Don’t they know everyone texts now? In the latest round of back-and-forth on the fiscal cliff, President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner talked on the phone Wednesday and announced they will soon have a face-to-face meeting. But don’t get too excited: there was no announcement of any deal—or even any hint of a compromise. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told CNBC on Wednesday that the president is “absolutely” ready to jump over the fiscal cliff if Republicans won’t budge on tax hikes for the wealthiest Americans.

China must really be struggling for place to put their rapidly growing population. A construction firm is planning to spend billions to flatten 700 mountains—in order to build a new metropolis on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Lanzhou. The massive undertaking has fittingly been called the largest “mountain-moving project” in Chinese history. The first stage of the operation is already underway, but the plan is being criticized for its environmental and financial questionability. A spokeswoman for the construction group dismissed skepticism, saying, "Our protective style of development will divert water to the area, achieve reforestation, and make things better than before.”

You know it’s serious when Obama calls you on the phone. On Thursday, President Obama gave Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi a call to express his “deep concern” about the seven deaths and 400 injuries that have occurred amid escalating protests outside the Cairo palace, after Morsi deployed tanks and troops on demonstrators. Obama “emphasized that all political leaders in Egypt should make clear to their supporters that violence is unacceptable,” according to the White House. He encouraged Egyptian leaders “to put aside their differences and come together to agree on a path that will move Egypt forward,” and stressed that talks with the opposition should come without preconditions.

George Zimmerman, the man who stands accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February, is suing NBC. Zimmerman is alleging that the network made him look like a “hostile racist” when it spliced his 911 call to make it sound like he told authorities that Martin was black without any prompting. The full audio footage revealed that Zimmerman was responding to a question about Martin’s race. Zimmerman is suing for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He’s seeking unspecified damages.

Does this mean layoffs at the already beleaguered Foxconn plant in China? Some Mac computers will move their manufacturing to U.S. plants, Apple CEO Tim Cook told NBC’s Brian Williams in an interview set to air Thursday. Cook said the company “has been working on it for years,” but Apple fans will have to wait to see which product will be made in the U.S.—although Cook did say it would be an existing line. While Cook said he has long believed in manufacturing American products in the U.S., the decision comes after labor practices have been questioned at Apple plants managed by Foxconn in China.

Heart attack, schmart-attack. Anti-virus software tycoon John McAfee was sent back to Guatemalan prison Thursday night—just hours after he suffered two heart attacks and was sent to the hospital. McAfee’s request for asylum in Guatemala has been denied, and it’s possible he may be back in the arms of Belize’s police force before the weekend. McAfee is under suspicion for the death of his neighbor in Belize, and for illegally seeking asylum in the country. But the fight isn’t over—his attorney claims his petition was unlawfully rejected, saying, “Due process has been violated. The right to defense has not been respected.”

South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint will be stepping down to head the conservative thinktank the Heritage Foundation, he announced on Thursday. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will name a successor for DeMint, who will have to run for re-election in 2014. In that same year, DeMint’s fellow South Carolina senator, Lindsey Graham, will also be up for re-election.  DeMint, 61, last re-elected in 2010, had announced earlier that he would not seek a third term. A staunch conservative, DeMint has been in the spotlight for his disagreement with his party’s leadership. He will replace Ed Feulner, 71, who will be named the chancellor of the Heritage Foundation and head its Asian Studies Center.

She was just fooling around, guys! That’s what Fox News commentator Kathleen McFarland is saying about the recent report, supplemented with an audiotape, that she relayed to Gen. David Petraeus that Fox News chief Roger Ailes wanted him to run for president in 2006. “Petraeus and I were having fun,” McFarland wrote on the Fox News website. “It was not a serious conversation plotting General Petraeus’ political future; it was the kind of idle speculation that happens in every campaign season. That’s why they call it the silly season.”

If you’ve never chanted Om, you could soon be in the minority. A new study conducted for the Yoga Journal finds the number of American yoga practitioners is creeping upward to 20.4 million—a 29 percent increase from 2008. Data collected by Sports Marketing Surveys USA also found yoga devotees shell out a whooping $10.3 billion a year on classes and products. Hey, you think those lululemon pants stitch themselves?

