ADVISORY CNN Wire Outlook

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Supervising News Editor Lateef Mungin -- 404-827-1401

UPCOMING

US-Powerball-Win

Powerball will announce early Thursday whether anyone won Wednesday's record nearly $580 million jackpot.

Egypt-Protests (will update)

The council charged with drafting Egypt's new constitution says it will vote on a final draft on Thursday, rushing to finish its work amid widespread protests against President Mohamed Morsy and a walkout by some members.

Syria-Civil-War (will update)

Villagers in northern Syria picked pieces of a downed fighter jet from an olive grove Wednesday after rebel fighters claimed to have shot down three government aircraft in 24 hours.

Mexico-President

Activists in Mexico City criticized Mexican President Felipe Calderon Wednesday, blaming him for the high death toll from drug-related violence that they say was fueled by his administration's crackdown on cartels. Meanwhile, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University announced a one-year appointment for the Mexican leader, whose presidency ends this week. While the school's dean praised Calderon, a Mexican ethics fellow at the university criticized the move as a political maneuver that protects an undeserving leader.

UK-Assange-Interview 2 am

CNN's Erin Burnett interviews Julian Assange, one of the world's most controversial people. The 41 year-old Australian has posted hundreds of thousands of U.S. military documents, videos and diplomatic cables on his website, and the U.S. government is still scrambling to find out where he got them.

South Korea Rocket Launch 1a

South Korea is expected Thursday to attempt to put a satellite in orbit using a powerful rocket, a feat it has failed to achieve on two previous occasions.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED STORIES

INTERNATIONAL

Egypt-Protests

Syria-Civil-War

Villagers in northern Syria picked pieces of a downed fighter jet from an olive grove Wednesday after rebel fighters claimed to have shot down three government aircraft in 24 hours.

Palestinian-United-Nations

Palestinian leaders, using a new strategy, will return Thursday to the U.N. General Assembly in their latest bid to garner enhanced international recognition. After its failed bid to win United Nations recognition as an independent state, the Palestinian Authority is seeking non-member observer state status, one step up from its current status as a permanent observer.

UN-Palestinian-bid

The Palestinian United Nations bid explained

MONEY-UK-Leveson-Media-Report

A landmark report to be released on Thursday by an independent inquiry led by Lord Justice Leveson could make recommendations that change Britain's media landscape irrevocably.

Mexico-Drug-Lord-Accusation

Mexico's federal police had harsh words Wednesday for an American-born accused drug lord who claimed he paid off top security officials. Edgar Valdez Villarreal has repeatedly "tried to blackmail authorities to obtain privileges," Mexico's Public Safety Secretariat said. "Held in a federal maximum security prison, he has tried to get benefits during his stay, including threatening hunger strikes to pressure them." Police released the statement after Mexico's Reforma newspaper published a letter purportedly from the alleged drug lord, a former Texas high school football star known as "La Barbie" because of his blue eyes and light complexion. In the letter, Valdez claims that Mexico's top security officials have received bribes from him, "from drug trafficking and from organized crime."

Venezuela-Chavez-Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Havana early Wednesday for a new round of medical treatment, Cuban state media reported.

SPORT-Football-Manchester-United-Van-Persie

Robin van Persie scored after just 33 seconds as Manchester United maintained their slim advantage at the top of the English Premier League Wednesday with a 1-0 win over West Ham.

U.S.A.

US-Powerball-Frenzy

Just breathe. OK, now take a moment. And then go stay in a hotel for a week. That's just what Cynthia Stafford did after winning $112 million in the California lottery. Stafford's winnings may seem like chump change compared to the $550 million Powerball jackpot that players across the country were just sure they would win Wednesday night.

US-Nuclear-Moon

You could easily skip by it in an archive search: a project titled "A Study of Lunar Research Flights." Its nickname is even more low-brow: "Project A-119." But the reality was much more explosive. It was a top-secret plan, developed by the U.S. Air Force, to look at the possibility of detonating a nuclear device on the moon.

US-Manning-WikiLeaks

The officer who oversaw security at the military base where Bradley Manning was held for a time said on Wednesday he was not pressured by superiors to keep the Army private accused of leaking classified documents to the WikiLeaks website in a high-level lockup and under constant watch.

US-Cargo-Plane-Fires

A federal investigation into the cause of three catastrophic cargo airplane fires concludes that current fire-protection systems aboard freight aircraft is inadequate, leading the National Transportation Safety Board to recommend improvements and changes to current regulations.

