news

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  Schumer says failure not an option on health care

  Failure is not an option on health care, a leading Democratic senator said Monday, even as Republicans turned up the heat on moderates who hold the fate of the legislation in their hands.

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  AP-GfK Poll: Debt turning shoppers into Scrooges

  A lot more Americans are feeling stressed out by debt this holiday season, raising the glum likelihood they'll behave like Scrooge rather than Santa.

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  Obama could lock in Afghanistan decision Monday

  The White House said President Barack Obama could use an unusual evening war council session Monday to lock in his long-awaited decision on whether to commit tens of thousands of new U.S. forces to the stalemated war in Afghanistan.

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  For Reid, Dodd, clout on big issues cuts both ways

  Two Senate leaders trying to steer a pair of President Barack Obama's high-stakes initiatives through Congress are being dogged by re-election worries, and it's not clear whether their legislative prominence will help or hurt them.

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  SC gov faces 37 charges he broke state ethics laws

  South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, whose tryst with an Argentine lover blossomed into a wide-ranging scandal, is accused of breaking ethics laws by using taxpayer money for pricey airline seats, taking state planes for personal and political trips and occasionally tapping his campaign chest to reimbrse himself for travel.

• Belgian says he was alert but mute for 23 years

  For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

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  Big Bang atom smasher records first proton hits

  The world's largest atom smasher made another leap forward Monday by circulating beams of protons in opposite directions at the same time and causing the first particle collisions in the $10 billion machine after more than a year of repairs, organizers said.

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  Sarah Palin's book tour hits NC's Fort Bragg

  Sarah Palin brought her book-signing tour to North Carolina's Fort Bragg on Monday as thousands greeted the former Republican vice presidential candidate in a campaign-like gathering that tested military rules involving politicians.

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  Kangaroo tries to drown dog, attacks owner

  A kangaroo startled by a man walking his dog attacked the pair, pinning the pet underwater and slashing the owner in the abdomen with its hind legs. The Australian, Chris Rickard, was in stable condition Monday after the attack, which ended when the 49-year-old elbowed the kangaroo in the throat.

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  Mauer near-unanimous pick as American League MVP

  Joe Mauer sat behind a table on a podium in a conference room at the Metrodome when Justin Morneau shouted out the last question of the day. "Are you finally going to buy dinner now?" Morneau said to his teammate from the audience, one MVP to another.

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  Home sales at 2-1/2 year high

  Sales of previously owned U.S. homes jumped last month to their highest level in more than 2-1/2 years, but a fall in an economic gauge was a reminder that recovery from recession would be patchy.

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  Israel-Hamas prisoner swap deal near

  Israel has softened its terms for a prisoner swap with Hamas and the two are nearing a deal to exchange hundreds of jailed Palestinians for an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip, officials said on Monday.

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  South Carolina governor faces ethics allegations

  Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, a conservative seen as a presidential contender before a sex scandal wrecked his reputation, faces 37 possible ethics violations, the state ethics commission said on Monday.

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  U.S. to bring emissions cut target to Copenhagen talks

  The United States will propose an emissions reduction target at U.N. climate change talks in Copenhagen in December with an eye toward winning support from U.S. lawmakers who must agree to put it into law.

• Eight charged in U.S. for Somali war recruiting

  Authorities unsealed terrorism-related charges Monday against eight defendants they said recruited young Somali-American men to return to their homeland to fight for an Islamist militant group.

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  Obama says must do more to ease unemployment

  President Barack Obama said on Monday his top priority was to tackle high U.S. unemployment, and stressed that although the economy was growing again, many Americans were still suffering.

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  Radiation leak investigated at Three Mile Island

  Federal officials are investigating a radiation leak at Three Mile Island, scene of the worst U.S. nuclear power accident, but said on Sunday there was no threat to public health or safety.

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  Iraq parliament passes new vote law

  Iraq's parliament on Monday approved an amended law needed to hold an election next year, but the new text risks being vetoed a second time -- which could delay both the vote and next year's partial U.S. troop withdrawal.

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  China attacks "biased" U.S. cyber-spying report

  China on Monday accused a U.S. congressional advisory panel of bias for a report in which it said the Chinese government appeared increasingly to be piercing U.S. computer networks to gather useful data for its military.

