20+DEC

 **** __Democrats Clinch Deal for Deciding Vote on Health Bill__ **** By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and CARL HULSE Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska agreed to back the bill, and Democrats said they were on track to pass it by Christmas despite fierce Republican opposition.

****NEWS ANALYSIS**** **** __Obama, Denied Full Victory on 2 Issues, Takes Validation__ **** By PETER BAKER From Copenhagen to Capitol Hill, the president determined the outer limits of what he could accomplish on climate change and health care and decided that was enough, for now.

**** __A Grudging Accord in Climate Talks__ **** By ANDREW C. REVKIN and JOHN M. BRODER After delays, theatrics and deal-making, climate talks ended with an agreement to “take note” of a pact shaped by five nations. **** __Afghan Killing Bares a Karzai Family Feud__ **** By JAMES RISEN A youth’s murder has set off bitter divisions among President Hamid Karzai’s relatives in Afghanistan and the U.S., with charges of a cover-up by Afghan officials.

****NEWS ANALYSIS**** **** __Afghan Cabinet Nominations Show Little Change__ **** By ALISSA J. RUBIN Of the 24 Afghan nominees announced, half are ministers who would stay in their positions or who have served previously in the government.

**** __In Indonesia, Middlemen Mold Outcome of Justice__ **** By NORIMITSU ONISHI Indonesia’s network of corrupt law enforcement officials and middlemen has gained national attention, prompting calls for reform of the broken judicial system. **** __Negotiating to 60 Votes, Compromise by Compromise__ **** By ROBERT PEAR To get the 60 votes needed to pass their bill, Democrats scrapped the idea of a government-run public insurance plan, cherished by liberals.

**** __Louisiana Has Much at Stake in Health Care Debate__ **** By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON Because of the unique way it delivers health care to the poor, the outcome of the debate could drastically alter the state’s system.

**** __Justices Revisit Rule Requiring Lab Testimony__ **** By ADAM LIPTAK Prosecutors argue that mandatory court appearances keep crime analysts away from their laboratory work. **** __A Reader’s Digest That Grandma Never Dreamed Of__ **** By DAVID SEGAL Battered by billions of dollars in debt, the magazine empire known for folksy charm is becoming less folksy (and trying to keep its charm).

**** __My Initiation at Store 5476__ **** By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM A reporter takes on a holiday challenge: what it’s like to be one worker in the army it takes to run a Wal-Mart store in New Jersey.

****PING**** **** __Snap and Search (No Words Needed)__ **** By MIGUEL HELFT Google’s data centers distribute images among hundreds or even thousands of computers to identify them.