Mississippi-Abortion-Clinic

The owners of Mississippi's only abortion clinic are headed back to federal court in another attempt to stop a new state law which could close its doors -- effectively banning abortion in the state.

New-York-Murder-Free-Day

The big news in the Big Apple this week may be what didn't happen. There was not a single reported slaying, stabbing, shooting or knifing in any of the five boroughs on Monday, according to the New York Police Department.

California-Bank-Fraud-Sentence

Two California prison inmates who authorities say directed members of their respective groups -- a street gang and a transnational organized crime syndicate -- to help them steal $8 million from people's bank accounts were sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison. Angus Brown, 36, and Arman Sharopetrosian, 33, were convicted of leading the ring from California's Avenal State Prison, where they were cellmates in 2009, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally said. The case was one of two major federal indictments targeting the transnational Armenian Power crime group, to which Sharopetrosian belongs and which allegedly has ties to high-level crime figures in Armenia and elsewhere, authorities said.

MED-smoking-brain

That cigarette may be doing more damage than meets the eye. If you've been smoking for an extended period of time, you're likely familiar with at least some -- if not all -- of the bodily symptoms associated with smoking, including but certainly not limited to: Cravings, coughing, shortness of breath and changes to teeth, hair and skin. Coronary heart disease and/or lung cancer might not be far behind. But a new study published in the journal Age & Ageing concludes that smoking can damage your mind, too. A consistent association was observed between smoking and low global cognitive functioning, including memory. The bottom line: Smoking and long-term high blood pressure appear to increase the risk of cognitive decline.

TRAVEL-hotels-resort-fees-warning

If you've ever been hit with one, you know how an unexpected "resort fee" can take your breath away. At up to $30 a night, the dollars quickly add up when you spend a few nights in a hotel that charges a mandatory fee for amenities that might include the use of the property's gym or pool. The element of surprise that accompanies some of these mandatory fees has caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission, which recently sent a letter to 22 hotel operators warning that their online rate quotes may be deceptive and in violation of FTC regulations.

SPORT-Golf-Belly-Putter-Ban-Bradley

The controversial method of putting whereby the club is "anchored" to a player's belly or another part of the body is to be banned from 2016, golf's law makers announced Wednesday. The move follows victories for Keegan Bradley in last year's U.S.PGA Championship, his fellow American Webb Simpson at this year's U.S. Open and the triumph by South African veteran Ernie Els at the 2012 British Open.

POLITICS

POL-Fiscal-Cliff

An angry warning by President Barack Obama delivered well over a year ago foreshadowed his campaign-style approach on Wednesday aimed at pressuring Republicans to compromise and reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.

POL-House-Republicans-Fiscal-Cliff

As President Obama kicks off a series of events and meetings this week to pressure Congressional Republicans to reach a deal to avert the fiscal cliff, top House GOP leaders are planning their own public campaign to frame Democrats as the ones who are unwilling to budge.

POL-Cole-Fiscal-Cliff

Republican Rep. Tom Cole, who drew sharp disagreement from House Speaker John Boehner when he broke from party lines in the fiscal cliff negotiations, further stood by his position Wednesday night but added he would support the GOP no matter what decision was reached.

MONEY-blankfein-ceos-fiscal-cliff

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said Wednesday that a compromise in Washington was essential to avoid the fiscal cliff.

POL-Huntsman-GOP-Fiscal-Cliff

Former GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman has some tough words for his party as they approach negotiations with the White House to avert the "fiscal cliff." "In my party, compromise cannot be seen as analogous to treason, which it has been recently," Huntsman said in a recent interview with The Huffington Post published Wednesday.

POL-Obama-Romney-Meeting

President Barack Obama and his former rival Mitt Romney will meet Thursday for their first get-together since the November 6 election, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

POL-Michael-Grimm-Investigation

Democrats pounced Wednesday on news from earlier this week about a Department of Justice investigation involving Republican Rep. Michael Grimm of Staten Island and possible campaign finance violations.

POL-North-Carolina-Race

In the final race deemed too close to call, Republican David Rouzer conceded Wednesday after a recount in the race for North Carolina's 7th Congressional District showed incumbent Rep. Mike McIntyre won by a razor-thin margin.

MONEY

MONEY-powerball-550-million

Wednesday's Powerball drawing could be one for the history books, with the jackpot rising to a record $550 million.

