Four people are dead inside an Aurora, Colo., home Saturday following a standoff with an “armed and dangerous” man holding hostages, police say. Aurora is the Denver suburb where a gunman opened fire in a movie theater last July, killing 12 and injuring many more. The alleged gunman is reportedly among the dead. After several

Enlarge image i President Obama pauses as he speaks about the fiscal cliff on Monday. Some progressives say the president was not aggressive enough with Republicans during budget talks and are hoping he is stronger in his second term. Charles Dharapak/AP President Obama pauses as he speaks about the fiscal cliff on Monday. Some progressives

Enlarge image i President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner at the White House in November. Carolyn Kaster/AP President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner at the White House in November. Carolyn Kaster/AP The last thing Washington policymakers need is another obstacle to reaching agreements in the next two months on mandatory spending cuts and

Enlarge image i South African cyclist Burry Stander, seen here riding in the cross-country mountain bike race at the London Olympics, was killed during a training ride Thursday in South Africa. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images South African cyclist Burry Stander, seen here riding in the cross-country mountain bike race at the London Olympics, was killed during

U.K. Health and Safety Laboratory/YouTube The art and science of vomiting meet in a lab robot called Vomiting Larry. The lab robot affectionately called “Vomiting Larry” has gone viral. His image and videoed vomiting for science are all over the Web. His moment of fame comes after more than a million people have been sickened

Update at 1:30 p.m. ET: The counting is done and as expected, President Obama and Vice President Biden collected all 332 Electoral College votes they earned on Election Day. Their Republican opponents, Mitt Romney and running mate Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, received 206 votes each. Since it takes 270 Electoral College votes to be

Enlarge image i A sign of support for the Sandy Hook students, on a road between Newtown and Monroe, Conn. Carlo Allegri /Reuters /Landov A sign of support for the Sandy Hook students, on a road between Newtown and Monroe, Conn. Carlo Allegri /Reuters /Landov Hoping that they have done their best to create “a

Enlarge image i The scene at a career fair in New York City last fall. Mike Segar /Reuters /Landov The scene at a career fair in New York City last fall. Mike Segar /Reuters /Landov Update at 8:40 a.m. ET. Jobless Claims Went Up; So Two Out Of Three Reports Were Positive: There were 372,000

Before the holiday mood completely disappears, take a break if you can to watch this video of the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Melbourne, Australia. The guy who made it, Julian Tay, writes he was: “Curious to see what fireworks would look like if I played it backwards. Turns out, it looks pretty awesome. Playing

Enlarge image i Chiara Andolina, a malaria researcher in Thailand, feeds her mosquito colony by letting the insects bite by her right arm. These mosquitoes are picky and will dine only on live human blood. Ben de la Cruz/NPR Chiara Andolina, a malaria researcher in Thailand, feeds her mosquito colony by letting the insects bite

Enlarge image i A policeman stands guard at the Parliament building in Islamabad, Pakistan in June. The Lower House recently passed a bill similar to the United States’ Patriot Act, touching off a debate about privacy in the country. Ahmad Kamal/Xinhua/Landov A policeman stands guard at the Parliament building in Islamabad, Pakistan in June. The

Rep. Pete Stark, a California Democrat, was defeated in November. Stark leaves a long-lasting mark on the nation’s health care system. Jeff Chiu/AP The 113th Congress will be the first one in 40 years to convene without California Congressman Pete Stark as a member. Stark was defeated in November by a fellow Democrat under new