Goodbye, U.S. Postal Service?

This Christmas could be the Post Office's last, says John Avlon.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The U.S. Postal Service is bleeding money and heading toward insolvency


• John Avlon: Congress can save the postal service in deal on the fiscal cliff


• He says the urgency is clear, let's hope for a Christmas miracle


• Avlon: But be prepared that Washington dysfunction can doom the postal service

Editor's note: John Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He is co-editor of the book "Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns." He is a regular contributor to "Erin Burnett OutFront" and is a member of the OutFront Political Strike Team. For more political analysis, tune in to "Erin Burnett OutFront" at 7 ET weeknights.

(CNN) -- It's the time of year for dashing through the snow to the crowded post office, with arms full of holiday gifts for family and friends.

Not to break the atmosphere of holiday cheer, but this Christmas could be the last for the U.S. Postal Service. It is losing $25 million dollars a day and staring down insolvency -- unless Congress steps in to pass a reform package that reduces its costs.

With just a few days left in the congressional calendar, there is still some small hope for a Christmas miracle -- maybe the Postal Service can be saved as part of a deal on the fiscal cliff. But with even Hurricane Sandy relief stalled, skepticism is growing.

John Avlon

The real question is, what's taken them so long? After all, back in April the Senate passed an imperfect but bipartisan bill by 62-37. It would have saved some $20 billion, cut some 100 distribution centers, and reduced head count by an additional 100,000 through incentives for early retirement, while reducing red tape to encourage entrepreneurialism and keeping Saturday delivery in place for at least another two years. At the time, Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware said, "The situation is not hopeless; the situation is dire. My hope is that our friends over in the U.S. House, given the bipartisan steps we took this week, will feel a sense of urgency."

To which the House might as well have replied, "Not so much."

In August, the Postal Service defaulted for the first time, unable to make a $5.5 billion payment to fund future retirees' health benefits. The headline in Government Executive magazine said it all: "Postal Service defaults, Congress does nothing."

The usual suspects were at fault -- hyperpartisan politics and the ideological arrogance that always makes the perfect the enemy of the good.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa greeted the news of the Senate bill by calling it a "taxpayer-funded bailout." His primary complaint was that the Senate bill did not go far enough. He was not alone -- Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe also expressed disappointment at the scope of the Senate bill, saying that it fell "far short of the Postal Service's plan."

But Issa's alternative couldn't even get to a vote in the Republican-controlled House. And so nothing happened. Even after the USPS defaulted on a second $5.5 billion payment, the response was crickets.

Washington insiders said that action would be taken after the election, when lawmakers would be free to make potentially unpopular decisions. But despite a series of closed-door meetings, nothing has been done.

It's possible that the nearly $20 billion in savings could be part of a fiscal cliff deal. Sen. Joseph Lieberman has suggested that ending Saturday delivery, except for packages, could be part of a compromise that could save big bucks down the road. Another aspect of a savings plan could be suspending the USPS' onerous obligation to fully fund its pension costs upfront, a requirement that would push many businesses into bankruptcy. And last fiscal year, the post office posted a record $15.9 billion loss.

"As the nation creeps toward the 'fiscal cliff,' the U.S. Postal Service is clearly marching toward a financial collapse of its own," says Carper. "The Postal Service's financial crisis is growing worse, not better. It is imperative that Congress get to work on this issue and find a solution immediately. ... Recently key House and Senate leaders on postal reform have had productive discussions on a path forward, and while there may be some differences of opinion in some of the policy approaches needed to save the Postal Service, there is broad agreement that reform needs to happen -- the sooner the better."

The urgency couldn't be clearer -- but even at this yuletide 11th hour, signs of progress are slim to none. If Congress fails to pass a bill, we'll be back to square one in the new year, with the Senate needing to pass a new bill which will then have to be ratified by the House. There is just no rational reason to think that lift will be any easier in the next Congress than in the current lame duck Congress, where our elected officials are supposedly more free to do the right thing, freed from electoral consequences.