MONEY-stocks-markets

U.S. stocks ended on a high note Wednesday as investors welcomed comments from President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner on the fiscal cliff negotiations.

MONEY-SAC-Capital-SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission is getting closer to taking enforcement against SAC Capital related to the largest insider trading case ever. SAC Capital, a $14 billion hedge fund run by billionaire Steven A. Cohen, received a Wells notice from the SEC late last week, according to a source familiar with the situation. The SEC issues Wells notices to warn firms that they are likely to bring an action against them.

MONEY-toys-r-us-black-Friday

Toys R Us may have bitten off more than it can chew. Since the beginning of the holiday shopping season, the toy store has unveiled one incentive after another this year, from price matching to layaways to earlier openings than ever on Thanksgiving, to lure in customers. But it seems the retailer may have pushed a little too hard, and has found it hard to keep up with demand. The retailer's Facebook page is teeming with dozens of customer service complaints after the Black Friday shopping weekend. Many shoppers claimed that they had placed orders to take advantage of some of Toys R Us' hottest deals, only to find out later that they were canceled because there weren't enough items in stock.

TECH-bing-scroogled

If Black Friday lines and stories of violence, vehicular assault and child abandonment taught us anything, it's that the holiday shopping season is a dark, competitive time. Now search engines are getting into the cutthroat holiday spirit. In a new attack on Google, Microsoft's Bing search engine accuses its rival's Google Shopping tool of being dishonest by only including paying vendors, ranking listings by how much they pay, and not clearly marking the results as sponsored.

TECH-gmail-google-drive

Frustrated that you can't share files the size of your entire music collection via e-mail? Google wants to help. Gmail users can now send files of up to 10 GB using Google Drive, the Web giant's cloud-storage service. That's 400 times bigger than files that can be shared in a regular e-mail, according to a blog post by Google's Gmail team.

MONEY-China-Internet-of-Things

When architect James Law looks in the mirror each morning his reflection is not all that greets him -- he can also see the morning weather report, e-mail messages and his heart rate. "The biggest game changer of the past 25 years has been the Internet," said Law, whose Cybertecture Mirror is an offshoot of his Hong Kong architectural firm's focus on integrating technology in design. "In buildings, the Internet has become ubiquitous but it hasn't caught up in the products that inhabit buildings -- chairs, doors, tables and mirrors." Law's company -- and a raft of new government-funded projects in mainland China -- is looking to change that.

FEATURES AND COMMENTARY

CNNHeroes-tribute-show

For the past six years, CNN has been honoring everyday people who are changing the world. The tradition continues Sunday night, when the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2012 will be recognized at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

ENT-Rihanna-Adele-Billboard

It's ladies ... er, day, on the Billboard charts, as both Rihanna and Adele have cause to celebrate. For Rihanna, the seventh record was the charm and the 24-year-old singer now has her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with "Unapologetic." The album debuted at the top of the chart after its release last week. And while we haven't heard from Adele since her "Skyfall" theme - granted, she's been busy with the birth of her first child -- the Brit singer is still dominating album sales. Her sophomore album "21" was the top seller in 2011 and is on track to come out as the best-selling album of 2012, as well.

ENT-Betty-White-Date-Auction

The television icon best known for her work on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Golden Girls" and most recently "Hot in Cleveland" has put herself up for auction. Yes, that's right - you can win a date with Betty White. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced on its website Wednesday that fans can bid to go on a date with the 90-year-old actress, and all proceeds from the date auction will benefit the Los Angeles chapter of the SPCA.

ENT-Lenny-Kravitz-Marvin-Gaye-biopic

Lenny Kravitz isn't playing around with his acting career. The 48-year-old rocker has signed on to portray soul/R&B legend Marvin Gaye in an upcoming biopic, his rep has confirmed to CNN.

ENT-AJ-McLean-Baby

We're sure AJ McLean is tuning up to sing a few lullabies, now that he's welcomed his a baby girl with wife Rochelle Deanna McLean.

ENT-Independent-Spirit-Awards-nominations

The nominations are pouring in for David O. Russell's critically praised "Silver Linings Playbook." The new release, which stars Bradley Cooper as an unstable man who moves back in with his parents after a stint in a mental hospital and Jennifer Lawrence as his equally unstable friend, has picked up five Film Independent Spirit Award nominations, including best feature.

COMMENTARY-Miller-Abbas-UN-Statehood

The Palestinian move at the U.N. won't solve anything.