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  Feds find association between drywall, corrosion

  The federal government said Monday that it has found a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year.

• Alleged Hawaii spy found competent to stand trial

  A Maui man accused of selling military secrets to China has been found competent to stand trial.

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  Sarah Palin's book tour hits NC's Fort Bragg

  Sarah Palin brought her book-signing tour to North Carolina's Fort Bragg on Monday as thousands greeted the former Republican vice presidential candidate in a campaign-like gathering that tested military rules involving politicians.

• Police: Pa. man killed puppy before Steelers game

  Police say a western Pennsylvania man told them he kicked his girlfriend's puppy to death because he was upset that the pit bull wouldn't behave before the start of the Pittsburgh Steelers game.

• Wis. man with alleged child porn shrine charged

  A Wisconsin man transformed his apartment into a pornographic shrine to young girls, arranging mannequins in a sex act, plastering the walls with photos and setting up a bed covered with stuffed animals, investigators said Monday.

• Charges unsealed in missing Somalis terror probe

  Federal prosecutors unsealed new terror-related charges against eight people on Monday as part of the long-running investigation of young men who left the United States to fight in Somalia.

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  Medical marijuana finds social outlet in Ore. cafe

  At the newly opened Cannabis Cafe, people sit around taking tokes from a "vaporizer" — a contraption with a big plastic bag that captures the potent vapors of heated marijuana. Glass jars hold donations of dried, milky-green weed, and the cafe serves up meals and snacks for the hungry.

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  Program to help truckers attracts drug smugglers

  A U.S. program that offers trusted trucking companies speedy passage across American borders has begun attracting just the sort of customers who place a premium on avoiding inspections: Mexican drug smugglers.

• Hundreds mourn Mich. boy allegedly slain by father

  Funeral services are under way for a 15-year-old Michigan boy who police say pleaded for mercy before being fatally shot by his father.

• 2 men charged after 3 men found slain in rural Ky.

  Kentucky State Police say two arrests have been made following the discovery of three bodies in rural Kentucky.

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  AP Enterprise: Bullet tears open Somali boy's face

  The bullet hit mother and son as they walked through Somalia's capital. She felt a sharp pain in her palm. Then she saw her 8-year-old: The bullet tore through his cheekbones, nose and mouth. Blood gushed down to his waist.

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  21 killed in election massacre in the Philippines

  Gunmen ambushed a caravan of political supporters and journalists on their way to file election papers Monday, killing at least 21 people in a massacre considered shocking even for a region notorious for violence between rival clans.

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  Inability to compromise may delay Iraqi election

  Iraq's parliament failed Monday to produce an election law that pleased minority Sunni Arabs, prompting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to say that nationwide balloting scheduled for January "might slip" to a later date.

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  Japanese engineer released by Yemeni tribesmen

  A Japanese engineer seized by Yemeni tribesmen seeking to swap him for a prisoner with al-Qaida links was released Monday after a week in captivity.

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  Israel, Hamas near swap of prisoners for soldier

  Hamas leaders raced to Egypt on Monday amid signs of progress on a deal to swap hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for a captive Israeli soldier held by the Islamic militant group for more than three years.

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  Israel-Hamas prisoner swap deal near

  Israel has softened its terms for a prisoner swap with Hamas and the two are nearing a deal to exchange hundreds of jailed Palestinians for an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip, officials said on Monday.

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  Iraq parliament passes new vote law

  Iraq's parliament on Monday approved an amended law needed to hold an election next year, but the new text risks being vetoed a second time -- which could delay both the vote and next year's partial U.S. troop withdrawal.

• Gunmen kill 21 in Philippine political war

  Gunmen abducted and killed at least 21 people in the southern Philippines Monday, apparently to prevent a woman filing her husband's nomination to run for provincial governor in elections next year, the military said.

• Peacekeepers should prepare to leave Darfur: Sudan

  Khartoum's U.N. envoy, rejecting a bleak U.N. assessment of the situation in Sudan's conflict-torn western Darfur region, said on Monday it was time for international peacekeepers to prepare to leave.