The first family had their traditional Christmas tree–lighting ceremony Thursday night in front of 17,000 people. The Obamas and Michelle’s mother, Marian Robinson, flipped the switch, and How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris hosted the event. And it sounds like President Obama’s a big fan of the Fray—he personally invited the band to perform at the ceremony. “I was here for an event and met the president, and he was like, ‘Hey man, we gotta get you up here to play a song,’” said frontman Isaac Slade. “I was like, ‘Uh ... OK! My calendar’s free!’” Other musical artists included Jason Mraz, James Taylor, and Colbie Caillat.

Time to break out the champagne—or water, for Kate. The duchess of Cambridge was released on Thursday, after spending three days hospitalized for extreme morning sickness while pregnant with the couple’s first child. “I’m feeling much better, thank you,” Catherine told reporters outside the hospital. The duchess and Prince William returned to Kensington Palace, where a royal spokesman said she will be undergoing a “period of rest.” Catherine, who is thought to be eight weeks pregnant, is expected to stay in London to be near her doctors while she is treated for hyperemesis gravidum, a form of extreme morning sickness—although the duke and duchess are still expected to travel to Sandringham to spend Christmas with the royal family.

The Egyptian government deployed tanks outside of President Mohamed Morsi’s presidential palace early Thursday after overnight clashes between the president’s supporters and opposition killed at least seven people and wounded 400. Egyptian state television said the tanks had been sent in to secure the building, where armed Republican Guard troops were also reportedly deployed. Meanwhile, Morsi’s cabinet showed signs of distress, as two senior aides resigned. Rafik Habib, the director of state broadcasting and a Christian member of the Muslim Brotherhood, quit on Thursday, while Zaghoul el-Balshi, the new general secretary of the commission overseeing the constitutional referendum, resigned on Wednesday.

Hillary Clinton’s having a three-way meeting. The Secretary of State is due to meet with her Russian counterpart, foreign minister Sergey V. Lavrov, for a discussion hosted by United Nations special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi about the conflict in Syria. The session is being held as Russia appears to be warming up to an agreement with the U.S. on political transition in Syria. Clinton and Lavrov met about this before in June, but an agreement broke down when Russia pulled out of the deal. With rebels appearing to gain momentum and signs that Assad may be close to losing power, Russia now has renewed interest in a transitional government.

Get ready for those save-the-date cards. Shortly after midnight on Thursday, Jane Abbott Lightly, 85, and Pete-e Petersen, 77, were issued a marriage license—the first to a same-sex couple in Washington state. “We’re so excited to know we’ll get a license and then get married on Sunday,” said Petersen, as a crowd outside the King’s County courthouse cheered. Voters in the state last month approved a referendum for legally allowing same-sex couples to wed—one of three states that for the first time voted in marriage equality—and Gov. Chris Gregoire and Secretary of State Sam Reed officially certified the referendum on Wednesday. Nationwide, gay-marriage support has reached an all-time high, with 53 percent of Americans supporting marriage equality. according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.

Advice columnist Dr. Mona Ackerman died Wednesday after suffering from ovarian cancer. She was 66. The clinical psychologist had been running a private practice on Manhattan’s Upper East Side when she met Arianna Huffington and her column, “Dr. Mona Knows,” was born. Ackerman’s columns varied from tips for coping with death to psychological analyses of notorious figures such as Bernie Madoff. After giving up the column in 2009 due to cancer treatment, Ackerman continued to write occasionally for The Daily Beast.

It’s up to brave hearts such as Johnny Depp to take on Don Quixote. Disney has inked a deal to make a still-untitled film about the famed tale into a film, written by Steve Pink and Jeff Morris and produced by Depp and Christi Dembrowski. The literary hero has long been a passion project of Depp’s—at one time, he was attached to a Quixote project that would be directed by Terry Gilliam. The film has been described as a modern take on the classic novels. Pink and Morris, who previously teamed up on True Memoirs of an International Assassin, are set to begin writing the script immediately.

Good thing there is no fiscal cliff or anything looming that might keep Congress busy or anything. The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to ban the word “lunatic” in federal law—with just one congressman insisting the long outdated term still had uses today. Saying he doesn’t “have a problem” using the phrase, Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert said that lunatic “really has application” around Washington. “Lunatic” once was considered a legally acceptable term to describe the mentally ill, but is now considered demeaning. The House took similar measures two years ago when it took out all references to the phrase “mental retardation.”

Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was charged on Thursday with ordering live ammunition to be used on anti-government protesters in May 2010. More than 90 people died in the demonstrations, when supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra took to the streets of Bangkok, insisting on reform. Abhisit’s former deputy prime minister, Suthep Thaugsuban, was also charged for his role in the crackdown.