So as you crowd your local post office this holiday season, look around and realize that the clock is ticking. The Postal Service is fighting for its life. And Congress seems determined to ignore its cries for help.

"Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor gloom of night" can stop the U.S. Postal Service from making its appointed rounds -- but congressional division and dysfunction apparently can.

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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon.

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India seeks life sentences for Delhi bus rapists

NEW DELHI: India's government, facing swelling protests over the gang-rape of a female student on a bus, vowed on Friday to press for life sentences for her six attackers and promised stricter policing.

Home Secretary R.K. Singh also said the government would pay the medical bills of the 23-year-old victim of the brutal Sunday night attack, who is fighting for her life after suffering serious injuries to her intestines.

"We will ask for the maximum punishment of life imprisonment and ask the court for the speedy trial of the accused," Singh said as New Delhi and other cities continued to be swept by an unprecedented wave of demonstrations by women demanding better safety.

Six drunken men were joyriding on a bus when they picked up the physiotherapy student and her 28-year-old male companion and took turns raping her. Afterwards, they threw the pair off the speeding vehicle.

Police say the woman was attacked with an iron rod after being raped.

Experts say a combination of abusive sexual behaviour, a scant fear of the law and India's creaky judicial system encourage such attacks in the bustling city of 19 million people.

Late Friday, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that all six accused had now been apprehended after a search for the last remaining suspect.

City police commissioner Neeraj Kumar had earlier said at a joint news conference with the home secretary that five people, including the bus driver, had been detained and charged with rape and attempted murder.

Kumar pledged a series of measures to "make Delhi safe," promising squads of officers would patrol the city, crack down on vehicles with darkened windows and zero in on drunken motorists.

"All hooliganism will be swiftly punished," the home secretary added.

The number of rape cases in New Delhi has risen 17 per cent from 2011 to 661 this year. The number of rapes is triple the number reported in India's financial capital Mumbai.

Hundreds of people kept a vigil outside the hospital where the woman was being treated after several rounds of surgery. The PTI said she had been taken off a ventilator but showed early signs of infection in a "mixed response".

Kumar said police would deploy marshals on buses which are commonly used by women commuters.

"The (policing) regime that we are going to put in place will be very, very strict," the police commissioner said, adding public transport drivers will be forced to carry identity tags.

If there is any wrongdoing "we will catch those people," Home Secretary Singh added.

Singh also said the under-pressure government would take a "view" on the demands by protesters in several Indian cities for mandatory death sentences for rapists.

A parliamentary panel overseeing internal security said it would meet next week to review existing laws to deal with sex offenders.

The meeting will "deliberate on issues linked to incidents of rape", panel chief Venkaiah Naidu told reporters.

New Delhi's metro system reserves a carriage in every train for women, while several police stations in university districts have all-female staff to try and stem rising crime against women.

- AFP/jc

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Best moments

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• CNN asked people from all over the world to send in their best moments of 2012


• From the Philippines to Scotland, hundreds of people sent their most memorable images


• Submissions include exhilarating holidays, the birth of kids, the realization of dreams

What was your best moment of 2012? Send us your pictures

(CNN) -- For some it was an exhilarating holiday to an exotic place, finding new love or conquering their greatest fear. For others, it was witnessing an historic event.

And for a few, it was simply a case of being in the right place at the right time to capture a moment that will forever stick in the mind.

CNN asked people from all over the world to send in their highlight of the year. From the Philippines, to Scotland, to South Africa, hundreds of people shared their most treasured images.

2012 was the year the Olympics games came to London, and, unsurprisingly, many people sent in their images of the various competitions held around the capital.

Read: Your photos from Australia's total solar eclipse

Sub-zero swim

HIDE CAPTION

Gaya Ilang, who works as the artist Gaya3in1, was lucky enough to participate in the Games' spectacular opening ceremony -- playing a nurse. She sent in an image of proud participants posing eagerly just before they took part in the ceremony.

