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April Thompson makes a purchase at Legacy Team Sales in Ocala, Fla., in September. Economists say October's surprisingly strong job growth will encourage the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates next month. So holiday shoppers may pay more for using credit cards.

April Thompson makes a purchase at Legacy Team Sales in Ocala, Fla., in September. Economists say October's surprisingly strong job growth will encourage the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates next month. So holiday shoppers may pay more for using credit cards. Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner/Landov

The Two-Way

Strong Jobs Data Point To Pricier Credit Cards For Christmas

Economists are saying that October's surprisingly strong job growth will encourage the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates next month. So holiday shoppers may pay more for using credit cards.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy was arrested and charged with assaulting his former girlfriend Nicole Holder in May. He was found guilty but appealed, and then when Holder stopped cooperating, the case was dropped.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy was arrested and charged with assaulting his former girlfriend Nicole Holder in May. He was found guilty but appealed, and then when Holder stopped cooperating, the case was dropped. Brandon Wade/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Brandon Wade/AP

The Two-Way

Photos Emerge Of A Woman's Injuries, Allegedly Inflicted By Cowboys' Greg Hardy

Deadspin published photos it says are of Nicole Holder's bruised body. Hardy was found guilty of assaulting her, but the conviction was thrown out. The photos have refocused attention on the attack.

Physical exercise, diet and supportive counseling are the first steps of any weight-loss program. But sometimes that's not enough to take large amounts of weight off, and keep it off, doctors say.

Physical exercise, diet and supportive counseling are the first steps of any weight-loss program. But sometimes that's not enough to take large amounts of weight off, and keep it off, doctors say. 13/Ocean/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption 13/Ocean/Corbis

Shots - Health News

Surgery Helps Some Obese Teens In Battle To Get Fit

Three years after bariatric surgery, more than 200 severely obese teens studied had dropped about a third of their weight and improved their metabolism, heart health and self-esteem.

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Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo hugs another mourner at a 2014 prayer service following a deadly car crash at the South by Southwest festival. The driver who plowed into a crowd outside a music venue has been convicted of capital murder.

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo hugs another mourner at a 2014 prayer service following a deadly car crash at the South by Southwest festival. The driver who plowed into a crowd outside a music venue has been convicted of capital murder. Michael Buckner/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Michael Buckner/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Man Who Drove Through Crowd At SXSW Music Festival Convicted

Rashad Owens, 23, was intoxicated when he struck a crowd attending South by Southwest in Austin last year. He was found guilty of capital murder, which brings a prison sentence of life without parole.

President Obama, flanked by Secretary of State John Kerry (right) and Vice President Joe Biden, announced the Keystone XL pipeline decision Friday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

President Obama, flanked by Secretary of State John Kerry (right) and Vice President Joe Biden, announced the Keystone XL pipeline decision Friday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

President Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline Plan

"Shipping dirtier crude oil into our country would not increase America's energy security," the president said in a statement delivered at the White House.

Louisiana Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards walks past Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter as they take their places before a gubernatorial debate.

Louisiana Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards walks past Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter as they take their places before a gubernatorial debate. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Gerald Herbert/AP

Politics

La. Democrat For Governor: 'David Vitter Chose Prostitutes Over Patriots'

A new ad hammers home Republican David Vitter's involvement in the 2007 D.C. Madam prostitution scandal. He easily won re-election to the Senate but faces renewed scrutiny in his run for governor.

A view of the landscape in eastern Georgia (left) and a trail along Kamananui stream in Hawaii.
Sebastian Preuber/Flickr; Daniel Ramirez/Flickr

Shots - Health News

Did The Language You Speak Evolve Because Of The Heat?

People speak very differently depending on where they live, and the climate and environment might have something to do with that. Crisp English consonants don't carry well in the rain forest.

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Juvenile Chinook salmon swim in the American River in California. The state's salmon fishery, which revolves around fall-run Chinook, has been estimated to be worth $1.4 billion, with the fish finding their way into markets and restaurants.

Juvenile Chinook salmon swim in the American River in California. The state's salmon fishery, which revolves around fall-run Chinook, has been estimated to be worth $1.4 billion, with the fish finding their way into markets and restaurants. Courtesy of John Hannon/USBR hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of John Hannon/USBR

The Salt

Big Trouble Looms For California Salmon — And For Fishermen

Thanks to a blazing hot summer and unusually warm water, early counts of juvenile winter-run Chinook are at extreme low levels. To protect them, regulators may restrict ocean fishing.

A joint raid with IBAMA, ICMBIO, Rondonia Police and the Ministry of Defense went to the Jacunda National Forest to track illegal loggers and collect contraband lumber.

A joint raid with IBAMA, ICMBIO, Rondonia Police and the Ministry of Defense went to the Jacunda National Forest to track illegal loggers and collect contraband lumber. Kainaz Amaria/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Kainaz Amaria/NPR

Environment

The Claims Are Rosy, But Brazil's Rain Forest Is Still Disappearing

Brazil says it has greatly reduced the rate of deforestation. That may be true, critics say, but they argue such figures are misleading because so much of the Amazon has already been degraded.

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Former President George H.W. Bush pumps his fist next to his son, Jeb, during a fundraiser in Tampa, Fla., in 1994. Jeb Bush was running for governor. He lost that year, but won four years later.

Former President George H.W. Bush pumps his fist next to his son, Jeb, during a fundraiser in Tampa, Fla., in 1994. Jeb Bush was running for governor. He lost that year, but won four years later. Chris O'Meara/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Chris O'Meara/AP

Politics

For Jeb Bush, One More Father-Brother White House Question To Answer

The former Florida governor earlier this year announced a team of foreign policy advisers that included at least two well-known members of the Rumsfeld-Cheney team in the second Bush White House.