The pariah nation launches a long-range rocket, ignoring warnings from the U.N. and the U.S. Terror-stricken holiday shoppers run for cover as shots ring out, leaving three dead, including the shooter. Proponents say the legislation will bring more jobs to the state. Opponents contend the real intent is to weaken organized labor. Drew Dobson, of Coleman, Mich., protests at a rally at the State Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. The crowd is protesting right-to-work legislation passed last week. Michigan could become the 24th state with a right-to-work law next week. Rules required a five-day wait before the House and Senate vote on each other's bills; lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene Tuesday and Gov. Snyder has pledged to sign the bills into law. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) p Close Republicans note that his current stand on raising tax rates differs from the one he took in 2010 - after he was stung by the midterm elections. The music star's jet plummeted nearly straight down at a speed that may have exceeded 600 mph, an official says. Obama declares main opposition group the sole "legitimate representative" of Syria's people. To mark the once-a-century date, some in the U.S. are betting on good fortune and opening a new business, hitting a casino - or getting married. Among the "end of the world" online posts: A mountain in France is hiding an alien spaceship that will be the sole escape. J.R. Ewing, played by the late Larry Hagman, will get a proper funeral on "Dallas," TNT says. Hagman died at age 81 over Thanksgiving. New Orleans players were culpable - but their coaches were just as much in the wrong, ex-Commissioner Paul Tagliabue says.