• Jordan king dissolves parliament, calls election

  Jordan's King Abdullah has dissolved parliament halfway through its four-year term and called for early elections, state television reported Monday.

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  AP-GfK Poll: Debt turning shoppers into Scrooges

  A lot more Americans are feeling stressed out by debt this holiday season, raising the glum likelihood they'll behave like Scrooge rather than Santa.

• 
  Schumer says failure not an option on health care

  Failure is not an option on health care, a leading Democratic senator said Monday, even as Republicans turned up the heat on moderates who hold the fate of the legislation in their hands.

• Charges unsealed in missing Somalis terror probe

  Federal prosecutors unsealed new terror-related charges against eight people on Monday as part of the long-running investigation of young men who left the United States to fight in Somalia.

• Trying last-ditch lung bypass for worst swine flu

  A technology originally developed for premature babies may be helping to save some of the sickest swine flu patients by rerouting their blood so their lungs can rest.

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  Indian PM says US, India to sign climate memo

  Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday that Indian and U.S. officials will sign a memorandum intended to improve cooperation on energy security, clean energy and climate change.

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  Obama to meet advisers on Afghanistan

  President Barack Obama planned a ninth session with top advisers on Afghanistan on Monday as he neared a decision on whether to send troops and fought Republican charges that he is taking too long to make up his mind.

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  South Carolina governor faces ethics allegations

  Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, a conservative seen as a presidential contender before a sex scandal wrecked his reputation, faces 37 possible ethics violations, the state ethics commission said on Monday.

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  In U.S., India PM touts nuclear deal, infrastructure

  Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday completing a 2005 U.S.-India nuclear cooperation deal would boost investment opportunities in his country, a hopeful sign for U.S. companies eyeing India's potential $150 billion market in power plants.

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  Obama says must do more to ease unemployment

  President Barack Obama said on Monday his top priority was to tackle high U.S. unemployment, and stressed that although the economy was growing again, many Americans were still suffering.

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  U.S. lawmakers, Chinese exiles press Obama on rights

  U.S. lawmakers and exiled Chinese dissidents urged President Barack Obama on Monday to intervene with China's government on behalf of Jiang Tianyong, a rights activist who tried to see Obama while he was in China last week.

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• Belgian says he was alert but mute for 23 years

  For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

• Trying last-ditch lung bypass for worst swine flu

  A technology originally developed for premature babies may be helping to save some of the sickest swine flu patients by rerouting their blood so their lungs can rest.

• 
  Schumer says failure not an option on health care

  Failure is not an option on health care, a leading Democratic senator said Monday, even as Republicans turned up the heat on moderates who hold the fate of the legislation in their hands.

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  Health reform: Is tax on 'Cadillac' plans fair?

  Schoolteacher Kinzi Blair makes only $46,000 a year, but she has what many would consider a "Cadillac" health plan, now targeted for a big tax increase by health reformers.

• Study: kids watching hours of TV at home daycare

  Parents who thought their preschoolers were spending time in home-based day cares, taking naps, eating healthy snacks and learning to play nicely with others may be surprised to discover they are sitting as many as two hours a day in front of a TV, according to a study published Monday.

• Former NIH chief: Ignore new mammogram guideline

  The former director of the National Institutes of Health is advising women to ignore new guidelines that delay the start of routine mammogram testing for breast cancer.

• Mammogram guidelines spark debate over health bill

  Lawmakers broke along party lines on a new aspect of the health care debate Sunday as a former National Institutes of Health chief urged women to ignore guidelines that delay the start of breast cancer screenings.

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  GOP: Health test recommendations could affect care

  Republicans are seizing on this week's recommendations for fewer Pap smears and mammograms to fuel concern about government-rationed medical care — and to try to chip away support by women for President Barack Obama's proposed health care overhaul.

• Canada woman to fight insurance co. over Facebook

  A Canadian woman on sick leave for depression said Monday she would fight an insurance company's decision to cut her benefits after her agent found photos on Facebook of her vacationing, at a bar and at a party.

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  Fired therapist: Stressed Marines get shoddy care

  Marines treated at Camp Lejeune for post-traumatic stress had to undergo therapy for months in temporary trailers where they could hear bomb blasts, machine-gun fire and war cries through the thin walls, according to servicemen and their former psychiatrist.

