ADVISORY CNN Wire Outlook

(CNN) -

Supervising News Editor Lateef Mungin -- 404-827-1401

UPCOMING

Gaza-Israel-Strike (will update)

From Gaza City to Tel Aviv, rockets kept flying, people kept dying and fear and anger on both sides kept growing. For all the bloodshed thus far -- including at least 30 killed in Gaza since Wednesday, according to a Palestinian government website, and Israel reporting three deaths in Kiryat Malachi -- there has been little indication the situation will calm any time soon.

US-Oil-Platform-Fire monitoring

An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire after an explosion Friday, sending 11 people to hospitals and leaving two missing, authorities said.

INTERNATIONAL

Gaza-Israel-Strike

Gaza-Israel-US

The major concern of the United States in the current Israeli-Hamas conflict is a potential Israeli ground incursion into Gaza, U.S. officials said Friday. That would be a disastrous escalation that could trigger a larger conflict, a senior U.S. official told CNN.

Hamas-explainer

Four years after the last major conflict in the region, Israel and Hamas are once again on the brink of war in Gaza. So what is the group, and what does it hope to achieve by its rocket attacks on Israeli targets?

Iran-Nuclear

Iran has made a significant advancement in its nuclear program with the completion of its underground uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom, according to a report released Friday by a United Nations watchdog group. The International Atomic Energy Agency report stated Iran has now installed all of the nearly 2,800 centrifuges it will use to enrich uranium at the Fordow plant, but not all the centrifuges are operational.

Jordan-King-Abdullah

"Jordanians look around the region and they say to themselves --'We're lucky -- the streets are safe. There is stability.'" Those were the words of a former Jordanian minister speaking to CNN on a bleak, damp day in Amman 18 months ago. At the time, Egypt and Yemen were in turmoil, Tunisia's president had fled, and Shiite protesters were taking to the streets of Bahrain. But even then, there was plenty of grumbling in Jordan -- over gas prices, unemployment, pervasive corruption. Tribal sheiks described their disappointment with King Abdullah, who succeeded his father to the throne in 1999. In towns like Mafraq, near the Syrian border and traditionally a bedrock of support for the monarchy, there was an undercurrent of resentment -- especially toward Queen Rania for her alleged lavish lifestyle. Those same grievances have stoked the current protests, triggered by a sudden and sharp increase in the price of cooking oil and fuel as state subsidies have been withdrawn. Now King Abdullah confronts what analysts in Amman say is the biggest crisis of his 13-year reign.

US-Cuba-Jailed-American

An American imprisoned in Cuba, along with his wife in the United States, is suing the U.S. government and the group for which he worked, citing what they call an "abject failure to advise, train and protect him."

Myanmar-Imports

The United States on Friday announced the easing of restrictions on imports of most goods from Myanmar, just a day before President Obama leaves on a trip that includes a stop in the former pariah state.

Leonid-Meteor-Shower

Stargazers and well-wishers can soon look up and take in the Leonid meteor shower, an annual astronomical event that a NASA expert expects will produce between 15 and 20 shooting stars per hour at its peak early Saturday.

PETRAEUS COVERAGE

POL-Benghazi-hearings

Former CIA Director David Petraeus testified on Capitol Hill Friday that the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was an act of terrorism committed by al Qaeda-linked militants. That's according to Rep. Peter King of New York, who spoke to reporters after a closed hearing in the House, which lasted an hour and 20 minutes.

US-Petraeus-Allen-Investigation

Investigators are trying to determine whether former CIA Director David Petraeus used any of the resources of the agency he once led to carry out an extramarital affair with his biographer, a U.S. official told CNN.

US-Petraeus-What-We-Know

The Petraeus scandal: What we know

US-Petraeus-Kelley-Contract

A New York businessman says Tampa, Florida, socialite Jill Kelley asked him for an $80 million commission if she used her influence to win a South Korean business contract.

POLITICS

POL-Fiscal-Cliff

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders wrapped up their first "fiscal cliff" meeting since the election Friday with a confident tone that had both sides suggesting an agreement could be reached before January 1, when hefty federal spending cuts and tax raises are scheduled to take effect.

POL-Judge-Denies-West-Recount-Request

A Florida judge on Friday denied Rep. Allen West's request for a recount of all early ballots in his race for re-election because his appeal did not meet the requirements for a temporary injunction, CNN affiliate WPBF reported. While the Democratic candidate, Patrick Murphy, declared victory last week in the close contest in Florida's 18th Congressional District, West has yet to concede, citing the razor thin margin between the two.

