• 
  Round 2: Snow slams Mid-Atlantic, points north

  Plows that have been rolling around the clock for days in the nation's capital, Philadelphia and Baltimore won't be heading for the garage any time soon as a second major storm in a week moved into the snowbound region Wednesday.

• 
  Obama, Palin trade telling jibes over crib sheets

  The jokes about Barack Obama's close relationship with his teleprompter have been constant since he became president.

• 
  Doctor says vendor may have been in rubble 27 days

  The tale seems dubious: that a rice vendor survived 27 days trapped under the rubble of a flea market following Haiti's devastating earthquake.

• 
  Honda adds 437,000 cars to global air bag recall

  Honda Motor Co. is adding 437,000 vehicles to its 15-month-old global recall for faulty air bags in the latest quality problem to hit a Japanese automaker.

• 
  New report: Consumers spent modestly in January

  Americans backed off from holiday spending in January, but retail sales rose for a third month in a row compared with a year earlier, largely because of gas price hikes, according to figures released Wednesday by a key data service.

• 
  Iran rewards Basij militia with political clout

  During an Iranian government meeting late last month, a top adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brought a proposal to expand the political voice of a group more known for its street muscle: the civilian militia corps called the Basij.

• 
  Space shuttle Endeavour pulls in at space station

  Shuttle Endeavour arrived to a warm welcome at the International Space Station early Wednesday, delivering a new room and observation deck that will come close to completing construction 200 miles above Earth.

• AP sources: FAA eyes hefty fines for American

  The Federal Aviation Administration is close to wrapping up a two-year investigation of safety violations at American Airlines that could result in one of the largest fines in the agency's history, according to government and industry officials familiar with the investigation.

• 
  Fans delighted by DeGeneres' 'Idol' debut

  Ellen DeGeneres hit the right notes with "American Idol" viewers.

• 
  Carmelo returns to help Nuggets beat Mavs, 127-91

  Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points in his return from an ankle injury and the Denver Nuggets had their biggest win of the season, routing the Dallas Mavericks 127-91 on Tuesday night.

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• 
  Honda expands airbag recall as more Toyotas probed

  Honda Motor Co said it would recall another 440,000 cars around the world for faulty airbags as rival Toyota Motor Corp faced further probes over its largest-ever safety crisis.

• 
  Pakistan says has "credible information" Mehsud dead

  Pakistan said on Wednesday it had information suggesting that Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud had died of wounds inflicted in a U.S. drone aircraft attack in January.

• 
  Second big snowstorm slams East Coast

  The second major snowstorm in less than a week slammed the East Coast from Washington to New York on Tuesday, forcing the United Nations to close and Congress to curtail legislative action.

• 
  Iran says nuclear fuel deal "still on the table"

  Iran believes a nuclear fuel exchange with the West is still possible, state television said on Wednesday, a day after the Islamic Republic's expansion of uranium enrichment drew a U.S. warning of more sanctions soon.

• Inside Toyota's epic breakdown

  Toyota Motor Corp, the world's most dominant and profitable automaker, was not accustomed to outsiders telling it what to do, let alone some obscure bureaucrat from the United States, whose own car industry was on taxpayer-funded life support.

• 
  Google Gmail tweak challenges Facebook, Twitter

  Google Inc is tapping its huge network of Gmail users and Web surfers to create a Buzz that it hopes will help it catch up with online social networking leaders Facebook and Twitter.

• 
  Ukraine's Tymoshenko girds to contest result

  Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched action on Tuesday to call rival Viktor Yanukovich's election into question, ignoring international endorsement of the poll and threatening a lengthy legal battle.

• 
  Taiwan drops request for U.S. military subs: source

  Taiwan has effectively dropped a request for U.S. submarines to help shore up the balance of power with political rival China, a military source said on Tuesday, dissolving what could be a new rift in tense Sino-U.S. ties.

• 
  John Murtha, defense appropriations chair, dies

  Democratic Representative John Murtha, chairman of the House of Representatives defense appropriations subcommittee who exercised enormous influence on defense issues, died on Monday.

• 
  U.S. missionary in Haiti says trusts God to free her

  A Haitian judge made no decision at a hearing on Monday whether to free or prosecute 10 U.S. missionaries accused of kidnapping children, and their leader said she trusted in God they would be cleared and released.

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• 
  NY governor says he'll step aside only 'in a box'

  New York Gov. David Paterson, defying calls from even fellow Democrats to drop out of the race for a full term, said Tuesday that he would leave only if the voters turned him out through the ballot box, or he's carried out "in a box."

• 
  Storm dumps rain, hail, snow in SoCal

  The latest Pacific storm that brought heavy rain, hail and snow to Southern California is heading east, but the mudslide threat is not over for communities below wildfire-scarred mountains.

