29+DEC

 **** __Obama Seeks to Reassure U.S. After Bombing Attempt__ **** By PETER BAKER and SCOTT SHANE President Obama emerged from seclusion to try to quell criticism of the government’s handling of an attempted plane attack as a branch of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility.

**** __New York on Track for Fewest Homicides on Record__ **** By AL BAKER Despite a bad economy, the city is set to have the fewest homicides in a 12-month period since 1962.

**** __At State Level, Health Lobby Fights Change__ **** By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK Insurance companies and other health care interests have been positioning themselves in statehouses around the country to influence the outcome of the proposed overhaul. **** __Trying to Sway America’s Cuba Policy With Song__ **** By GINGER THOMPSON A movement by artists, scholars and businessmen is trying to change United States policy toward Cuba from the bottom up.

**** __Iran Arrests Dissidents, Sites Report__ **** By ROBERT F. WORTH Top aides to Mir Hussein Moussavi were among a number of opposition figures arrested, Iranian Web sites reported.

**** __Death Toll Is Said to Reach 40 in Attack on Shiites__ **** By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and SALMAN MASOOD The death toll from a suicide bomber’s attack on a Shiite religious procession in Karachi, Pakistan, was reported to have risen to 40 on Tuesday. **** __U.S. Struggles Anew to Ensure Safety as Gaps Are Revealed__ **** By ERIC LIPTON The Department of Homeland Security is struggling to strengthen an aviation security system it has spent $40 billion rebuilding since 2001.

**** __Rules Are Topsy-Turvy After Terror Attempt__ **** By JENNIFER STEINHAUER Inconsistencies in new safety measures for air travelers in the days following an attempted terrorist attack.

**** __Passenger Hailed as Hero Quickly Finds Spotlight Can Have a Harsh Glow__ **** By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD Jasper Schuringa, who helped thwart an attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight to Detroit, has drawn questions and criticism after selling photographs. **** __Emissions Disclosure as a Business Virtue__ ****

A nonprofit tracks emissions and persuades some companies to change policies before governments step in.

**** __Ex-Employee Says Seagate Violated Law__ **** By ASHLEE VANCE and DIANA B. HENRIQUES In a court filing, a former employee, Paul A. Galloway, said that Seagate had appropriated hard-drive technology from Convolve for its own products.

**** __Broadcasters Battling for Cable Fees__ **** By BRIAN STELTER Fox is pushing Time Warner Cable to pay about $1 for each subscriber, as broadcasters seek new revenue streams to offset advertising declines.