POL-Tennessee-Republican-Abortion

An anti-abortion Republican congressman from Tennessee, first elected in 2010 with support from tea party activists, testified at divorce proceedings in 2001 that he and his wife mutually agreed on her getting two abortions, according to court transcripts released to CNN Friday. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, who won re-election last Tuesday by more than ten points, also admitted in the court documents to having sex with some of his patients and colleagues when he was a practicing physician, and to prescribing one of those patients painkiller medications. DesJarlais is a staunch anti-abortion conservative, with a history of votes in the House of Representatives that would restrict a woman's right to choose an abortion. His campaign website says "All life should be cherished and protected. We are pro-life."

POL-Carlos-Gutierrez-Immigration-Reform-Super-PAC

After Mitt Romney and fellow Republicans failed to garner the support of the nation's fastest growing minority group in November's election, Carlos Gutierrez, the man who led Romney's outreach to Hispanic voters, said he and Republicans advocating for immigration reform are creating super PAC in hopes of repairing the party's image among the pivotal voting block.

POL-RNC-Chairman-Priebus-Reelection

Despite a rough election for the GOP, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is seeking re-election and Friday reached out to state Republican officials across the country asking for their support, sources familiar with the conversations told CNN.

U.S.

U.S.-Oil-Platform-Fire

An explosion tore through an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, triggering a fire and injuring at least 11 people, authorities said.

US-Sleep-Tent-Recall

Small portable sleep tents for infants and small children may pose a safety hazard, prompting the Consumer Product Safety Commission and KidCo Inc. to issue a voluntary recall of more than 220,000 PeaPod and PeaPod Plus Travel Beds.

New-York-Terror-Sentencing

A Bosnian immigrant who authorities said came within days of carrying out a plot to bomb New York City's subway system was sentenced to life in prison on Friday.

Washington-Goodwill-Dali-Art

When an anonymous donor gave art to the Goodwill as an early holiday gift this month, the staff thought it was junk. "Across the board they thought it was ugly," said Shea Munroe, who sorts the art and collectibles donated at Goodwill Industries in Federal Way, Washington. Co-workers told her: "What is that? And why would anybody want that?" The art is actually a Salvador Dali original, by the master surrealist who in his day relished the role of public provocateur with his mind-bending imagery.

TRAVEL-California-TSA-Watch

Art is not always in the eye of the beholder. That may be the lesson one Southern California man learned Thursday night at Oakland International Airport after he tried to get through a TSA security checkpoint wearing a watch fashioned to look like a timing device. "The watch had a toggle switch, wires coming out of it and fuses," said Sgt. J. D. Nelson with the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, which is leading the investigation. The man was detained and then arrested for having the material to craft a bomb, the sheriff's department said.

SPORT-Motorsport-F1-USA-Vettel-Alonso-Practice

Sebastian Vettel made the perfect start in his bid for an historic world title triple by setting the fastest time in both practice sessions Friday for the United States Grand Prix. Formula One is returning to the U.S. for the first time in five years on the new Circuit of Americas in Austin, Texas and the Red Bull star wasted little time in setting the pace.

MONEY

MONEY-Hostess-Closing

Hostess Brands -- the maker of such iconic baked goods as Twinkies, Drake's Devil Dogs and Wonder Bread -- announced Friday that it is asking a federal bankruptcy court for permission to close its operations, blaming a strike by bakers protesting a new contract imposed on them.

MONEY-Hostess-Twinkies-Wonder-Bread

Twinkies may never die. Wonder Bread probably won't either. Even after Hostess Brands announced that it is shuttering its operations Friday, the company, which entered bankruptcy protection for the second time in January, is expected to find buyers for its iconic brands that include Twinkies, Ho Ho's, Sno Balls, and Wonder Bread, according to several bankers who spoke on the condition of anonymity since they are preparing potential bids for the company's assets.

MONEY-hostess-workers

For many of Hostess Brands' 18,500 workers and their families, the closing of their iconic company Friday is a devastating emotional and economic blow. But others say the jobs weren't worth saving because of pay and benefit cuts.

MONEY-twinkies-hoarding-hostess

Just hours after Twinkies maker Hostess declared it will shut down for good, grocery stores nationwide are already experiencing a run on Twinkies and the company's other iconic products like Wonder Bread, Hostess Cup Cakes and Ding Dongs.

MONEY-jpmorgan-credit-suisse

JPMorgan and Credit Suisse will together pay more than $400 million to resolve allegations that they misled investors in mortgage-backed securities, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday.

MONEY-sandy-donations-red-cross

The American Red Cross continues to see an outpouring of donations in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. The relief agency had raised $145 million as of Friday morning, up from $131 million on Monday.

MONEY-stocks-markets

U.S. stocks ended with slight gains Friday afternoon, as investors welcomed positive comments from Washington lawmakers on the fiscal cliff negotiations but remained cautious ahead of an actual deal.

FEATURES, ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY

COMMENTARY-Mekelberg-Israel-Gaza-conflict

The Israel-Gaza conflict is nothing new, but the current violence is taking place in a very different Middle East. The Arab Spring changed the region's political and social landscape.