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10 Things to Know for Wednesday

Photo

Photo by Associated Press

A BP gas station and convenience store at Spring Hill Avenue and Union Avenue in Mobile, Ala., shows damage after severe moved through the area Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, in Mobile, Ala. A powerful storm peeled the roofs from buildings, toppled trucks and blew down oak trees and limbs in the Mobile area, leading to some road closures but no reports of major injuries, authorities said early Thursday. About 18,000 customers were without power Thursday morning, with about 8,600 in the hard-hit Mobile area, Alabama Power spokeswoman Keisa Sharpe-Johnson said. Several of the outages were in downtown Mobile.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about today. Please note some stories have are not yet published:

1. WHAT THE NEW YORK SHOOTER’S NOTE SAID

William Spengler wanted to burn down the neighborhood and “do what I like doing best, killing people” before shooting at firefighters. Click here for story

2. SAME WEAPON USED IN NEW YORK AND NEWTOWN

Police in Webster, N.Y., recovered a .223-caliber semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle — the same caliber and make used to kill 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school.

3. TORNADOES FOR CHRISTMAS

The twisters spun across Texas and Alabama, blew the roofs off homes and killed three people. Click here for story

4. SCARED TO SHOP

Retail spending grew at the slowest pace since the 2008 recession in a holiday season dampened by economic uncertainty. Click here for story

5. REPUBLICANS LOOKING FOR COMPROMISE

After President Obama’s re-election, many are willing to bend on immigration, taxes and gun issues.

6. BACK TO THE OLD IN JAPAN

Shinzo Abe was voted back into office, restoring power to the conservatives that ran Japan for most of the post-World War II era. Click here for story

7. CRASH LANDING FOR CHRISTMAS TOURISTS

A flight headed for a popular spot in Myanmar slammed into a road, killing at least two people and injuring 11.

8. A DIRECTOR AND ACTOR, BUT NOT A POLITICIAN

Ben Affleck took himself out of the running for U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s Massachusetts seat.

9. EASY TO GET A ROOM FOR INAUGURATION

Obama’s Jan. 21 second-term festivities are expected to draw up to 800,000 visitors, down from 1.8 million in 2008.

10. HERO DOG FROM PHILIPPINES BEATS CANCER

Kabang, who lost her snout when she jumped in front of a motorcycle to save two young girls, is in remission after six weeks of chemotherapy. Click here for story