While lawmakers debate proposals, the demand for immigration attorneys is increasing as people seek information and assistance. Jose Pertierra and his staff field nearly 50 calls a day from immigrants wondering how potential changes will affect them.

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Gov. Sam Brownback plans to get rid of Kansas' income tax and cut the size of state government. Some lawmakers say it's a great experiment that will show that lower tax rates and streamlined bureaucracy can stimulate growth; others are concerned about overreaching.

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"It was horrible, just horrible" said one passenger, tears welling in her eyes. Tales of hoarding and gross conditions make the five-day experience in the Gulf of Mexico sound like one very unpleasant trip.

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Also: The erotic writings of John Donne; Randi Zuckerberg gets a two-book deal; and the whimsical world of book sculpting.

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Fried chicken and waffles is a delicious combo — but is it a traditional Southern one? A lot of readers objected to the idea that this dish originated in the South. We look into the roots of the dish — and the objections to calling it Southern.

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Authorities in South Africa intend to purse a case of premeditated murder against the Paralympic and Olympic sprinter. He's accused of killing his girlfriend on Thursday. The athlete's agent says Pistorius disputes the charge "in the strongest possible terms."

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The sights and sounds across Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday as a meteor came roaring in were awesome. There are reports of more than 900 people being injured, most when windows shattered. But European Space Agency experts say there's no connection to the large asteroid that's whizzing past Earth later in the day.

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The documentary Raising Adam Lanza seeks a more complete view of Nancy Lanza and her son, a young man who was described as smart and awkward as a teen — and who later killed 27 people in Newtown, Conn. The documentary is built on the work of PBS Frontline and The Hartford Courant.

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The documentary Raising Adam Lanza seeks a more complete view of Nancy Lanza and her son, a young man who was described as smart and awkward as a teen — and who later killed 27 people in Newtown, Conn. The documentary is built on the work of PBS Frontline and The Hartford Courant.

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A meteor streaked across the sky above Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and injuring more than 400 people, many of them hurt by broken glass. Some reports say it was a meteor shower, others say it was a single meteor.

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A cruise ship disabled for five nightmarish days in the Gulf of Mexico finally docked with some 4,200 people aboard late Thursday. Passengers raucously cheered the end to an ocean odyssey they say was marked by overflowing toilets, food shortages and foul odors.

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He was in his late 50s. She was in her late 40s. Louis and Harriet Caplan talk about how they became a couple at a stage in life when most people give up on falling in love, and about making the most of their time together.

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Warren made her debut at the Senate Banking Committee hearing, where a simple question stumped federal regulators. She asked Securities and Exchange Commission regulators when was the last time they took a big bank to trial.

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Money flooding in from outside groups contributed to 33 percent more political TV ads in 2012 than 2008. The ads pounded away at voters' eyeballs and ears in just a few targeted cities in battleground states.

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Dorner is suspected of going on a killing spree that led to a multi-state manhunt. The remains were identified using dental records.

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The potential Democratic Party contest between 89-year-old Sen. Frank Lautenberg and 43-year-old Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker had been shaping up to be a generational battle royale. Alas, it won't happen now that Lautenberg has announced that he won't run for re-election in 2014.

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A Vatican spokesman denied that had anything to do with Benedict XVI's decision to step down. But the revelation came just two days after the spokesman said the pope underwent a secret operation late last year to replace the battery for a pacemaker.

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Ramiro Gomez Jr. is an artist — and nanny — who places cardboard paintings of domestic workers in affluent Los Angeles neighborhoods. Some people see him as an activist, but Gomez shies away from that label; he just hopes his project will help to humanize immigrant workers.

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Lautenberg had already been challenged by the younger and very popular Newark Mayor Cory Booker. In a statement, Lautenberg said he still had a lot of work to do in his remaining two years.

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Military leaders are among those warning Congress of the consequences of the automatic spending cuts set to kick in at the beginning of March. But many on Capitol Hill seem resigned to the cuts taking place.

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