Anti-virus software guru-turned-fugitive John McAfee was arrested in Guatemala Wednesday, despite his Bond-esque use of disguises. Guatemala’s interior minister announced that police have arrested McAfee, who’s under suspicion for the death of his neighbor in Belize, and for entering the country illegally. He entered the country seeking asylum for being “persecuted politically because he stopped financing the government,” according to the government.

The death toll is rising as damage assessment begins in the southern Philippines after a powerful typhoon hit the region Tuesday. About 350 people are presumed dead and nearly 400 are missing. Flash floods destroyed a military camp and two emergency shelters, killing 78 villagers and soldiers, and bringing fear of more floods as rain continued today. The Red Cross has issued an urgent appeal for $4.8 million in relief, and the U.S. has pledged to help its ally with the devastation.

But who will carry fun. home if they win all the Grammys? The indie pop band led the Grammy nominations with nominations in all of the top three categories—Album, Record and Song of the Year. fun. received six nominations total, a feat achieved by five other acts (Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Dan Auerbach, of the Black Keys), but the trio was the only group to sweep the top categories. Grammy favorite Taylor’s Swift’s latest, “Red,” was shut out of the nominations, although her hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” was released in time to be nominated for Song of the Year. In a surprise, Rihanna and Drake were both snubbed, with neither receiving any nominations in the top categories.

The man accused of pushing a New York City subway straphanger onto the tracks to his death allegedly confessed to the crime—but said on Wednesday that the victim had threatened him first. “He attacked me, he grabbed me,” Naeem Davis, 30, reportedly told police. Davis pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ki-Suck Han, 58, who was struck by a subway train on Monday after allegedly being pushed onto the tracks by Davis. Davis also claimed Han was drunk and brandished something resembling a knife. Assistant District Attorney James Lin told the judge that Davis watched Han get struck by the train and then calmly picked up his coat and coffee cup and exited the station.

Warner Bros. Pictures is not tickled by the spate of allegations against Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash accusing him of having sexual relationships with underage partners. The company was working on a secret feature film with Clash in which he would debut a new character for a “Calvin and Hobbes”–type story about a boy and a stuffed animal brought to life by his imagination. Following the recent scandals, however, Warner Bros. has cut ties with Clash and abandoned the project, New York magazine reports. It’s not clear whether Clash will take the project elsewhere.

Those Baldwin brothers can't seem to stay out of trouble. Actor Stephen Baldwin was arrested Thursday for allegedly failing to file personal income taxes between 2008 and 2010, with authorities claiming he owes a cool $350,000 to the state of New York. “At a time when Rockland County and New York state face severe fiscal shortfalls, we cannot afford to allow wealthy residents to break the law by cheating on their taxes,” Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe says. The younger Baldwin faces four years in prison if convicted.

Max Clifford, a high-profile British publicist, has been arrested by detectives from the investigation team looking into former BBC personality Jimmy Savile’s decades of alleged sexual abuse. Clifford’s arrest, however, isn’t based on allegations related to Savile, but on suspicion of his own sexual offenses. Clifford recently commented on the Savile allegations, saying that many celebrities were nervous about being implicated, what with “young girls throwing themselves at them in their dressing rooms” adding that “They never asked for anybody’s birth certificate.” Clifford’s lawyer has confirmed the arrest.

As violence in Egypt escalated Thursday, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi gave a televised address. The crisis in Egypt, Morsi said, must be solved through discussion, not violence. “Such painful events happened because of political differences that should be resolved through dialogue,” he said. Morsi also said that controversial parts of his refuted declaration—particularly those giving him sweeping powers—could be modified after discussions with the opposition. A referendum on a new constitution is planned for Dec. 15, after which the declaration would be canceled regardless.

Fugitive software millionaire John McAfee reportedly suffered two mild heart attacks Thursday at the Guatemala City detention center where he’s being held. On the same day McAfee was scheduled to be deported to Belize, the 67-year-old complained of chest pains, and by the time ambulances arrived, was unresponsive on the floor of his cell. McAfee was arrested in Guatemala earlier this week under suspicion for the death of his neighbor in Belize, and for illegally seeking asylum in the country. If McAfee is still deported to Belize, he will immediately be put into police custody—which he has argued for weeks would be a danger to his life. A judge will determine whether or not that is actually the case.