopular with the introduction of planned austerity measures, polarizing society further, Sayyid told Reuters.
To tackle the budget deficit, the government needs to impose tax rises and cut back fuel subsidies. Uncertainty surrounding economic reform plans has already forced the postponement of a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. The Egyptian pound has fallen to eight-year lows against the dollar.
Mursi and his backers say the constitution is needed to move Egypt's democratic transition forward. Opponents say the document is too Islamist and ignores the rights of women and of minorities, including Christians who make up 10 percent of the population.
Demonstrations erupted when Mursi awarded himself extra powers on November 22 and then fast-tracked the constitution through an assembly dominated by his Islamist allies and boycotted by many liberals.
The referendum has had to be held over two days because many of the judges needed to oversee polling staged a boycott in protest. In order to pass, the constitution must be approved by more than 50 percent of those voting.
(Additional reporting by Tamim Elyan and Edmund Blair; Writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
NEW DELHI: New Delhi's police chief on Tuesday demanded the death penalty for rapists amid growing outrage over the gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a school bus in the city.
The physiotherapy student and her male companion were brutally beaten and thrown off the vehicle after the attack, which has provoked street protests and widespread anger over the treatment of women in India.
"We will seek the most severe punishment of life imprisonment for the culprits and we will send a proposal to the government for the death sentence for rapists," New Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar told reporters.
Rape currently carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, while the death penalty is restricted to rare cases of murder and "waging war against the country".
Four of the six alleged attackers, including the bus driver, have been arrested and a hunt has been launched for two other suspects involved in the Sunday evening assault.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday vowed to "act tough" to crack down on rape and said the suspects must face a fast-track trial.
Kumar said the suspects took the off-duty school bus for a "joy-ride" and offered to take the student and her companion, who had just watched a movie, home for a regular fare.
"They began molesting the girl and her companion bravely fought back trying to save her but these men attacked him with an iron rod," he said. "The victim was dragged to the rear of the bus and brutally beaten and raped."
The female victim was in intensive care while her companion, a 28-year-old software engineer, was also being treated in hospital for multiple injuries.
Protesters blocked traffic at the intersection in the south of the city where the couple boarded the bus, while others demonstrated outside a nearby police station.
"No more rapes or harassment," shouted protesters.
Molestation of women is a serious problem in many Indian cities, with rights campaigners complaining that the commonly-used term "eve-teasing" is a dangerous euphemism that hides a culture of abusive sexual behaviour.
The case triggered an emergency debate in parliament and made the front-pages of all newspapers, with the Mail Today headline reading "Savagery shames city".
Some lawmakers including Sushma Swaraj, leader of the main opposition BJP party, also called for rapists to be hanged.
Rape cases in India more than doubled between 1990 and 2008, according to official data.