"I like this [image] as it has performers from different categories -- a snapshot of the ceremony -- and reminds me of the excitement of the day, clearly visible on everyone's faces," she said.

Sport of a non-Olympic kind captured the imagination of Jamie McCaffrey from Ottawa, Canada. He submitted this lively image of soldiers from the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment of the Canadian Army Reserves competing in the tug of war at the annual Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville Ontario.

"The sight of these soldiers in a brutal test of raw strength while combined with the skirl of the pipes, the colors and flash of the different tartans on the kilts, and the cheer of the crowd was a feast for the eyes and ears," he said.

"Although, I understand that the music of the bagpipes may not be for everyone -- subtle it is not," he added.

Read: Your Diwali shots from around the world

From the bombast of organized games to the quiet joy of a proud parent, many people chose their children as the source of their best moments of 2012.

Charlotte Brocker from Berlin, Germany, captured a wonderful image of her son Malik wearing his Ramones t-shirt on a bike ride in August.

My cheerful and determined young man helped me to realize what matters in life and what doesn't
Charlotte Bröcker, iReporter

Malik was born with clubbed feet and a physical condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenitas, which means he has little muscle strength in his limbs.

His mother took the photo in August after casts set on Malik's legs to strengthen them had been taken off.

"My cheerful and determined young man helped me to realize what matters in life and what doesn't," she said.

"Malik is a very happy, easy going young man, not much can hold him back, not even being stuck in casts. I also love how he's rocking that t-shirt!"

For some, 2012 was the year not just of striking out on to new journeys, but of returning home.

Jessica Munoz from California, U.S., was thrilled to be reunited with her soldier husband on his return from Afghanistan. The poignant moment when she was reunited with her husband was captured by her friend, Libby Lugo.

"My friend literally grabbed the camera out of my hands and pushed me in the right direction [to her husband]," she said.

"All the stress and fear and pain suddenly were replaced with love and magic and joy. I felt like I had gotten something precious back that was taken from me."

And sometimes it was images even closer to home that made for the best moments of the year. Even right outside the window.

Read: The Philippines shows the world how to celebrate Christmas

Abdel Hamid Zein took these beautiful, surreal images from the window of his 50th floor apartment in Dubai.

All the stress and fear and pain suddenly were replaced with love and magic and joy
Jessica Munoz, iReporter

"It is foggy in Dubai on rare occasions and usually lasts for two to three hours in the morning," he said.

"It was quite impressive, because it's not everyday you wake up and you find yourself above the clouds."

And of course what year would be complete without at least one ambition being realised?

For Julie Fox, a trip to Elvas, Portugal to ride a balloon at the International Hot Air Balloon Festival provided the chance to tick one dream off her life list -- particularly when she found out the rides were free.

"I'd always had a romantic image of hot air ballooning over the Serengeti or somewhere like that but have never been able to afford it," she said.

"The whole experience: Inflation, take off, the quiet contemplation of the countryside and the aerial views, wondering where we would land and the fun of packing up the balloon before driving back to the launch site is something that will stay with me forever."

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John Kerry tapped to be next Secretary of State

Updated 1:55 p.m. Eastern Time

President Obama announced Friday that he is nominating Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.

"John's entire life has prepared him for this role," Mr. Obama said in announcing his decision in the Roosevelt Room at the White House Friday afternoon. He was joined by Vice President Joe Biden, Kerry, and Kerry's wife Teresa Heinz Kerry.

Clinton, who is recovering from a concussion and suffering from a flu, was not present. Mr. Obama said she "very much wanted to be here today, but she continues to recuperate."

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, has widely been seen as the frontrunner for the position since U.N. ambassador Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration. Rice came under heavy fire from Republican senators for putting forth a flawed explanation of the events in the Sept. 11 consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya in the days after the attack.

Kerry is expected to be confirmed with relative ease in the Senate. The 69-year-old senator is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is widely respected in Democratic foreign policy circles. A Vietnam veteran who spoke out against the war upon his return, Kerry was hailed by the president for having "played a central role in every major foreign policy debate" for nearly three decades.