• 
  Ex-Ill. gov. to answer revised corruption charges

  Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich heads to court Wednesday to answer a revised batch of charges that he schemed to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat and swap official favors for campaign money.

• 
  Space shuttle Endeavour pulls in at space station

  Shuttle Endeavour arrived to a warm welcome at the International Space Station early Wednesday, delivering a new room and observation deck that will come close to completing construction 200 miles above Earth.

• Latest plan to cut farm subsidies likely dead

  If history and the political lineup are any guides, President Barack Obama's latest effort to cut subsidies for wealthy farmers likely will fare no better than his first try — or his predecessor's attempt.

• 
  Anthem asked to justify rate hike in California

  In his push to move stalled health care reform, President Barack Obama is appealing to American pocketbooks by calling one health insurer's major rate hike in California a harbinger of rising premiums.

• 
  Round 2: Snow slams Mid-Atlantic, points north

  Plows that have been rolling around the clock for days in the nation's capital, Philadelphia and Baltimore won't be heading for the garage any time soon as a second major storm in a week moved into the snowbound region Wednesday.

• 
  NY senator who dragged girlfriend fights expulsion

  A Democratic state senator who betrayed his colleagues by joining Republicans in a brief coup and was convicted of a misdemeanor assault charge for dragging his girlfriend around during an argument at his apartment says he'll go back to court to fight his expulsion from the Senate.

• 
  Teen arrested in killing of LA anti-gang counselor

  When Ronald "Loony" Barron urged a young graffiti tagger to put away his paint cans, he was doing what he viewed as his mission — steering kids away from crime — but he paid for it with his life.

• 
  Target pulls Valentine's toys over lead concerns

  Target Corp. said Tuesday it was pulling its Valentine's Day "Message Bears" from store shelves after California's attorney general raised concerns that the toys have illegal levels of lead.

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• 
  Doctor says vendor may have been in rubble 27 days

  The tale seems dubious: that a rice vendor survived 27 days trapped under the rubble of a flea market following Haiti's devastating earthquake.

• 
  Iran rewards Basij militia with political clout

  During an Iranian government meeting late last month, a top adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brought a proposal to expand the political voice of a group more known for its street muscle: the civilian militia corps called the Basij.

• Officials: Afghan avalanches kill 157 people

  At least 157 people have been killed in a series of avalanches that blocked a mountain pass north of Kabul, trapping hundreds more in their snowbound vehicles, Afghan officials said Wednesday.

• 
  Political supporters clash in streets of Sri Lanka

  Government supporters hurled stones at thousands of opposition activists demonstrating against the arrest of their defeated presidential candidate in Sri Lanka's capital Wednesday.

• 
  China jails young man for joining political party

  A 20-year-old factory worker who joined a banned political party because he was unhappy with one-party rule in China was sentenced to jail for 18 months Wednesday, his mother said.

• 
  Iran says nuclear fuel deal "still on the table"

  Iran believes a nuclear fuel exchange with the West is still possible, state television said on Wednesday, a day after the Islamic Republic's expansion of uranium enrichment drew a U.S. warning of more sanctions soon.

• Greek strike tests government's austerity mettle

  A strike by Greek civil servants grounded flights and shut many state schools and offices on Wednesday, in the first big test of the government's resolve to tackle a debt crisis which has shaken the euro zone.

• Haiti secure after quake, but escapees a concern: U.N.

  The top U.N. official in Haiti urged Haitians on Tuesday to turn in thousands of escaped criminals before they start trouble, but said the security situation in the quake-struck Caribbean nation is stable.

• 
  Ukraine's Tymoshenko girds to contest result

  Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched action on Tuesday to call rival Viktor Yanukovich's election into question, ignoring international endorsement of the poll and threatening a lengthy legal battle.

• Facing rampant inflation, Myanmar turns to bartering

  Faced with a shortage of small banknotes, people in Myanmar are resorting to bartering cigarettes, shampoo and other items.

More

• 
  Obama, Palin trade telling jibes over crib sheets

  The jokes about Barack Obama's close relationship with his teleprompter have been constant since he became president.

• 
  Obama would OK health bill minus items he pursued

  Signaling he'd meet critics part way on health care, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he's willing to sign a bill even if it doesn't deliver everything he pursued through a year of grinding effort at risk of going down as a dismal failure.

• 
  PROMISES, PROMISES: War widows' futile fight

  For a decade, war widows in matching yellow suit jackets and hats quietly and persistently have knocked on Capitol Hill doors seeking an end to the "widows' tax," a government policy that deprives them of benefits from their husbands' military service.

• 
  Gov't fitness efforts haven't stemmed kid obesity

  First lady Michelle Obama isn't the first national leader to try to get America's kids off the couch. President Dwight D. Eisenhower tried more than 50 years ago, and it's been a losing battle since.

