Today's headlines in the New York Times

January 27, 2013 Today's Headlines: A Flood of Suits Fights Coverage of Birth Control Today's Headlines

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TOP NEWS A Flood of Suits Fights Coverage of Birth Control By ETHAN BRONNER In recent months, federal courts have seen dozens of lawsuits from religious institutions and private employers who say providing birth control to employees would violate their beliefs. Secret Donors Finance Fight Against Hagel By JIM RUTENBERG Conservative groups financed by anonymous donors are running ads against Chuck Hagel, the nominee for secretary of defense, reflecting the continuing effects of the Citizens United decision. BEARING ARMS Selling a New Generation on Guns By MIKE McINTIRE Threatened by declining participation in shooting sports, gun makers and sellers have poured millions of dollars into a campaign to get firearms into the hands of more, and younger, children. • NYTimes.com Home Page » QUOTATION OF THE DAY "Let's be serious. They took a chance on me." MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, on Johns Hopkins University, where he flourished despite a lackluster high school record.

All hail the Tater Tot ALSO IN DINING & WINE » Creole spices power a Super Bowl feast Save the whole spice grinding for special occasions WORLD INTERACTIVE FEATURE: Growth of the Zaatari Refugee Camp There are more than 300,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, 73,000 of them in the Zaatari camp.  Related Article OPINION OPINION Talking, Walking Objects By CARLA DIANA The future is rich with sensor-based, animated devices to give us affirmation, coach us and just plain keep us company.    Video: A Day in the Near Future

