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December 21, 2011 | | BOO Newt Gingrich’s collapse in Iowa has been fast and furious. At an endorsement event on Wednesday, the former speaker was heckled by Occupy Des Moines protesters—and eventually chased down a stairwell. Gingrich was in Des Moines to welcome the backing of Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulson, one of the state’s top Republican leaders. The protesters yelled “Put people first” while Gingrich spoke. The candidate responded that he had encountered protesters at the University of Iowa recently and “that same one 10th of 1 percent—all noise, no thought—tried to drown out the conversation, so I appreciate you putting that in perspective.” After Gingrich finished speaking, the protesters chased him and his wife, Callista, down the stairs and out of the capitol. STANDOFF President Obama is turning up the pressure on John Boehner to pass the Senate’s two-month extension of the payroll-tax cut. Obama called the House speaker to tell him the compromise bill was “the only option” to ensure taxes don’t go up in 10 days. Boehner, however, told Obama to call Senate Democrats and appoint negotiators to a conference committee on a full-year extension. White House spokesman Jay Carney, said Boehner’s sudden insistence on a year extension “doesn’t ring true” and that he should “do the right thing and pass the bipartisan compromise." Brutal It looks like Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is attempting a last-minute offensive before Arab League observers visit the country. Activists report a “massacre” of hundreds of defectors and civilians by Syrian troops in the town of Idlib and surrounding areas. "Civilians were surrounded by security forces who killed 100 of us,” said an activist in Idlib. “The corpses of those killed were left in the streets and the mosques, and we are not allowed to bury any of them." The Obama administration issued a statement saying it was “deeply disturbed” by the massacre, which, if verified, would be one of the worst in Syria’s bloody nine months of unrest. Meanwhile, thousands gathered in Damascus and Idlib Wednesday for funerals for antigovernment protesters, chanting "Down with the Arab nation" and "To heaven we are going, martyrs in millions, death and not humiliation." NORTH KOREA Kim Jong-un may not enjoy absolute power, after all: A source tells Reuters that he will share power with his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, and military leaders. Kim will still head the ruling committee as well as the military, but it is nevertheless the first time since 1948 that the country is not ruled by a single, authoritarian ruler. Reuters says Kim Jong-il made the arrangement before his death. Kim Jong-un’s uncle with whom he will share power, Jang Song-thaek, is married to Kim Jong-il’s sister, Kim Kyong-hu, a woman characterized by her rivals as a “mean drunk." Kim reportedly made his first military order on Wednesday, according to a South Korean source, ruling that "all military units halt field exercises and training and return to their bases." AFGHANISTAN Eight American soldiers in Afghanistan have been charged with counts relating to the apparent suicide of one of their comrades. 19-year-old Pvt. Danny Chen, the child of immigrants, died in Kandahar in early October, reportedly after being physically and mentally abused by his fellow troops. Now, eight of his comrades have been charged on counts including dereliction of duty, negligent homicide, and reckless endangerment. The U.S. military, which unsealed the charges today, declined to give more details on Chen’s death or to clarify whether they believe it was indeed a suicide. In the meantime, the soldiers in question have been transferred and relieved of their duties. | | 
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