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As political leaders try to reach a deal to avoid automatic spending cuts and tax increases at the year's end, income tax rates are a major sticking point. President Obama wants to raise taxes for some; Republicans don't want any hikes. But if nothing is done, rates could go up across the board.

Back in 1984, Congress gave authorities the power to let people out of federal prison early, in extraordinary circumstances, like if inmates were gravely ill or dying. But a new report says the Federal Bureau of Prisons blocks all but a few inmates from taking advantage of "compassionate release."

Renee Montagne talks with Rep. Raul Labrador, Republican from Idaho and one of the congressmen who introduced the bill that's set for a vote Friday. The STEM Jobs Act allows people who are in the U.S. legally who are getting advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math to stay and get their green cards, he says.

Scotland's St. Andrews is sacred ground for golfers, often referred to as the "birthplace of golf." Renee Montagne and David Greene tell us about a major announcement — the first changes to the club's "Old Course" in about 70 years. The goal is to make it more challenging before the next British Open at St. Andrews in 2015.

Just when you thought you never had to look at another political ad, they're back — this time focused on the big debate in Washington about taxes and spending. Unions, business groups and other special interests have taken their arguments to the nation's living rooms and computer screens.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner took the administration's plan to avert the so-called fiscal cliff to skeptical Republicans on Capitol Hill on Thursday. The proposal would increase taxes on the wealthiest by $1.2 trillion and cut Medicare by $400 billion over a decade.

For a second day, the Syrian capital, Damascus is cut off from the outside world, with the international airport shut, the Internet down and mobile phone lines working sporadically. There are reports of fierce clashes around the capital and heavy airstrikes in the capital's suburbs and in the northern city of Aleppo.

There's more to Mexico than drug-related violence. The country's economy is actually doing well, due in part to solid exports to the U.S.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to make it a little harder for police to read people's old emails. It's something privacy groups and tech companies have wanted for years, but law enforcement groups are less pleased.

Five years after his much-hyped arrival in the United States, David Beckham is playing his last game for the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday. David Greene speaks with Los Angeles Times sportswriter Kevin Baxter about whether Beckham lived up to America's expectations.