Nation & World

The Associated Press

A daily look at breaking news and stories that will be talked about today:

1. WHAT OBAMA HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE PETRAEUS SCANDAL: The president will hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Seattle time, but it’s not clear if he’ll address whether national security had been threatened.

2. THE WOMAN IN THE EYE OF THE STORM: Florida socialite Jill Kelley wonders in a 911 call if her “honorary consul general” title affords her “diplomatic protection” from the media.

3. U.S. SEES AL-QAIDA LINK TO CONSULATE ATTACK: The head of the U.S. military’s Africa Command says some of those who attacked the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya were linked to al-Qaida’s North Africa arm.

4. OBAMA AND THE `FISCAL CLIFF’: He is turning to business and labor groups to support his plan, which includes requiring the wealthy to pay more in taxes.

5. HU STEPS DOWN AS CHINA’S LEADER: Vice President Xi Jinping will be presented as the Communist Party head when the new leadership is announced Thursday.

6. RUSSIA TREASON LAW: A new law expanding Russia’s definition of treason took effect Wednesday — and critics say it’s so vague that the government can now brand anyone who dissents as a traitor.

7. ACCUSER OF ELMO PUPPETEER RECANTS: He now says their relationship was adult and consensual, so the question is: Why did he initially allege there was teen sex?

8. HOW SYRIAN OPPOSITION HOPES TO STAY IN THE GAME: The selection of a moderate cleric as the group’s leader is an attempt to counter the growing influence of Islamic extremists in the rebellion against Assad.

9. A FLIGHT TO AN FAA SAFETY CONFERENCE ENDS TRAGICALLY: All three pilots aboard a single-engine plane are killed when it crashes into a Jackson, Miss., house.

10. COLBERT ENDS SUPER PAC: In case you missed the show Monday night, Stephen Colbert has shut down his Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow — a joke that mocked the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. But the joke became real, at one point raising more than $1 million. And then there’s the fate of Ham Rove …