by Ben Feller Associated Press Writer NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — He spoke for a nation in sorrow, but the slaughter of all those little boys and girls left President Barack Obama, like so many others, reaching for words. Alone on a spare stage after the worst single day of his presidency, the commander in chief was a parent in grief. COMFORTER-IN-CHIEF--President Barack Obama pauses as he delivers a speech during an interfaith vigil for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, at Newtown High School in Newtown, Conn. A gunman walked into the elementary school Friday and opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) "I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depth of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts," Obama said at an evening vigil in the grieving community of Newtown, Conn. "I can only hope that it helps for you to know that you are not alone in your grief."
by Associated Press NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — At the very start of their lives, the schoolchildren are remembered for their love of horses, or for the games they couldn't get enough of, or for always saying grace at dinner. The adult victims found their life's work in sheltering little ones, teaching them, caring for them, treating them as their own. The gunfire Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School left a toll both unbearable and incalculable: 20 students and six adults at the school, the gunman's mother at home, and the gunman himself. FALLEN ANGEL--Ana Marquez-Greene was 6. She was the daughter of American jazz saxophonist Jimmy Greene, and the granddaughter of Jorge Marquez, the mayor of Maunabo, Puerto Rico. She was close with her brother, 9-year-old Isaias, who was also at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday. (Twitter photo) A glimpse of some of those who died:
by Christine Armario AP Education Writer MIAMI (AP) — Jessica Kornfeld sat down with her son and daughter after school on Friday and shared with them the unthinkable, horrific news out of Connecticut: Someone had stormed into an elementary school and killed children nearly their same age. "They're just babies," her 10-year-old son said. "What could they have done?" A COMMUNITY GRIEVES--Johnny Nhatavong, center, of New Haven, Conn., embraces his wife, Melennie Rizek, right, and their 11-month-old son Kenzo Jung while stopping at a makeshift memorial near the place where a day earlier a gunman opened fire inside of an elementary school, Dec. 15, in Newtown, Conn. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Kornfeld assured him the victims had done nothing wrong, and that the shootings didn't make sense to anybody. She reminded her children that they were with her, and safe.
DETROIT (AP) — The finance chair for the Republican National Committee told a Michigan tea party gathering this summer that Detroit's plummeting population and lack of a mayoral machine to get voters "to stop playing pool and drinking beer in the pool hall" has decreased its influence in elections. Ronald Weiser, Republican National Committee Ron Weiser's comments were secretly videotaped Aug. 9 by a Democrat shadowing a Republican congressional candidate. The Detroit Free Press obtained the video from the Michigan Democratic Party and reported (https://on.freep.com/ZaRArP) on it Sunday.
by Tim Reynolds AP Sports Writer MIAMI (AP) — When the Miami Heat players and coaches showed up for work Saturday morning, basketball was secondary. Newtown was the focus. FAMILY IS NO. 1--Miami Heat's LeBron James stands with his children LeBron, Jr., and Bryce, foreground, during a minute of silence of the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.,before an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards in Miami, Dec 15. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) Friday's massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., was the primary topic of discussion among the Heat, even though they were gathered to finish prepping for a Saturday night game against Washington. It's rare for anything to overshadow basketball on the Heat practice court, but clearly, this was not going to be a typical day.
by Nicole Evatt Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Hollywood has responded to the rampage at a Connecticut elementary school by pulling back on its offerings, and one star says the entertainment industry should take some responsibility for such violence. FOXX SPEAKS OUT ON VIOLENCE--This undated publicity image released by The Weinstein Company shows, Christoph Waltz as Schultz, left, and Jamie Foxx as Django in the film, "Django Unchained," directed by Quentin Tarantino. (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, Andrew Cooper, SMPSP) Jamie Foxx, one of the industry's biggest stars, said Saturday as he promoted Quentin Tarantino's upcoming ultra-violent spaghetti Western-style film about slavery, "Django Unchained," that actors can't ignore the fact that movie violence can influence people.
by CNN Political Unit (CNN) -- Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who drew heavy criticism from Republicans over her statements after the September attacks on a U.S. diplomatic mission, withdrew her name from consideration for secretary of state on Thursday. SUSAN RICE (CNN Photo)
by Nelson LichtensteinSpecial to CNN (CNN) -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's stunning decision to sign a right-to-work law poses the question: Are these anti-union statutes, which make illegal any union contract that requires union membership or payment of dues a condition of employment, the future? During the last two years Indiana and Wisconsin have also passed laws that curb union strength and slash dues income. NELSON LICHTENSTEIN
by Hope YenAssociated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — White people will no longer make up a majority of Americans by 2043, according to new census projections. That's part of a historic shift that already is reshaping the nation's schools, workforce and electorate, and is redefining long-held notions of race.
by Marc LevyAssociated Press Writer HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania will not set up its own health care exchange under the federal Affordable Care Act, at least not for now, Gov. Tom Corbett said Wednesday, putting the state on a course to join others led by Republicans that will let President Barack Obama's administration run its exchange. GOV. TOM CORBETT (AP Photo/File)
