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Rice pulls out; talk turns to Kerry

A contentious confirmation process, which Rice said she sought to avoid, would be unlikely for Sen. John Kerry.

Ryan Dempster, who split last year with the Cubs and Rangers, is an innings eater.

Red Sox agree to terms with Ryan Dempster

The Red Sox needed a pitcher who could go 180-200 innings. Dempster has done it seven times. But is he suited for the American League?

People are living longer but with more disability

Life expectancy is increasing among the world’s population, but people are living longer in chronic pain.

Antron McCray, one of the suspects in a 1989 rape of a woman in Central Park, walks to the courthouse with his mother, Linda.

NY Daily News via Getty Images

Exclusive | Friday Preview

‘Central Park Five’ a lesson in injustice

This scrupulous, singeing documentary reconstructs the notorious series of events that occurred in the spring of 1989 after a young white investment banker was beaten and raped while running in Central Park.

Bill Murray portrays the 32d president in “Hyde Park on Hudson.”

MOVIE REVIEW

In ‘Hyde Park on Hudson,’ contradictions sink

A work of historical embroidery about Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s possible affair with his sixth cousin.

EDWARD L. GLAESER

A better lure for cities

Eliminating the home mortgage interest deduction altogether would disproportionately harm high-cost, high-wage areas like Massachusetts.

Juliette Kayyem

As it grows, Al Jazeera risks losing touch

As democratic reform in the Middle East becomes more pervasive, Al Jazeera’s conservative monarchy ownership has become its Achilles’ heel.

Sports

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Bill Belichick has led the Patriots to 13 straight wins in December.

Patriots’ December dominance rolls on

New England is riding a 13-game winning streak in the year’s final month, a streak that has allowed it to seize prime playoff position in recent years.

Nation & World

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Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Russia, NATO chief say Assad losing control

Syria’s most powerful ally and the secretary general of NATO said separately that Syrian rebels are getting closer to winning the country’s civil war.