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February 14, 2012 | | DEADLY Syrian forces fired at protesters on Wednesday, killing at least six people, despite the presence of Arab League monitors who have traveled to Syria to end the brutal crackdown. Activists say at least 39 people have been killed in the two days since the observers arrived, despite some concessions made by the Syrian government. The government announced Wednesday that it would free 755 political prisoners, and on Monday the Army pulled back some troops from Homs, the city considered to be at the center of the protests. The monitors are expected to visit Hama, Idlib, and Daraa on Thursday, all hotbeds of the protests. Diplomacy China’s Vice President Xi Jinping is visiting the Oval Office Tuesday in a closely watched diplomatic mission. It's Xi’s first major step onto the international stage, a test run for when he takes over the presidency in March 2013. He's also the first high-ranking Chinese official to visit the U.S. since President Obama announced a military “pivot” toward Asia to counterbalance China's expansion in the region. Further complicating matters, China recently vetoed the United Nations resolution on Syria over the U.S.’s strenuous objections. China announced Tuesday that its envoy held talks with the head of the Arab League. Xi met with Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in the White House Tuesday morning, before meeting separately with President Obama in the Oval Office. DOUBLE STANDARD Republicans love to harp on deficit reduction when a Democratic president releases a budget. But when they’re in power themselves, they couldn’t care less, writes The Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky. Sour Grapes Mitt Romney brushes off accusations by Rick Santorum that he rigged the CPAC straw poll on Fox News Radio on Tuesday. "Does he have any evidence of that, by the way?" asked Romney. "The answer is, of course not. Our participation in CPAC and other polls is the same as in other years, and it's kind of silly on his part. Sometimes when you lose, you cast around looking for excuses ... I'm afraid sour grapes and having lost has generated some unusual places to blame." And while on the subject of Santorum, Romney took the opportunity to mention his competitor's use of earmarks in the Senate, breaking the race down to simply "a big spender versus a guy who balances budgets." NOT GIVING UP Italian prosecutors asked Italy’s high court Tuesday to reinstate the conviction of Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, who were convicted and then acquitted in the killing of a British student. The prosecutors filed a 112-page appeal, and said they were “very convinced” that Knox and Sollecito were guilty of the stabbing death. They said the revised sentence, which acquitted the pair of murder and upheld minor charges related to the truthfulness of their testimony, was full of “errors and omissions.” | | 
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