15+DEC

 **** __China and U.S. Hit Strident Impasse at Climate Talks__ **** By JOHN M. BRODER and JAMES KANTER China and the United States were at a stalemate at the climate change conference over how compliance with any treaty could be monitored and verified.

**** __Poll Reveals Depth and Trauma of Joblessness in U.S.__ **** By MICHAEL LUO and MEGAN THEE-BRENAN Unemployment has caused major life changes and mental health issues for millions of Americans, a New York Times/CBS News poll found.

**** __Rebuffing U.S., Pakistan Balks at Crackdown__ **** By JANE PERLEZ The Pakistani military has refused to turn on Siraj Haqqani, a Taliban warrior in Afghanistan and an asset of the Pakistani spy agency. **** __ Left Out in the Cold at the Climate Talks__ **** By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL and TOM ZELLER Jr. Outside the United Nations conference in Copenhagen, thousands of participants faced long waits in freezing weather to pick up their credentials.

**** __Australia’s Rudd Looks for Success in Copenhagen__ **** By MERAIAH FOLEY Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd is expected to play a key, behind-the-scenes role at the climate talks.

**** __Suicide Bomb Blast Near Hotel in Kabul__ **** By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A suicide bomb explosion Tuesday in Afghanistan’s capital damaged a hotel frequented by foreigners, a government official said. The extent of casualties was not immediately clear. **** __Lieberman Gets Ex-Party to Shift on Health Plan__ **** By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK The senator is infuriating his old party, but Democrats suggested they may bow to his demands by scrapping a Medicare expansion and dropping the public option.

**** __Onetime Nevada Brothel Could Become Conservationists’ Oasis__ **** By LESLIE KAUFMAN The Mustang Ranch’s presence on a parcel of land on the Truckee River kept development at bay, thus improving the chances of restoring the flora and fauna.

**** __U.S. Said to Pick Illinois Prison to House Detainees__ **** By CHARLIE SAVAGE The Obama administration is expected to announce on Tuesday that some of the terrorism suspects being held at Guantánamo Bay will be moved to a prison in northwestern Illinois. **** __In Exxon Deal, Signs of the New Gusher__ **** By JAD MOUAWAD and CLIFFORD KRAUSS The acquisition of XTO by Exxon is a bet on natural gas, a fossil fuel with reserves that are expanding in hard-to-reach areas.

**** __In the Changeover at G.M., a New Hands-On Attitude__ **** By BILL VLASIC In his first two weeks as chief of General Motors, Edward E. Whitacre Jr. has tried to shake up the automaker’s famously bureaucratic culture.

**** __Obama Presses Biggest Banks to Lend More__ **** By HELENE COOPER and ERIC DASH As banks rushed to repay bailout money, they were in a stronger position to resist government demands that they change their practices.