As rumors of a ceasefire continue, Israeli airstrikes targeted and killed three Palestinian journalists with alleged militant ties on Tuesday. Two cameramen working for the Hamas television station were killed in Gaza City by a missile attack on their car. Later, a missile killed an employee of a private radio station in a Gaza town. A spokeswoman said the three were Hamas operatives linked to terror activity. The building that houses French news service Agence France-Presse was also struck, but no one was injured.

Delivering remarks in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday evening, Secretary of State Clinton appeared confident that a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants was close at hand. "The rocket attacks from terrorist organizations inside Gaza on Israeli cities and towns must end," she said. Earlier Tuesday, Hamas announced that a "calming down" in violence was expected, while Egyptian and Palestinian officials called a ceasefire “imminent.” After seven days of deadly fighting, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 122. Clinton is due in Cairo Wednesday morning to meet with Egyptian leaders who are in contact with Hamas.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress on Tuesday to make a deal and avoid the automatic tax increases and spending cuts known as the “fiscal cliff” that could take effect in January. He also urged Congress to raise the federal-debt limit to prevent the government from defaulting on the Treasury’s debt, adding that Congress must also reduce federal debt in the long run. “A stronger economy will in turn reduce the deficit and contribute to achieving long-term fiscal responsibility,” he said.

What century is the Church of England operating in? The General Synod, the decision-making body, voted 324-122 in favor of allowing female bishops in the Church, but that was six votes short of the required majority. Rowan Williams, the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, expressed his “deep personal sadness” over the issue, and wished his successor, Rev. Justin Welby, “every blessing with resolving this in the shortest possible time.” Williams is stepping down at the end of this year after a decade in the position.

Two lucky turkeys don’t just get to keep their lives this Thanksgiving, they get to live the high life. The ritzy W Hotel in Washington is letting them stay and giving them the VIP treatment with special meals of grains and cranberries that they’ve been enjoying. “Cobbler” and “Gobbler” have been “good guests,” the hotel manager says. “We haven’t had any noise complaints from their neighbors.” The two will travel to the White House tomorrow for the traditional turkey pardoning ceremony.

Pour a glass of milk for the dessert foods that are no more, because it appears that Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ding Dongs, and the rest of Hostess Brands Inc.’s cupboard full of snack foods could really be leaving supermarket shelves for good. Mediation efforts between the company and the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union failed Tuesday, so Hostess will return to bankruptcy court Wednesday to make its case of liquidating and selling off its assets. Roughly 18,000 workers at the Texas-based company will lose their jobs.

More Thanksgiving dinners will be purchased this year using food stamps than ever before. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that 42.2 million Americans will be on food stamps when Thursday rolls around. For perspective, that’s equal to roughly the populations of California and Connecticut combined. That’s a 70 percent increase since 2007, and the cost to feed all of those people hit a record $72 billion last year. According to the Food Stamp Challenge, the budget of a person on food stamps is $1.25 per meal.

Maybe she should’ve taken this catfight to the drafts folder of a joint account. The emails Paula Broadwell allegedly sent to Jill Kelley are much more menacing than originally reported, as Broadwell threatened to make the Florida socialite “go away.” A friend of Kelley’s told New York's Daily News that Broadwell was “clearly unhinged,” at times citing her “powerful” friends.

This isn’t exactly your traditional feminism. Cameron Diaz told The New York Times that she finds taking her clothes off for sexy photo shoots “empowering.” “I think every woman does want to be objectified,” she said. She added that it’s only healthy for a little part of you to feel that way. "I'm a woman, I know how to handle myself,” said Diaz. “I know what I feel comfortable doing and I know my sexuality."

The title of Rihanna’s new album, Unapologetic, proved to be a bit ironic Tuesday, when the pop supernova was forced to apologize to peeved press members on her seven-countries-in-seven-days 777 promotional tour. Despite launching the tour, which carted 250 journalists and contest winners across the globe, with a champagne party, Rihanna quickly went M.I.A., irking the press with her lack of access and availability. At one point, attendees started chanting “Just One Quote,” while a person passed out fake “Missing: Rihanna” signs. “It’s impossible to spend time with everybody, and I’m sorry I didn’t,” the star told the press, citing health issues. “But this was excellent and I would definitely do it again.”

