The Starting Point: Videotaped thefts & letters from Santa

The Starting Point is a snapshot of the news stories that occurred overnight. Look for updates throughout the day on Yahoo! News and in the news box on Yahoo.com.

Top story overnight: Afghan president Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second five-year term today, Reuters reported. During his inauguration, Karzai pledged to tackle corruption and build an "accountable, transparent government." He also announced that Afghan forces should be ready to take over security in Afghanistan in five years.

In other news: A suicide bomber killed 19 people outside a courthouse in northwestern Pakistan, The Associated Press reported. The bomber was being searched by police officers when he detonated the explosives on his body. It was the seventh attack in less than two weeks in and around Peshawar. At the time of this writing more than 80 people have died in those attacks.

Most Americans support curbs on malpractice lawsuits, a new AP poll showed. Support for limits on malpractice suits cut across political lines, with 58 percent of independents and 61 percent of Republicans in favor. Democrats were more divided. The Congressional Budget Office said limits on jury awards in malpractice cases could reduce the federal deficit by $54 billion over 10 years.

Finally, a new report from the Government Accountability Office found that the Small Business Administration failed to confirm that companies receiving no-bid contracts under a program for veterans with service-related injuries were actually eligible to do so. Congressional investigators said the companies fraudulently collected at least $100 million from the disabled vet program, and few were punished when they flouted the rules. "Fraud in this program means that honest veterans who own a small business lose out on projects to impostors who, in many cases, aren't small businesses or even veterans," said Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business. "Given the sacrifices our veterans have made, we owe them a program that works and helps them compete for their fair share of government contracts."

Most read stories: Two Pennsylvania teenagers are being held in juvenile detention for allegedly burglarizing homes and videotaping their crimes, The AP reported. Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said the teens "terrorized" the suburban Philadelphia neighborhood, and even unwrapped residents' Christmas presents. When apprehended, the boys were carrying backpacks full of around $1,000 worth of stolen goods, mostly electronics. Click here to watch The AP video of one burglary.

Readers were also interested in this AP story about changes to a long-beloved snail mail program. The U.S. Postal Service has decided to cancel a program which allowed thousands of children to receive letters from Santa with North Pole postmarks. Postal Service officials said they are tightening rules nationwide because a volunteer in the Maryland Operation Santa program turned out to be a registered sex offender. Program volunteers in North Pole, Alaska, are likening the Postal Service to the Grinch who stole Christmas for the decision. But one post office spokesperson said dealing with the tighter restrictions is not feasible in Alaska. "It's always been a good program, but we're in different times and concerned for the privacy of the information," Pamela Moody said.

Today's poll: "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is already poised to take the top spot at the box office this weekend. Are you planning to see the vampire romance film? Click here to share your thoughts.

Yesterday's poll: If you were mistakenly given a winning lottery ticket, would you then share your winnings with the clerk? Fifty-four percent of respondents said yes, 25 percent voted no and 21 percent said maybe.

Today in history: In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery on the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.

Birthdays: Football player DeAngelo Hall, 26. Baseball player Ryan Howard, 30. Football player Larry Johnson, 30. Olympic gold medal gymnast Kerri Strug, 32. Dancer/choreographer Savion Glover, 36. Singer Jason Albert (Heartland), 36. Actor Jason Scott Lee, 43. Olympic gold medal runner Gail Devers, 43. Chef Rocco DiSpirito, 43. Actress Terry Farrell, 46. Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, 47. Actress/director Jodie Foster, 47. Actress Meg Ryan, 48. Musician Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver), 49. Actress Allison Janney, 50. Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, 53. Journalist Ann Curry, 53. Actress Kathleen Quinlan, 55. Actor Robert Beltran, 56. Sportscaster/football player Ahmad Rashad, 60. Fashion designer Calvin Klein, 67. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, 68. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), 70. Broadcasting mogul Ted Turner, 71. Talk show host Dick Cavett, 73. Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, 74. Talk show host Larry King, 76. Actor Alan Young, 90.

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--Jade Walker is the overnight editor of Yahoo! News. News doesn't stop when the lights go out, and neither does Jade.

**Yahoo! News bloggers compile the best news content from our providers and scour the Web for the most interesting news stories so you don't have to.