News From NPR

President Obama is now about to enter into a series of difficult talks on the so-called debt ceiling and the impending fiscal cliff. Lawmakers have until Dec. 31 to come up with a deal to prevent $700 billion from being cut from the federal budget.

Lawmakers want to know who made changes to the intelligence assessment of the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Congress had asked the White House to explain the Obama administration's talking points in the aftermath of the attack.

At least three people were killed as Egyptian troops clashed with protesters Sunday in Cairo in a dispute over a plot of land on an island in the Nile River.

Kimberly Adams reported on the clash for NPR's Newscast Unit. Here's what she said:

"Egyptian state media reported several army troops and protesters were injured in the four-hour gunfight in southern Cairo. Army troops arrested more than a dozen of the protesters.

The Israeli bombardment of Gaza continued Sunday — with one missile strike flattening a two-story building in Gaza City, killing at least 11 people, including women and children; another hit a media building and injured six journalists. Israel says its actions have been prompted by a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, targeting Israeli cities. Meanwhile, diplomatic negotiations are under way, but Israel is continuing preparations for a ground invasion.

Update at 7:42 p.m. ET: State Department Comments