It’s an increasingly digital world and print media is adjusting accordingly. The Alliance for Audited Media has created a set of new guidelines for print magazines that make the transition to digital-only. New rules include a stipulation that subscribers must be given the choice to opt for a digital version, another print publication subscription, or a refund. The catalyst for the decision was an announcement made by Newsweek recently to close its print edition and go digital.

Do recently broken up couples go on strictly platonic dates to Benihana? What if there are others at the dinner? We may never know the answers to these questions, sparked by the sighting of recently split couple Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez at a restaurant in Encino. The ex-lovers, or current sorta-friends, left separately. They were spotted at an AMA after-party together.

Start me up: housing isn’t just back—it’s roaring back. The Census Bureau reported that new home starts—actual shovels going into the ground to build new foundations—rose 41.9 percent in October 2012 from the year before. Starts came in at an annual number of 894,000, the highest in four years. For the first 10 months of this year, housing starts are up 28.2 percent from the first 10 months of 2011.

Indiana officials said Monday that they are investigating whether a gargantuan explosion and monster fire that killed two and destroyed dozens of homes earlier this month is a homicide. On the day of the blast, a white van was seen driving around the Indianapolis subdivision. More than 60 firefighters were needed to put out the blaze, which was described as a “war zone” on the day of the blast.

Evidence trumps blasphemy accusations. Pakistan on Tuesday dismissed the case of a 14-year-old Christian girl accused of burning the Koran in August. The court bumped the case because no one had actually seen Rimsha Masih burning the pages—and many suspect a cleric planted evidence to spark hate against Christians. Under law, despite a young age and potential mental problems, the girl could have been executed if convicted of blasphemy, specifically desecration of the Koran.

When airports fall, cities aren’t far behind. The M23 rebels, just seven months old, have blitzed the city of Goma in Congo, taking control of strategic spots on Tuesday. The rebels, a splinter group of ex-soldiers, had been fighting the U.N.-backed Congolese military. The mineral-rich eastern city is home to 1 million and is said to be one of the last bastions preventing a humanitarian catastrophe. The rebels claim to be fighting for the people, though it’s been reported that they are supported by Rwanda.

Don’t expect to run into the baby Jesus in Santa Monica anytime soon. A federal judge ruled that the city may block nativity scenes from public spaces. Atheists have clashed with church groups in the region in recent years, battling over city spots historically reserved for such displays. While some say the ruling is in line with separation of church and state, angry churchgoers have labeled the city a modern-day Pontius Pilate.

Remember that plotline on The O.C. where four men were arrested in a plot to join al Qaeda and the Taliban and kill Americans in a violent jihad? Oh no, that’s real life: four Southern Californian men, including one who served in the Air Force, are being held for scheming to bomb military bases and government facilities. The men, inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, allegedly plotted to go to Afghanistan for jihad-training in mid-November. The organizer, age 34, recruited a 23-year-old and two 21-year-olds on Facebook, and online conversations and Skype calls helped foil their plans.

Here comes Hillary. As violence in the Gaza Strip escalates, the president is increasing United States involvement in the conflict by sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Middle East. Clinton left her swing through Asia to fly directly to Jerusalem, where she will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu. She will then go to the West Bank and meet with Palestinian leaders—not Hamas—followed by a trip to Cairo, to talk to Egyptian leaders who may have some influence over the rocket-firing Islamic group. Clinton won’t be alone—the U.N.’s Ban Ki-moon will also hit Israel Tuesday.

Well, it isn’t as bad as phone-hacking. Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson were charged with bribery. Coulson, former press chief for David Cameron, allegedly paid for the Green Book, a directory of royal-family phone numbers. Brooks allegedly made about $159,000 in payments for stories from 2004 to 2011. Five people in total were charged. The bribery claims, though uncovered in the Sun newspaper hacking investigation, probably won’t overlap with the phone-hacking trial set for September 2013. So they have that going for them.

In the end, it was just 1,904 votes. That's how much Florida Rep. Allen West trailed 29-year-old construction executive Patrick Murphy since Election Day. A partial recount increased Murphy’s lead—which is just above the number that would call for a total recount of votes, forcing the Tea Party darling to call it quits against an insurmountable deficit. The race had been called into question, mostly by the blunt West and his campaign, who said some of Murphy's votes may have been double counted.

