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The U.S. Capitol is seen, in Washington. Calling quits to a bruising election-year fight, negotiators on Capitol Hill ironed out final details of an agreement to extend a cut in the payroll taxes paid by most Americans. The legislation also would renew jobless benefits for millions more. (Photo by Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Whitney Houston: voice of a generation

Houston’s incomparable music career began, like so many African-American singers, in the Black church. At age 15, she belted out gospel lyrics, mesmerizing the sanctuary and testifying: a star was born.

New York New Amsterdam News

Inside Whitney Houston’s last recording session

MSNBC

Social apps ‘harvest smartphone contacts’; Twitter, Apple questioned

Twitter admitted copying entire address books from smartphones and storing the data on its servers when users click on the “Find Friends” feature, often without customers’ knowledge.

BBC

Congress pushes Apple on address books

ABC News

Congress reaches payroll tax-cut deal

A payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans, set to expire at the end of this month, would be extended through December under a bipartisan deal announced by U.S. congressional leaders.

Reuters

Congress agrees to extend payroll tax cuts, unemployment, Medicare

CBS News

States use mortgage deal money to plug budget holes, angering advocates

The $2.5 billion from the national mortgage settlement is not all going to help troubled homeowners. At least two states — Missouri and Wisconsin — are using the funds to plug big budget holes.

CNNMoney

Syrian forces ‘launch Deraa assault’

Troops attacked the southern city of Deraa, bordering Jordan, in the latest escalation, as the U.N. is due to vote on a new resolution condemning President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Al Jazeera

Snickers coming down in size

Snickers, Twix and other chocolate products from Mars Inc. are coming down in size as part of a drive by the company to stop selling products containing more than 250 calories by the end of 2013.

Medical News Today

NATION

Interracial marriages on rise, acceptance growing: study

Forty-five years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage, the rate of marriage across racial and ethnic lines is on the rise, as is public acceptance of such unions, says a new study.

CNN

Geography of US economic confidence

Americans’ economic confidence hit its highest level in January and is approaching its highest level in four years.

The Atlantic

US economic confidence best in a year

Gallup

How an abortion divides America — again

Ms. McCormack never wanted to be notorious. Then, last autumn, came the controversy that changed her life. Learning she was pregnant, she self-administered a termination, placing her in a showdown.

The Independent

Abortion debate likely to heat up in 2012

NPR

POLITICS

Kennedy name gives candidate early campaign boost

The prospect of the grandson of Robert Kennedy and son of former Rep. Joe Kennedy II taking outgoing Rep. Barney Frank’s seat in Massachusetts’s 4th District has the political money world buzzing.

Politico

Why America pursues more perfect politics and government

We’re a nation in search of the perfect birth, martini, pizza, golf swing, job, dress and financial plan. How do we square the American quest for flawlessness with quirky caucuses and wacky candidates?

NPR

BUSINESS

GM records its highest profit ever

General Motors earned its largest profit ever in 2011, two years after it nearly collapsed into financial ruin. Strong sales in the U.S. and China helped the 103-year-old carmaker turn a profit of $7.6 billion.

Denver Post

GM to freeze salaried workers’ pensions

CBS News

US, Europe agree to accept each other’s organic produce

Organic producers in the U.S. should have a much easier time cracking the potentially lucrative European market. For the first time, they will accept each other’s organic certifications, streamlining trade.

McClatchy Newspapers

ENVIRONMENT

Recycle those beads: Mardi Gras beads cause environmental hangover

Some green-thinking locals want New Orleans to recycle the tons of plastic necklaces that go flying during parades.

Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Bay: A garbage can for 7 million people

Bay Area residents pollute San Francisco Bay with enough trash to fill 100,000 kitchen garbage bags, according to the first comprehensive study of the volume of litter flowing into the bay.

San Jose Mercury News

‘Land banks’ proposed to help blighted neighborhoods in crisis

Using other cities’ models, Kansas City-area lawmakers are pushing creation of a land bank, where vacant properties are acquired and set aside for rehab or resale, so that they can be back on tax rolls.

Kansas City Star

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Why Mozilla’s ‘Hackasaurus’ is teaching kids to hack

Third grade student Molly Irwin is a hacker, and not a member of Anonymous. She doesn’t want to steal data from banks, she just wants to tinker.

canada.com

Swiss scientists to build ‘janitor satellite’ to mop up space junk

A team of scientists in Lausanne, Switzerland have announced a plan to build a satellite that would clear Earth’s orbit of space debris.

Christian Science Monitor

LIVING AND ENTERTAINMENT

The Simpsons reaches 500th episode

With Sunday’s episode — “At Long Last Leave” — The Simpsons will hit 500, a nearly unheard-of milestone reached by only two other prime-time scripted series, Gunsmoke (635) and Lassie (588).

USA TODAY

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has many ‘winners’

Here are reports on two winners of this year‘s Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Neither dog won Best in Show but are very much winners in an ’event’ far more important than any dog show: real life.

Chicago Tribune

The dogs of Westminster

Vanity Fair

Columns And Op-Ed

The opinions in the items below are not necessarily those of DailySource or our editors. Read more.

Column (Constantine von Hoffman):

Don’t believe hype about drop in unemployment claims

CBS News

Column (Josh Ozersky):

Why I won’t be boycotting Chick-fil-A

TIME

Column (Barbara Shelly):

Sorry, Mitt. The faculty doesn’t do much lounging

McClatchy Newspapers

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What’s a space program?

Christian Science Monitor

Column (Mary Elizabeth Williams):

When sexy ads cross the line

Salon

Column (Vincent Carroll):

Obama’s contraception compromise rings hollow

Denver Post

Column (Jeremy Bogaisky):

Muddled Mitt: Bad-mouthing auto bailout won’t fly in Michigan

Forbes

Column (James Case):

A simple, realistic solution to fixing the US economy

McClatchy Newspapers

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GOOD NEWS

Tony Danza’s heart still in Philadelphia classroom where he taught

He will be back at Northeast High for a “Students vs. Teachers” talent show, judged by the audience. Proceeds — with a private donor matching funds raised — go directly to the city’s largest school.

Philadelphia Inquirer

Last FEMA trailer leaves New Orleans

The last of the FEMA trailers has been removed from New Orleans only now, well after floodwalls and levees broke during Hurricane Katrina and caused the city to fill with floodwaters.

Star Tribune

Significant milestone: Last FEMA trailer leaves

Msnbc.com

Teachers learn how to help students get along, thanks to grant honoring airman

Modesto California’s Rose Avenue Elementary teachers spent a day living as students, learning hands-on ways to help students work and play together better.

Modesto Bee