WORLD A City in Egypt Erupts in Chaos Over Sentences By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and MAYY EL SHEIKH The government appeared to have lost control of Port Said, a major city, after a court sentenced 21 soccer fans to death and their supporters poured into the streets. French Capture Strategic Airport in Move to Retake North Mali By LYDIA POLGREEN and SCOTT SAYARE French forces took control of the Islamic rebel stronghold of Gao, winning the biggest prize yet in the battle to retake the northern half of Mali.  U.S. Weighing How Much Help to Give France's Military Operation in Mali Rio's Exploding Manholes Menace Residents and Highlight Aging Infrastructure By SIMON ROMERO and TAYLOR BARNES Rio de Janeiro, which will host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, faces criticism for not doing enough to curb the deadly problem. • More World News » U.S. For 3 Women, Combat Option Came a Bit Late By ELISABETH BUMILLER and JAMES DAO For three officers, the ban on women in combat was not so much a glass ceiling as a seemingly bulletproof one that limited their career options within the military. Focus on Preserving Heritage Can Limit Foster Care for Indians By DAN FROSCH A chronic shortage of licensed Indian foster families in many states complicates the ability to allow Indian children to remain connected with their heritage at a turbulent time. New Hampshire Police Chiefs Hold a 31-Gun Raffle for a Training Program By JESS BIDGOOD The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police defends its decision to raffle off 31 guns in May in the wake of the Connecticut elementary school shootings. • More U.S. News » POLITICS Tom Harkin of Iowa Won't Seek Re-election to Senate By JEFF ZELENY The announcement that Senator Harkin, 73, will retire sets the stage for one of the most competitive Senate races next year as Republicans seek to win control from Democrats. As Plouffe Departs, a West Wing Job Is Redefined By JACKIE CALMES The departure of David Plouffe draws attention to a White House office that at once has been crucial to Mr. Obama's presidency yet was nearly eliminated after his re-election. How This Got to Be a Biden Moment By MARK LEIBOVICH As the one major Washington figure who consistently evokes a sense of thrill in what he is doing, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has achieved a sort of cult status. • More Political News » BUSINESS Lincoln's School of Management By NANCY F. KOEHN The deliberations over the Emancipation Proclamation built the leadership backbone of Abraham Lincoln, and offer huge lessons for modern executives. FAIR GAME Making Them Pay (and Confess) By GRETCHEN MORGENSON Mary Jo White, the new head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has a chance to scuttle the practice of letting companies settle cases without admitting fault. ECONOMIC VIEW A New Housing Boom? Don't Count on It By ROBERT J. SHILLER Despite noises about a turning point in the housing market, the data doesn't suggest any particular path for future prices. • More Business News » TECHNOLOGY DIGITAL DOMAIN Mixing, Matching and Charging Less for a Phone Plan By RANDALL STROSS Republic Wireless keeps its cellphone service prices low via an interesting hybrid: it uses Wi-Fi when customers are in a Wi-Fi area and a 3G network when they are not. UNBOXED Dickens, Austen and Twain, Through a Digital Lens By STEVE LOHR Big Data is pushing into the humanities, as evidenced by new, illuminating computer analyses of literary history. WORKSTATION How to Say 'Look at Me!' to an Online Recruiter By PHYLLIS KORKKI Some employers aren't posting jobs these days, choosing instead to search online for the right candidate. So job seekers may need to ask themselves "How searchable am I?" • More Technology News » SPORTS A Saint in His City: Archie Manning in New Orleans By SAM BORDEN The Mannings, the first family of New Orleans quarterbacks, have called the city home since Archie, father of Peyton and Eli, was drafted by the Saints in 1971. ON BASKETBALL The Nets' Key Player, and Their Key Pawn By HOWARD BECK Despite Brook Lopez's fine season and Dwight Howard's horrid one, an exchange of centers by the Nets and the woeful Lakers may still happen. 76ERS 97, KNICKS 80 The Knicks, Finally All Together, Prove Altogether Lackluster By TIM ROHAN Even with their full complement of talented, confident and expensive pieces at their disposal, the Knicks were unable to slow down the 76ers and Jrue Holiday, who scored 35 points.   Box Score | Off the Dribble: Knicks No. 1 in N.B.A. on Forbes List  An Off-Year for the Celtics' Pierce Is Punctuated by an All-Star Snub • More Sports News » ARTS Pure Dance, Pure Finale By ALASTAIR MACAULAY Trisha Brown, a leading choreographer for more than 50 years, will present her last two dances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this week.   Slide Show Not Like the Old Boss: Hip-Hop's Spirit Guide By JON CARAMANICA ASAP Yams is the behind-the-scenes - or not so behind-the-scenes - presence in the career of the expansive hip-hop artist ASAP Rocky.   Interactive Feature |  Popcast: ASAP Rocky Arrives To Heighten the Art? Take It to Vegas By CHARLES ISHERWOOD Michael Mayer's new production of "Rigoletto," set in 1960s Las Vegas, will continue the Metropolitan Opera's attempts to wake up its opera revivals. • More Arts News » NEW YORK / REGION $1.1 Billion in Thanks From Bloomberg to University By MICHAEL BARBARO Michael R. Bloomberg, who credits Johns Hopkins University for turning him into a leader, is adding a $350 million gift to four decades of generosity to the school. The Preppers Next Door By ALAN FEUER The prepper movement, which teaches its members how survive the breakdown of civilization, is gaining followers in New York, including the author.    Interactive Graphic: What You'll Need to Escape New York    Video: Building a Bug-Out Bag 40 Miles to Work, on a Bike By ABIGAIL MEISEL More people are riding their bikes into Manhattan, and even the freezing temperatures do not dissuade a few brave souls.  Times Topic: Bike Commuting • More New York / Region News » MAGAZINE The Price of a Stolen Childhood By EMILY BAZELON Victims of child pornography can now collect damages directly from those convicted of possessing their images. But how much can restitution help them repair their lives? How to Make an Ironman Whimper (and Cough) By BILL DONAHUE The race to the top of very tall buildings.    Audio & Photos: Stairway to Hell Could Cyril Ramaphosa Be the Best Leader South Africa Has Not Yet Had? By BILL KELLER The man who was once Nelson Mandela's chosen successor returns to government, this time as a business tycoon. • More From the Magazine » EDITORIALS EDITORIAL | THE GUN CHALLENGE What We Don't Know Is Killing Us After a 17-year freeze imposed by the gun lobby, government research on the causes and prevention of gun violence must resume.  Maureen Dowd is off today. EDITORIAL Mr. Cameron's European Fantasy The British prime minister is ambivalent about his country's future in the European Union, but he can't pretend to have it both ways. EDITORIAL The Bird Flu Experiments Research on the deadly bird flu virus is to resume, but have all earlier concerns been adequately addressed? • More Opinion » OP-ED OP-ED COLUMNIST She's (Rarely) the Boss By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Sheryl Sandberg, the No. 2 executive at Facebook, offers a provocative take on why women are so underrepresented in leadership positions.  Columnist Page | Blog OP-ED COLUMNIST Revolution Hits the Universities By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Nothing has more potential to let us reimagine higher education than massive open online course, or MOOC, platforms.  Columnist Page OP-ED COLUMNIST Divided by Abortion, United by Feminism By ROSS DOUTHAT How the pro-life movement has learned to love equal opportunity.  Columnist Page | Blog • More Opinion » SUNDAY REVIEW NEWS ANALYSIS Your Biggest Carbon Sin May Be Air Travel By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL With President Obama declaring climate change a part of his second-term agenda, all eyes are on the United States on the matter of airlines' carbon emissions. NEWS ANALYSIS Who Decides the Laws of War? By CHARLIE SAVAGE Can military tribunals charge people with idiosyncratic offenses that are not war crimes under international law? ON THIS DAY On Jan. 27, 1967, Astronauts Virgil I. ''Gus'' Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo I spacecraft at Cape Kennedy, Fla. • See This Front Page • Buy This Front Page

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