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  Big Bang atom smasher records first proton hits

  The world's largest atom smasher made another leap forward Monday by circulating beams of protons in opposite directions at the same time and causing the first particle collisions in the $10 billion machine after more than a year of repairs, organizers said.

• Belgian says he was alert but mute for 23 years

  For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

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  CO2 curve ticks upward as key climate talks loom

  The readings at this 2-mile-high station show an upward curve as the world counts down to climate talks: Global warming gases have built up to record levels in the atmosphere, from emissions that match scientists' worst-case scenarios.

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  Astronauts take spacewalk No. 3 after suit snag

  A pair of astronauts zipped through the third and final spacewalk of their mission Monday, helping to install a 1,200-pound oxygen tank at the International Space Station and accomplishing everything else on their list.

• Grand Canyon to change 'unfair' permit system

  Getting one of the roughly 11,500 permits granted each year to backpack overnight in the Grand Canyon has become so competitive and "unfair" that managers at the national park have decided to change the system.

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  Big Bang machine achieves first particle collisions

  ZURICH (Reuters) -- Scientists have smashed together proton beams for the first time in a 27-kilometre tunnel under the French-Swiss border in an initial step toward discovering how the universe came into existence, they said on Monday.

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  Dark ocean depths home to exotic, unknown life

  The permanent darkness of the ocean depths is home to a far greater range of animals, from luminous jellyfish to tubeworms that live off oil seeping from the seabed, than previously thought, scientists said on Sunday.

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  Houston, we have a baby

  Shuttle Atlantis astronaut Randy Bresnik awoke early on Sunday to a much-anticipated call that his new daughter had been born.

• Soviet Union's non-Communist astronaut dies age 83

  The Soviet Union's only non-Communist astronaut, Konstantin Feoktistov, has died at the age of 83, Russia's space agency said on Sunday.

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  Delayed spacewalk ends successfully

  NASA astronauts completed a spacewalk on Saturday at the International Space Station that had been delayed after a false alarm woke the crews of the station and the visiting space shuttle Atlantis.

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  Kangaroo tries to drown dog, attacks owner

  A kangaroo startled by a man walking his dog attacked the pair, pinning the pet underwater and slashing the owner in the abdomen with its hind legs. The Australian, Chris Rickard, was in stable condition Monday after the attack, which ended when the 49-year-old elbowed the kangaroo in the throat.

• Tavern owner says he'll unveil 100-proof turkey

  You'll need to be 21 to take a bite out of this Thanksgiving turkey. New York City tavern owner Paul Hurley said he'll unveil what he is calling the nation's first 100-proof turkey on Monday. A spokesman for the owner of O'Casey's Tavern in Midtown Manhattan said that the bird is infused with fruitflavored and 100-proof Georgi vodka for three days before being cooked.

• Police: RI teen skipped school, robbed bank

  Police say a 17-year-old Warwick boy who skipped school to rob a bank has been arrested after leaving fingerprints on the threatening note he passed to the teller. Warwick police Capt. Sean Collins said the boy handed a note riddled with misspellings to a teller Thursday, demanding money or "everyoe will be shot.

• Me-OW! Cat survives Illinois outage-causing run-in

  A cat went from meow to ow when officials say it accidentally made contact with a substation's fuse, causing an outage to about 1,500 homes and businesses in southwestern Illinois. The feline apparently survived the encounter early Monday in the Greene County city of Carrollton.

• Ga. high court rules mower isn't a motor vehicle

  A riding lawn mower may have four wheels, a powerful engine and can cost as much as a used car. If it's stolen, however, the Georgia Supreme Court concluded Monday that it's not a motor vehicle.

• Christmas kissing: On the cheek to avoid swine flu

  Britain's authority on etiquette says it's more hygienic to exchange kisses on the cheek than to shake hands — so the swine flu pandemic should not make people afraid of kissing under the mistletoe this holiday season.

• Police: Ohio suspect may have eaten evidence

  Police say a bank robbery suspect in Ohio may have eaten evidence when he gobbled a piece of paper while handcuffed and lying across the hood of a police cruiser.

• Authorities: Man tied lizards to chest at airport

  Federal officials say they arrested a man who strapped 15 live lizards to his chest to get through customs at Los Angeles International Airport.

