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AP Top News at 11:00 p.m. EST - December 02

Skeptical Dems resign themselves to Obama war plan

WASHINGTON (AP) - A deeply skeptical Congress on Wednesday resigned itself to President Barack Obama's escalation of the Afghanistan war, even as the president's chief military and diplomatic advisers sought to cool any expectations that the war would end in two years. Leading Democrats said they had serious misgivings about the deployment of 30,000 more troops but would not try to block it - or the $30 billion it will cost. Republicans said they support the force increase even as they doubted Obama's July 2011 deadline to start bringing troops home.

Fort Hood suspect charged with attempted murder

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - An Army psychiatrist who may face the death penalty after the mass shooting at Fort Hood was charged Wednesday with 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder relating to the scores of soldiers and two civilian police officers injured in the attack, military officials said. Maj. Nidal Hasan has already been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder after the Nov. 5 shooting in a building at the Texas Army post where soldiers must go before being deployed. Witnesses said he jumped on a desk and shouted "Allahu Akbar!" - Arabic for "God is great!" Army officials have said he was armed with two pistols, one a semiautomatic capable of firing up to 20 rounds without reloading.

Defiant Iran vows to enrich uranium even more

VIENNA (AP) - In a defiant speech, Iran's president declared Wednesday that his country will enrich uranium to a much higher level - a fresh rejection of an international plan to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Experts said that could put Tehran on the road to making the material needed to arm a warhead within months.

AARP backs Democrats in Senate health care fight

WASHINGTON (AP) - With a Senate showdown looming, the politically potent AARP rode to the rescue of Democrats on Wednesday, supporting $460 billion in Medicare cuts to help pay for landmark health care legislation. As Republicans pressed to restore the cuts, AARP said Democrats merely were recommending elimination of waste and inefficiency within the giant health care program for seniors.

Tiger Woods: 'Personal failings' let family down

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) - With a public apology and another appeal for privacy, Tiger Woods acknowledged Wednesday that he let his family down with unspecified "transgressions" that he regrets with "all of my heart." ''I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves," Woods said on his Web site following a magazine report of an alleged affair. It was his longest statement since a middle-of-the-night car crash outside his Florida home last week set off the greatest media scrutiny of Woods' career and his 5-year-old marriage to former model Elin Nordegren. He did not go into detail and said he would deal with his "personal failings" with his family.

Beyonce leads Grammy nominations with 10

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Beyonce has enough Grammynominations for her and Sasha Fierce. The omnipresent diva garnered the most Grammy nominations on Thursday with 10 nods, including nominations for album of the year for "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," song of the year for her anthem "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and record of the year for "Halo."

Gatecrashers decline invitation to testify

WASHINGTON (AP) - White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi declined an invitation to testify to Congress about their caper at President Barack Obama's state dinner last week, prompting a quick threat from a lawmaker that they will be forced by subpoena to face questions if they don't show up Thursday. House lawmakers want answers in a hearing Thursday about how the couple managed to sail through security checkpoints while their names were not on a list of approved guests for the dinner. But their publicist, Mahogany Jones, said in a statement on the eve of the hearing that the couple had already provided information to two lawmakers as well as the Secret Service and would not come.

Bank of America to repay TARP, raise cash

NEW YORK (AP) - Bank of America Corp. said Wednesday it plans to repay its $45 billion in government bailout funds in the next few days, a move that will help the troubled bank recruit a new CEO. The bank said in a statement it would use available cash and raise $18.8 billion in capital to repay the money, which it received during the height of the credit crisis last year and after its purchase of Merrill Lynch&Co. earlier this year.

New stem cell lines approved for tax-paid research

WASHINGTON (AP) - Scientists can start using taxpayer dollars to doresearch with 13 batches of embryonic stem cells and the government says dozens more cell lines should be available soon, opening a new era for the potentially life-saving field. President Barack Obama lifted eight years of restrictions on these master cells last spring. But $21 million-and-counting in new projects were on hold until the National Institutes of Health determined which of hundreds of existing stem cell lines were ethically appropriate to use.

Nets lose NBA-record 18th straight to start season

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - The New Jersey Nets were pounded into NBA infamy Wednesday night, falling 117-101 to the Dallas Mavericks for their 18th straight loss to start the season. The Mavericks made 17 of 19 shots and opened a 27-point lead in a nearly flawless second quarter, burying the Nets early in former New Jersey captain Jason Kidd's second trip back to his old home.

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