"He is not going to need a lot of on the job training," Mr. Obama said, pointing to Kerry's many connections to world leaders. He called the Massachusetts senator who tapped him to give the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention a "great friend" and reference Kerry's role in playing Mitt Romney in presidential debate prep sessions earlier this year.

"Nothing brings two people together better than weeks of debate prep," said the president. Kerry did not speak after Mr. Obama announced the decision.

Clinton plans to leave her post in January. The Secretary of State choice is the first major personnel announcement Mr. Obama has made concerning his second term cabinet.

After Kerry is confirmed and steps down, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will appoint someone to serve in Kerry's seat until a special election is held between 145 and 160 days of Kerry leaving the Senate. Soon-to-be-former Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., who lost his seat in November, could run on the Republican side. Democrats being discussed include Ted Kennedy Jr., Reps. Ed Markey, Michael Capuano, Steve Lynch, and even actor Ben Affleck.

CBS News' Major Garrett and Caroline Horn contributed to this report.

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Boehner's Take on Fiscal Cliff Deal: 'God Only Knows'

Dec 21, 2012 11:00am

Speaker of the House John Boehner bluntly acknowledged Friday morning he did not have the votes to pass his “Plan B” and said the only real solution is a broad agreement to cut spending and reform the tax code. Then he added these words:

“How we get there, God only knows.”

That about sums up the whole “fiscal cliff” situation after a chaotic Thursday night when Republicans had to abandon “Plan B” – their proposal to raise taxes only on people making more than $1 million.

Boehner said he is not giving up on talks to pursue a bipartisan agreement with the President, who wants taxes to be raised on people making more than $250,000. But Boehner made it clear nothing is going on right now.  Instead he said it was up to Senate Democrats and the White House to make the next move.

Read more  about “Plan B” and the dramatic action in the House on Thursday.

SHOWS: Nightline This Week World News

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Is Newtown tipping point for change?

By Piers Morgan, CNN

December 20, 2012 -- Updated 1627 GMT (0027 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Piers Morgan: Past gun-related tragedies haven't led to any action


• He says that must change, and he hosted a debate on the issue


• Morgan: Laws must be changed to limit weapons, ammunition and enforce background checks


• Rights of Americans who use guns for hunting and sport must be respected, he says

(CNN) -- On Wednesday night, I hosted a town hall-style debate on guns in America, talking to lawmakers, mass shooting survivors, lawyers, gun lobbyists -- anyone, basically, who has a strong opinion about what I consider to be the single biggest issue facing America today.

Since I joined CNN two years ago, there have been a series of gun-related tragedies, including the attack on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater massacre.

Each sparked a short-term debate about guns. Yet each debate fizzled out with zero action being taken to try and curb the use of deadly weapons on the streets of America.

Piers Morgan

Now, following the grotesque slaughter of 20 innocent young children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, I sense that the mood has changed.

We have reached a crucial moment in this debate, and I intend to use my platform to continue this conversation on Wednesday night and going forward. The media have previously been quick to move on to other stories after these tragic acts of gun violence. That must change.

Opinion: Don't let this moment pass without acting on gun control

I've made my own views clear on my show -- the senseless killing has to stop. High-powered assault rifles of the type used at Aurora and Newtown belong in the military and police, not in civilian hands. High-capacity magazines, too, should be banned. And background checks on anyone buying guns in America should be comprehensive and stringently enforced.

As President Barack Obama said, doing nothing is no longer an option.

But, at the same time, law-abiding Americans who want to protect themselves under the Second Amendment right to bear arms must be respected. As should the rights of Americans to use guns for hunting and sport.

This is a vital debate for the country. Some 12,000 people are murdered in the United States with guns every year, compared with just 35 in Britain, where there are strong gun laws.

Analysis: Guns and the law

Sandy Hook should, and must, be a tipping point for real action to bring this number down.

Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter.

Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Piers Morgan.

Watch Piers Morgan Tonight weeknights 9 p.m. ET. For the latest from Piers Morgan click here.

Part of complete coverage on

December 20, 2012 -- Updated 1441 GMT (2241 HKT)

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December 20, 2012 -- Updated 1313 GMT (2113 HKT)

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December 19, 2012 -- Updated 2057 GMT (0457 HKT)

LZ Granderson says allowing concealed weapons in places like schools and churches would just result in more tragedy, not less.

December 19, 2012 -- Updated 2054 GMT (0454 HKT)

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Get the latest opinion and analysis from CNN's columnists and contributors.

December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1544 GMT (2344 HKT)

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza says the vice president, who shepherded the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act through the Senate, is the right man to lead new gun control efforts.

December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1711 GMT (0111 HKT)

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December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1406 GMT (2206 HKT)

Van Jones says artists have gotten together to expose the fiscal cliff as a crisis manufactured to justify cuts in essential programs.

December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1933 GMT (0333 HKT)

James Garbarino says troubled, lonely boys view the world as hostile, and think their culture condones the use of violence to solve problems

December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1438 GMT (2238 HKT)

Lori Haas says our elected leaders have abandoned all sense of right and wrong despite epidemic deaths from guns.

December 18, 2012 -- Updated 1635 GMT (0035 HKT)

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December 18, 2012 -- Updated 1757 GMT (0157 HKT)

Deepak Chopra says if we stay glued to the media and relive Newtown over and over in our minds, we work against the healing process.

December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1423 GMT (2223 HKT)

Peter Bergen says gun violence claims proportionately more civilian lives in some U.S. cities than the civilian toll of the Afghan war.

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Spanish lawmakers pass 2013 crisis budget

MADRID: Spanish lawmakers passed 39 billion euros' ($52 billion) worth of unpopular spending cuts Thursday as angry demonstrators urged fresh street protests.

The government says the tough cuts in the 2013 budget are needed to fix the public finances of the eurozone's fourth-biggest economy, stricken by the collapse of a construction boom in 2008.

As the lower house Congress dominated by the conservative governing Popular Party voted through the budget, demonstrators called for a candle-lit mock-funeral march to Congress in protest.

Crowds have been staging daily rallies in fury at seeing their pay, jobs and benefits cut and taxes raised in a recession that has driven unemployment over 25 per cent and thrown many into poverty.

The "indignant" protest movement described the 2013 plan as "a budget of hunger and misery" and called on protesters to march dressed in black and carrying candles on Thursday evening.

Mass rallies near Congress over recent months have boiled over with police making charges against demonstrators and rubber bullets flying.

Conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said this week that 2013 would be "a difficult year but it will be the year when our economy stabilises".

His government is forecasting the economy will shrink 0.5 per cent in 2013, far more optimistic than the OECD prediction of a 1.4-per cent slump, after a 1.5-per cent contraction this year.

Rajoy said the government aimed to return the country to growth in 2014 and start creating jobs again.

Economists and NGOs warned however that the austere budget approved in parliament on Thursday would undermine the recovery and worsen life for millions in Spain.

Aid charity Oxfam warned that the cutback could drive the number of people categorised as living in poverty in Spain to 18 million or 40 per cent of the population over the next 10 years.

"If the austerity measures and social cuts are not altered, out country could see an increase in the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion," it said in a statement.

Among the measures in the budget, unemployment benefit payments are to be cut by more than six per cent and the budgets of some government departments by more than 20 per cent.

Doctors, nurses, police, firemen, teachers, judges and lawyers and other workers have staged daily demonstrations against the cuts that affect just about every part of the public sector.

Spain's regional governments are being pressed to make massive savings which will further squeeze their budgets for hospitals and schools.

In Madrid, a wide range of people from surgeons to hospital cleaners have been on strike against plans to save money by privatising parts of the regional health system.