• CA man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face

  A 39-year-old Southern California man has been arrested for misdemeanor child annoyance after allegedly paying a teenager $31 to spit in his face. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department says Charles Hersel was arrested Wednesday in a sting operation at a mall in Thousand Oaks. He's free from jail ending a court hearing.

• Mich. police nab wrong-way driver twice in 3 days

  Authorities in western Michigan arrested a person twice in three days for driving the wrong way down the highway Kalamazoo County deputies said they were alerted about 1:30 a.m. Friday after several people called 911 when they passed the unidentified driver traveling south on northbound U.S. 131.

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  HP's profit up 14 pct despite sales drop

  Hewlett-Packard Co.'s profit jumped 14 percent in the latest quarter, helped by cost-cutting and better results from its technology services division.

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  Friends go online at Foursquare to meet offline

  Laura Fitton's ascent has been staggering: In less than a year, she's become mayor of nine different places in several different states, all without giving any speeches or kissing any babies.

• Google scoops up display ad specialist Teracent

  Google Inc. has snapped up another startup in its quest to sell more visual advertising on the Web.

• Canada woman to fight insurance co. over Facebook

  A Canadian woman on sick leave for depression said Monday she would fight an insurance company's decision to cut her benefits after her agent found photos on Facebook of her vacationing, at a bar and at a party.

• Retailers look to stretch out Cyber Monday push

  Retailers are thinking beyond Cyber Monday — a holiday marketing promotion many push for the Monday after Thanksgiving — and trying to spin their discounts into into Cyber Weekends or even Cyber Weeks.

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  South Koreans to get Apple's iPhone this week

  Apple Inc's iPhone is coming to South Korea this week, a local carrier announced Sunday, bringing the iconic communications device to one of the world's most sophisticated mobile phone markets.

• Newspaper circulation may be worse than it looks

  While U.S. newspapers are losing subscribers at a staggering rate, a few dailies stand out because their circulation is rising. But they aren't necessarily selling more copies.

• Fox CEO wants US to join France on Internet piracy

  The chief executive of Fox Filmed Entertainment said Monday the U.S. should join France in cutting off the Internet connection of users who repeatedly download copyright-protected films.

• Scientist: Leak of climate e-mails appalling

  A leading climate change scientist whose private e-mails are included in thousands of documents that were stolen by hackers and posted online said Sunday the leaks may have been aimed at undermining next month's global climate summit in Denmark.

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  Mauer near-unanimous pick as American League MVP

  Joe Mauer sat behind a table on a podium in a conference room at the Metrodome when Justin Morneau shouted out the last question of the day.

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  Kansas still No. 1 in AP poll; Syracuse No. 10

  Syracuse was so impressive in the 2K Sports Classic that it made one of the best entrances ever into The Associated Press' college basketball poll.

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  Florida's Meyer: Notre Dame not a coaching option

  Standing behind the same podium where quarterback Tim Tebow delivered his now-famous promise 14 months and 21 wins ago, coach Urban Meyer vowed Monday to be at Florida "as long as they'll have me."

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  Whisenhunt optimistic Warner may play this week

  Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt says he had a long talk with Kurt Warner on the flight home, and the quarterback was "very upbeat and alert" following a blow to the head in Sunday's' victory over St. Louis.

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  San Diego State cracks Top 25; UConn still No. 1

  San Diego State cracked the AP women's basketball Top 25 for the first time in 14 years, while Connecticut remained a unanimous No. 1 for the 18th consecutive poll.

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  Foul! Study says hoop refs try to even the score

  They don't all need glasses. But if you always suspected basketball referees are biased — well, you're right, according to a couple of professors who've studied the matter.

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  Man pleads not guilty in ESPN reporter videos case

  An Illinois insurance executive accused of secretly making nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews pleaded not guilty Monday to interstate stalking.

• Cincy QB Pike expected to start against Illinois

  Barring a problem in practice, quarterback Tony Pike will start for fifth-ranked Cincinnati against Illinois on Friday.

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  Warriors coach Don Nelson sick with pneumonia

  Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson has pneumonia and isn't traveling with the team for two games in Texas.

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