Listed below are some of the headlines that made news this past week.
Former CIA Director David Petraeus testified on Capitol Hill on Friday that the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was an act of terrorism committed by al Qaeda-linked militants. He added that in memos issued by the CIA to various government departments and the White House, references to “Al Qaeda involvement” were stripped from the CIA’s original talking points. – Fox News
Palestinian militants have targeted Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv with missiles fired from the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with airstrikes against Gaza militants on Friday and signaled a ground invasion might be growing near as troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers massed near Israel’s southern border with the Palestinian territory. Hamas’ military chief, Ahmed al-Jabari, was killed in one of the airstrikes. – The New York Times
HHS extended the deadline for States to decide whether they wanted to set up their own health care exchanges or not to Dec 14. The extension comes in response to a letter sent by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, chair of the Republican Governors Association, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, requesting more time. – CBS News
BP says it will pay a record criminal fine of $4.5 billion in a settlement for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. – Huffington Post
Hostess, the makers of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Wonder Bread, is going out of business after striking workers failed to heed a Thursday deadline to return to work, the company said. – NBC DFW
A company that creates medical marijuana saw its stocks rise 3000 percent last week – from roughly $4 Monday to $215 Thursday – before falling to $100 after executives sought to dampen investor enthusiasm. – MarketWatch.com
China unveiled it’s new leadership Thursday, with Xi Jinping at the helm. Mr. Xi replaced outgoing Party chief Hu Jintao as head of the powerful Central Military Commission, which controls the armed forces, making Mr. Hu the first Communist Chinese leader to cede all formal powers without bloodshed, purges or political unrest. – The Wall Street Journal
The Dalai Lama has become the latest source of friction in worsening relations between Japan and China, as more than 100 Japanese lawmakers held a high-profile event Tuesday to hear from the exiled Tibetan leader, bringing a strong rebuke from Beijing. – The Wall Street Journal
Cardinal Dolan reiterated his stance on the HHS mandate, declaring Tuesday that the Catholic Church will “not obey” the mandate, a policy he classified as “immoral.” – LifeSiteNews.com