Who says battling superpowers can’t have an eight-minute photo op? President Obama met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in separate meetings Tuesday. Aside from Wen and Obama trumpeting the power of peace and other nondescript important stuff, Wen congratulated Obama for beating Romney in the election. Same with Noda. The president’s swing through Asia ends Tuesday.

It’s not a ceasefire until the rockets stop. A Hamas spokesman said on Tuesday that a ceasefire is “in the hands of the Israelis,” while Egyptian officials said a deal is “imminent.” The death toll in the Gaza conflict has hit 115. Both sides have been meeting with Egyptian officials in hopes of brokering a peace deal. As the seventh day of violence begins, a Hamas leader says that to end this “crazy war” Israel has to first stop its bombardment and then lift its Gaza blockade. Israel, despite being open to diplomacy, has amassed tens of thousands of soldiers along the border—more a sign of a ground invasion, less “let’s talk peace.”

Who still uses pay phones anyway? New York City has announced a new plan to transform public pay phones into giant 311 touchscreens. The new iPad-like screens will provide information, emergency alerts, and local business deals, including coupons that can be downloaded to smartphones. In the event of a Hurricane Sandy–like disaster, the screens become distress devices that will allow citizens to call for help. Some of the screens are already active, and the city plans “a couple of installs per day” with the eventual goal of 250 screens throughout the five boroughs. And to deter potential vandals, a spokesman for the project said that the screens were “over-engineered for a reason” and that they can be easily sprayed clean.

For average Americans, it’s a Monday afternoon. But for the almost-presidential Mitt Romney, it’s a reminder of failure. Well, maybe not, but this unflattering Reddit image of Romney pumping gas in La Jolla—hand in pocket, disheveled hair, crazy-man eyes—really shows a different side of Mitt post-election. Apparently Romney talked to the photographer for three minutes and mentioned he’s moving to one of his La Jolla houses. It’s unclear what he thought of Twilight.

Bad news for LOL Elmo sales. Kevin Clash, the Elmo puppeteer, resigned on Tuesday after a second accuser came forward saying he had underage sex with Clash. Sesame Workshop said in a statement that the allegations against Clash are a “distraction” and that “he can no longer be effective at his job.” The new allegation comes on the heels of a redaction of the recantation of allegations against the voice of Elmo after the initial accuser said he was “pressured” into taking back what he said. TMZ reports that the second man, now 30, has filed a $5 million suit against Clash, saying that they met on a gay phone-chat service in 1993, when he was 15. The accuser also says that Clash preyed on young boys while on Sesame Street.

Autonomy’s been a very naughty software company. Hewlett-Packard announced that it was forced to take an $8.8 billion charge because of Autonomy’s “accounting improprieties,” “outright misrepresentations,” and a “willful effort to mislead” investors and buyers. HP, led by Leo Apothekar, bought the British software company for $10 billion in 2011. It’s a massive setback for HP and erases profit made on the deal. Shares fell 12 percent in early trading.

Federal prosecutors charged Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager for the hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors LP, on Tuesday with what federal prosecutors called “the most lucrative insider-trading scheme ever.” An SEC complaint alleged that Martoma netted $220 million in gains and dodged $56 million of losses by trading with nonpublic inside information ahead of a planned negative announcement on two companies’ joint venture in developing an Alzheimer’s drug. The SEC also sued a neurologist, alleging that he tipped off Martoma.

In the words of Antoine Dodson: hide your emails, hide your Google Docs, hide your Facebook. A proposed law—originally intended to increase Americans’ email security—now plans to increase government access to email and other digital files. Scheduled for a vote next week, the Senate proposal allows 22 agencies (among them the Securities and Exchange Commission) “warrantless access” to Americans' email, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages. According to CNET, the legislation was changed by Patrick Leahy, the influential Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, after law enforcement expressed their dissatisfaction and asked him to “reconsider acting” on it. It's a scary time to be an incriminating email.

Police have arrested and charged a 22-year-old Idaho man in connection with the bludgeoning death of a Zoo Boise monkey. Suspect Michael J. Watkins, who has two previous felonies, overcame “several zoo-security measures” on Saturday morning to get into the zoo and then the enclosure that held two Patas monkeys. A necropsy found that the monkey died of blunt-force trauma to the head and neck. Watkins has been charged with burglary and grand theft. Patas monkeys are the fastest of all primates, but are also one of the least aggressive.