In two smaller protests on Thursday organised separately from the march to parliament, health workers rallied against the regional plan and justice workers in yellow T-shirts demonstrated against a reform that will charge citizens to bring civil cases to court.

The government has also fallen short of a key election commitment to raise pensions in line with inflation.

Under pressure from the European Union to reform its economy amid speculation that it might need to be bailed out, Spain has promised to make 150 billion euros of savings by 2014.

- AFP/fa

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Mayans don't buy it

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Some believe a major calamity will occur Friday based on the Mayan calendar


• The Mayans don't think that's true


• The end of the winter solstice marks the end of a 394-year period on the calendar


• Predictions mention a deity but not the end of the world, an archeologist says

Merida, Mexico (CNN) -- There may be no one left on Earth to say TGIF this week.

Some believe the world is coming to an end Friday -- on 12/21/12 -- which is when an important phase on the ancient calendar of the Mayan people terminates.

Mayans don't buy it.

At least the ones living in the city of Merida, Mexico, don't. Neither does anyone in the Mayan village of Yaxuna. They know the calendar their ancestors left them is about to absolve a key phase -- the end of an era and the heralding of a new one -- but they don't think we're all gonna die.

Read more: Be honest, apocalypse seems kind of exciting

"It's an era. We are lucky to see how it ends," said wood carver Santos Esteban in Yaxuna, a sleepy village of fewer than 700 Mayans, located in a territory that once belonged to the ancient kingdom founded around 2000 B.C.

He feels it is a momentous occasion and is looking forward to the start of the new age. He is not afraid.

"Lots of people say it's the end of the world, but we don't believe that," he said.

Read more: China cracks down on 'Doomsday cult'

People in his village will keep living much as they have, preferring hand-built, palm-thatch huts to concrete buildings, and baking tortillas on an open flame.

For those less optimistic than the Mayans, an "official" website in the United States has collected links to all the doom articles and videos Internet users can consume.

December212012.com also offers tips on survival and advertisements for the needed gear -- from gas masks to first aid kits and hand-crank radios. Comments are welcome on its Facebook page, which has over 14,000 likes, and website owner "John" from near Louisville, Kentucky, sends out tweets under the handle @December212012.

On the doomsday Facebook page -- in between gloomy superstitious links and user comments -- John has confessed that he does not really believe the world will end on Friday, but thinks that a new era could dawn that may include some improvements for the world. That new era, however, might require a good bit of destruction as well.

John asked posters not to take the whole thing too seriously.

"PLEASE PEOPLE. . . I'm begging you. Do not overreact or make any rash decisions regarding Dec 21st. Anyone who knows anything about the 2012 prophecies, including myself, does not believes that the world is going to end," the Facebook page says.

Opinion: The Maya collapsed - could we?

Gunmaker Ryan Croft in Asheville, North Carolina, does take the prediction seriously. He is building a special assault rifle to deal with any signs of doom lurking around the corner.

He doesn't think life on Earth will come to a complete end Friday. "I'm not planning for the world to go away," Croft told CNN affiliate WHNS.

However, he thinks the day could mark the beginning of cataclysmic times introduced by a disaster. That may call for drastic measures, Croft said.

His new rifle, a hybrid of an AR-15 and an AK-47, is designed to handle it and be easy to use at the same time, the Gulf War veteran said. Trouble in the United States could ensue in the wake of an economic catastrophe, he thinks.

"I taught about economic collapse and how it actually looks on the ground," he said. "People want to act like it can't happen or doesn't happen, and it happens around the world. There are places on fire right now."

In true survivor manner, Croft also teaches his family how to subsist on alternative sources of nourishment, such as algae, roasted mice and live earthworms.

Though 12/21/12 marks a somewhat congruent date on the western calendar, the Mayan version enumerates the event in a different way.

The ancient people measured time in cycles called "baktuns" of 394 years each, and the winter solstice coming Friday marks the end of the 13th baktun. Some who study the calendar say the date for the end of the period is not Friday, but Sunday.

