—From Franklin, Tenn.   Nailed: In the wake of a NY Times expose of health hazards and wage theft in the thriving nail salon industry, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered emergency measures to inspect the parlors, protect salon …

Cuban Surprise: President Obama shocked the world and his Republican opponents announcing yesterday that 50 years of shunning Cuba is a failure and that the US is re-establishing diplomatic relations with the island country just 90 miles off the coast …

Taliban Attack: In one of Pakistan’s worst terror incidents in recent years, Taliban gunmen are reported to have killed at least 126 people and taken hostages in an assault on a school in northwestern Pakistan. About a half-dozen Taliban gunmen …

Ferguson: As Ferguson, Mo. braces for the report of a grand jury, the officer who shot an unarmed black teenager last summer is expected to resign, according to several reports. After months on administrative leave, Officer Darren Wilson has indicated …

Outbreak: Under pressure from the Obama administration the governor of New York is backing off, if only slightly, his quarantine requirement for medical workers returning from West Africa. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that in some cases he will allow home …

Eruption: At least 30 people are believed to be dead after the eruption yesterday of a volcano in central Japan that is a popular hiking and climbing spot. About 250 people were on the mountain when it began to spew …

Iraq: President Obama is sending 300 military advisors to stiffen the spine of the Iraqi army that’s collapsing before advancing Sunni Islamist rebels. Although the presence of “advisors” is often the first step to entering combat, Obama said American soldiers …

Deep Freeze: It’s 5 degrees in Green Bay, Wisc., where the Packers meet the 49ers on Lambeau Field this afternoon. Bone crunching. The lowest temperatures in almost 20 years are spreading into the Northern and Central US today, bringing wind …

At The Polls: NY City today is likely to elect progressive candidate Bill de Blasio as its next mayor. It’ll be a left turn after 12 years of conservative, and effective, Michael Bloomberg.   NPR says Virginia must choose between …

 National: With increased confidence in economic recovery, the Federal Reserve will start dialing back economic stimulus by the end of the year, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said yesterday. Stimulus will end early next year when unemployment hits 7%. Short-term interest …