ADVISORY CNN Wire Outlook

Supervising News Editor Ed Payne -- 404-827-1401

UPCOMING

US-Schwarzkopf-Obit (3 a.m.)

Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded coalition forces during the Gulf War, died Thursday, a U.S. official said. He was 78.

US-Winter-Weather (monitoring)

While much of the United States was enjoying a reprieve from this week's storm system, some areas were still getting heavy snowfalls and others were feeling extra cold. Nine people have died in storm-related incidents since Tuesday, including a Indiana couple who crash on their scooter.

Syria-Civil-War (will update)

Monitoring for the latest developments in Syria's 21-month civil war.

Egypt-Mubarak (will update)

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who is serving a life sentence in a Cairo prison, is being transferred to a military hospital for medical treatment, state-run TV reported. His lawyer says he cracked three ribs in a fall.

Central-African-Republic-Unrest (will update as merits)

The president of the Central African Republic has asked for help from other nations to stave off rebel advances that threaten his rule.

India-Rape-Suicide

A teenager has killed herself after she was sexually assaulted last month, police said on Friday, citing her suicide note.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED STORIES

INTERNATIONAL

US-North-Korea-Satellite-Deceit

North Korea likely engaged in a deliberate campaign of deception before a December 12 long-range missile launch, catching the United States and its Asian allies "off guard," according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of analysis of the incident conducted by U.S. military and intelligence agencies.

Central-African-Republic-Unrest

The president of the Central African Republic asked Thursday for help from other nations to stave off rebel advances that threaten his rule.

India-Rape-Protests

The victim of a brutal gang rape that sparked massive protests in India arrived in Singapore for treatment Thursday morning.

Syria-Civil-War

Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. and Arab League point man who has been shuttling among capitals in an attempt to broker a halt to the war in Syria, said Thursday he is pinning his hopes on the formation of a transitional government in Damascus that would hold power until an election.

U.S.A.

US-Schwarzkopf-Obit

Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded coalition forces during the Gulf War, died Thursday, a U.S. official said. He was 78.

US-Winter-Weather (this story has absorbed TRAVEL-Airline-Delays)

While much of the United States was enjoying a reprieve from this week's storm system, some areas were still getting heavy snowfalls and others were feeling extra cold. Nine people have died in storm-related incidents since Tuesday, including a Indiana couple who crash on their scooter.

US-NRA-President-Interview

Facing widespread outrage over the National Rifle Association's response to the Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre, the group's president Thursday tried to clarify, saying that schools should decide for themselves how to protect their children.

US-newtown-donations-halt

Newtown, Connecticut, has received so many gifts since the December 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary that a local official is kindly asking people to stop sending them. The mail office and workers just can't handle the volume.

Connecticut-Newtown-Charity-Scam

Federal authorities arrested a 37-year-old Bronx woman on Thursday after she allegedly concocted a ruse in the wake of the Connecticut mass shooting and posed as a relative of one of the slain children.

US-New-York-Gun-Permit-Map

A blogger has posted the home addresses of staffers from a newspaper after the paper published an online, interactive map showing names and addresses of all handgun permit-holders in New York's Westchester and Rockland counties. Christopher Fountain, who is also a gun owner, spoke to CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien" on Thursday to explain his reasoning behind the posting. "I felt they were using this to harass gun owners," Fountain said of the newspaper's staff. "So I harassed them back."

Utah-Teachers-Weapons

About 200 Utah educators spent part of their holiday vacation in class themselves -- learning how to handle a gun. Those who attended the free, specially tailored concealed carry permit session near Salt Lake City included school secretaries, substitutes and full-time teachers. Whether they were committed to bringing a gun into school or simply giving themselves the option, they were united in their desire to learn more.

US-SCOTUS-Obamacare

Craft store giant Hobby Lobby is bracing for a $1.3 million a day fine beginning January 1 for noncompliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obamacare. The company opposes providing some contraceptives to employees through its company health care plan on religious grounds, saying some contraceptive products, like the morning after pill, equate to abortion.

Mississippi-River-Traffic

As politicians and barge companies express fear of a shutdown or significant disruption, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is tackling one of two significant problems presented in the drought-stricken Mississippi River.

Massachusetts-Pediatric-Dentist-Charged

A pediatric dentist charged with possession and distribution of child pornography can still treat children at his Framingham, Massachusetts, dental office under a judge's ruling, according to a news release from the Middlesex district attorney's office. Melvin A. Ehrlich, 52, was arraigned Thursday in Framingham District Court on three counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of distribution of child pornography, according to the release.

TECH-Marvell-Lawsuit-Response

Marvell Technology Group on Thursday denied it infringed on technology patents, a day after a federal jury in Pennsylvania ordered the company to pay $1.17 billion in damages to Carnegie Mellon University. A lawsuit filed in 2009 by the Pittsburgh university claimed that Marvell and its U.S. operating subsidiary, Marvell Semiconductor Inc., infringed on its patented technology fundamental for "increasing the accuracy with which hard disk drive circuits read data from high-speed magnetic disks," according to a press release from K&L Gates, the law firm representing Carnegie Mellon.

POLITICS

POL-Fiscal-Cliff

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders will discuss the looming fiscal cliff impasse Friday at the White House, aiming for a last-minute deal to stave off automatic tax increases and spending cuts.

POL-Senate-Hawaii-Schatz

Hawaii's newest senator was nominated, appointed, and sworn into his seat so quickly he had to scramble to get himself ready for the red-eye flight to Washington. "I bought this coat yesterday," Brian Schatz told reporters after landing on the mainland dressed in an overcoat - hardly necessary in Hawaii, where temperatures were in the low 70s on Thursday. Hours later, he was sworn in by the Senate's top officer, Vice President Joe Biden.

POL-Markey-Senate-Massachusetts

Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts said Thursday he will seek the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. John Kerry, who was nominated to become the next secretary of state last week.

POL-Clinton-Back-To-Work

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will return to work next week after a nasty bout with stomach flu and a concussion sidelined her for three weeks.

POL-Kerry-Confirmation-Preparations

It's better to be Santa than Scrooge, as Sen. John Kerry's staff realized belatedly. They backed off asking senior managers to work over the holiday weekend and Christmas Eve as they scramble to prepare their boss for his confirmation hearing to become the next secretary of state.

POL-Bush-Hospital-Update

The family of George H.W. Bush expressed confidence Thursday that the former president will be released shortly from an intensive care unit at a Houston hospital, where he is being treated for an elevated fever.

MONEY

MONEY-dinosaur-smuggler

A dinosaur smuggler has pleaded guilty and now faces 17 years in prison.

MONEY-stocks-markets

U.S. stocks erased sharp losses Thursday as lawmakers scrambled to come up with a solution to the fast-approaching fiscal crisis.

MONEY-spain-bankia-shares

Shares in Spain's Bankia plunged Thursday as private investors ditched the stock before an imminent EU-backed rescue wipes out much of their holdings.

FEATURES AND COMMENTARY

TECH-top-tech-stories-2012

The top 12 tech stories of 2012

ENT-Patrick-Dempsey-Coffee-Chain

"Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey believes he and a group of investors are just what the doctor ordered for a struggling Seattle-based coffee chain. Dempsey said the group wants to save 500 jobs by purchasing Tully's Coffee, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. The company, citing "rising commodity prices and challenging lease economics," said it planned to close a number of underperforming coffee shop locations as part of its reorganization.

ENT-archery-pop-culture-2012

Starting with the success of "The Hunger Games," archery was big in 2012