The Mayan calendar is based on the position of the heavenly bodies -- the sun, the moon and the stars -- and was meant to tell the Mayan people about agricultural and economic trends, said archeologist Alfredo Barrera.

NASA is also weighing in on the matter, with a post on its website declaring that the world will not end on Friday.

"It will be another winter solstice," NASA said. "The claims behind the end of the world quickly unravel when pinned down to the 2012 timeline."

Read more: Hotels ready for the end of the world

The hubbub about a calamity occurring comes from a Mayan stone carving called monument 6, made in 700 A.D., which predicts a major event at the end of this baktun, Barrera said. But half of the broken tablet is missing, so one may only speculate on what the complete message may be.

Whatever it is, it's not about the end of the world, he said.

"We don't have a prophecy or inscription related to the finish of the world. It just mentioned a deity."

Barrera believes the hullabaloo about the end of the world has been whipped up by online speculation -- and he finds it a bit ignorant.

In Merida, Mayan priest Valerio Canche carries out an ancient ritual to honor the dead in light of the upcoming end of the 13th baktun.

"It is considered the closure of the great cycle of Mayan time," he said. "But, of course, the cycle (14th baktun) begins the following day. For the Mayans, it's not the end of the world."

If you're reading this on Thursday, keep in mind, it's already Friday in New Zealand, and it's still on the map. If it's Friday, a look out the window may be reassuring.

If it's Saturday, and no major calamity has occurred, then relax and go celebrate the beginning of the 14th baktun with the Mayans.

Debunking doomsday: 6 rumors dispelled

CNN's Ben Brumfield reported from Atlanta, and Nick Parker from Mexico

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House GOP: We have the votes for "Plan B"

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Cantor: "We're going to have the votes" to pass "Plan B"

As the House readies for an expected vote on an alternate plan, dubbed "Plan B," to avoid massive tax hikes on all income earners, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said he is confident he will have enough support to pass their plan.

"We're going to have the votes," Cantor told reporters this morning.

It seemed talks between House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and President Obama were progressing to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff," as both sides offered major concessions to move toward compromise. But aides tell CBS News White House correspondent Major Garrett that Boehner didn't have enough support in his party to pass his proposal that included $1 trillion worth of revenue increases. Boehner then announced earlier this week that the House would vote on the scaled-back "Plan B," a measure that extends the tax rates for everyone except those making $1 million. For million-dollar-per-year earners, their marginal tax rate would raise from 35 percent to 39.6 percent.

While "Plan B" would raise taxes on millionaires, which is something Democrats support, it was not good enough for Democrats, who want higher tax rates for more income earners. The president's latest "fiscal cliff" offer would raise the marginal tax rate to 39.6 percent on those making more than $400,000, a concession from his previous demand that taxes go up for households making more than $250,000.

But many Republicans protested "Plan B" as well because it would raise taxes on about 400,000 families, or about 0.2 percent of Americans.

Boehner's proposal doesn't abide by "clear conservative, clear Republican principles," Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan, told CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.

In an about-face, anti-tax crusader, Grover Norquist, who has been instrumental in binding the hands of Republican lawmakers on tax increases, said Boehner's proposal does not raise taxes. Other outside conservative groups, however, including the Heritage Foundation, are urging Republicans to vote against "Plan B", saying it does raise taxes.

Generally opposed to raising any taxes at all, Republicans are also reluctant to vote for a plan that has already been declared dead in the Senate by Majority Leader Harry Reid, if it passes the House. "Speaker Boehner's plans are non-starters in the Senate," Reid reiterated today. 

Even if it somehow cleared both houses of Congress, the White House announced Wednesday that it would veto "Plan B."

Another reason some Republicans also objected to Boehner's "Plan B" because it doesn't include spending cuts. Republican leadership addressed that concern Thursday morning, however, by offering a second piece of legislation that cuts $200 billion from the federal budget next year.

House Republicans "are taking concrete actions" to avert the "fiscal cliff" and reduce spending, Cantor said. "Absent a balanced offer from the president, this is our nation's best option."

During a news conference Wednesday, the president said Republicans "keep on finding ways to say no as opposed to finding ways to say yes" on agreeing to a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff."

He added that it's time for the Republicans to step up and compromise because its' "what the country needs."

The president pointed out their proposals are only "a few hundred billion dollars" apart. "The idea that we would put our economy at risk because you can't bridge that cap doesn't make a lot of sense," he said.

The president's latest proposal includes about $1.2 trillion dollars of revenue increases and $800 billion in spending cuts. Boehner said it's not balanced. His latest offer is, which is not what the House is voting on today, includes about $1 trillion in spending cuts and $1 trillion in tax increases.

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Winter Weather Threatens Christmas Travel

A pre-Christmas blizzard that is battering at least eight states in the middle of the nation could trip up travelers headed home for Christmas in the coming days.

Nearly 20 inches of snow have been reported in Colorado just west of Denver. Nebraska has reported 6-to-10 inches so far. Between 3 and 8 inches have accumulated in Iowa already and more is possible. Snow is falling 2 inches per hour in Wisconsin.

No planes were able to land at Iowa's Des Moines International airport. All flights were cancelled until at least 11:45 a.m.

But it's Chicago that will prove most problematic for travelers. Rain has cancelled 400 flights into and out of Chicago O'Hare today so far, according to data from FlightAware. Snow and wind that are expected tonight will further complicate travel and likely cancel more flights.

Southwest Airlines is cancelling all departures and arrivals at Midway Airport as of 4 p.m. local time. On a typical day the airline has between 200-220 flights in and out of Midway.

Southwest will also cancel all arrivals and departures from the Milwaukee Airport as of 6 p.m. local time. Southwest has 35 flights in and out of Milwaukee.

Several airlines have already issued flexible travel policies, allowing travelers with flights into, out of and through affected areas to change their plans without penalty. For example, travelers headed to O'Hare today on American Airlines can change their flight to any day Dec. 21 to Dec. 25. Delta, United and others have similar policies.

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Airlines for America, an airline industry trade group, estimates that 42 million passengers will fly on U.S. airlines for the 21-day holiday travel period from Dec 17 to Jan 6. Daily passenger volumes are expected to range from 1.5 million to 2.3 million.

The busiest days of the Christmas travel season are expected to be Dec. 21, 22, 23 and 26; and Jan 2. Foul weather in major hub cities, particularly on these days, will most certainly cause travel headaches on the roads and in the skies.

When bad weather grounds flights at major airports, delays pile up around the nation, stranding travelers even in places where the weather is good. And because planes fly so full around the holidays, it's difficult for the airlines to find empty seats to accommodate fliers whose flights have been cancelled.

Passengers are also entitled to a refund if their flight is cancelled.

Travelers should confirm their flight is taking off as planned on their carrier's website before leaving their homes. If you are at the airport by the time you find out, use every avenue available to get re-accommodated. While you stand online to talk to a customer service agent, also call your carrier and use Twitter to get in touch with your airline. Many airlines are faster to respond on Twitter than on the phone. Delta Airlines and JetBlue are particularly active.

A few Twitter handles to know:
@JetBlue
@DeltaAssist
@AmericanAir
@United
@SouthwestAir
@FlyFrontier
@USAirways.

Travelers who find themselves stranded and in need of a hotel room should use apps such as HotelTonight, Travelocity's LastMinute.com Hotel Booking App and the Priceline app to find deals on last-minute hotel stays.

RELATED: The Best Last-Minute Hotel Booking App

The Midwest storm moves east tonight, spreading rain into the Northeast with some areas from Washington, D.C., to Boston getting up to 2 inches. Behind the storm, cold air comes in and changes rain to snow in Western Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and West Virginia, where 3 to 14 inches (in the highest elevations) could accumulate.

ABC News' Max Golembo and Ginger Zee contributed to this report.

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