• AP sources: FAA eyes hefty fines for American

  The Federal Aviation Administration is close to wrapping up a two-year investigation of safety violations at American Airlines that could result in one of the largest fines in the agency's history, according to government and industry officials familiar with the investigation.

• 
  Tax credits, Medicare fix in Senate jobs bill

  Highway funding and tax breaks for hiring workers figure prominently in a jobs-creation bill that Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate hope will attract rare joint support in an election year, lawmakers said on Tuesday.

• Jobs package may cost about $80 billion

  A possible jobs-creation package being crafted by Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate may end up costing about $80 billion, a key Republican said on Tuesday.

• Republicans flex new power, block Obama nominee

  Senate Republicans flexed their new political muscle on Tuesday and blocked President Barack Obama's nomination of a union lawyer to help referee labor disputes.

• Stimulus transportation under scrutiny

  by Lisa Lambert

• 
  Obamas take on problem of obese children

  Alarmed that nearly a third of U.S. children are obese or overweight -- and likely to stay that way all their lives -- President Barack Obama launched an initiative on Tuesday to roll back the numbers and put his wife in charge of promoting it.

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• Changes proposed in how psychiatrists diagnose

  Don't say "mental retardation" — the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome — call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioral addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut.

• 
  Lawmaker's death a reminder of surgery risks

  Gallbladder surgery is usually a very safe operation, but a powerful congressman's death is a reminder of the known risks.

• Autism risks detailed in children of older mothers

  A woman's chance of having a child with autism increase substantially as she ages, but the risk may be less for older dads than previously suggested, a new study analyzing more than 5 million births found.

• Bad malaria pills in Africa raise resistance fears

  High rates of the most effective type of malaria-fighting drugs sold in three African countries are poor quality — including nearly half the pills sampled in Senegal — raising fears of increased drug resistance that could wipe out the last weapon left to battle a disease that kills 1 million peopleeach year, according to a U.

• 
  Even if you're careful, drugs can end up in water

  The federal government advises throwing most unused or expired medications into the trash instead of down the drain, but they can end up in the water anyway, a study from Maine suggests.

• China declares new national food-safety campaign

  China declared a new food-safety campaign Wednesday after contaminated milk products from an earlier scandal showed up repackaged in several places around the country, exposing weaknesses in the country's promise to stop such problems from happening again.

• 
  Is the US swine flu epidemic over?

  If the U.S. swine flu epidemic isn't over, it certainly looks as if it's on its last legs. While federal health officials are not ready to declare the threat has passed and the outbreak has run its course, they did report Friday that for the fourth week in a row, no states had widespread flu activiy.

• 
  FDA concerned dissolvable tobacco appeals to kids

  The death of the father of Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan was ruled a homicide Tuesday when an autopsy showed he died of a heart rhythm problem after a fight with his son in which he suffered a neck injury so severe it damaged his windpipe.

• Firm to pay $200K after importing lead-laden toys

  A Massachusetts company has agreed to pay a $200,000 penalty to settle allegations it violated U.S. law when it imported Thomas and Friends, Curious George and Winnie the Pooh toys with high levels of lead.

• Healthy baby campaign uses texts to reach mothers

  Expectant mothers are getting a new tool to help keep themselves and their babies healthy: pregnancy tips sent directly to their cell phones.

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• 
  Space shuttle Endeavour pulls in at space station

  Shuttle Endeavour arrived to a warm welcome at the International Space Station early Wednesday, delivering a new room and observation deck that will come close to completing construction 200 miles above Earth.

• New federal climate change agency forming

  The Obama administration on Monday proposed a new agency to study and report on the changing climate.

• India successfully tests nuclear-capable missile

  India again successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable missile Sunday that can hit targets across much of Asia and the Middle East, a defense ministry press release said.

• 
  Even if you're careful, drugs can end up in water

  The federal government advises throwing most unused or expired medications into the trash instead of down the drain, but they can end up in the water anyway, a study from Maine suggests.

• 
  Anti-whalers, Japanese fleet fire water cannons

  Activists vowing to stop the killing of whales exchanged water-cannon fire with a Japanese whaling fleet they are tailing in the Antarctic Ocean, as sea confrontations that have led to collisions and a sunken vessel continue.

• 
  Shuttle Endeavour docks with space station

  The space shuttle Endeavour and its six astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on Tuesday, carrying the station's last two main components.

• Researchers find sex-specific lung cancer genes

  Lung cancer is often dramatically different in women than it is in men, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday in another study that suggests ways to tailor treatment for cancer patients.

• 
  Study shows why it is so scary to lose money

  People are afraid to lose money and an unusual study released on Monday explains why -- the brain's fear center controls the response to a gamble.

• Scientists find gene variant link to aging cells

  Scientists have found specific genetic variants which may explain why some people age earlier than others and say their findings have important implications for understanding cancer and age-related diseases.

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• Man shoots himself in leg outside Fla. gun store

  A man accidentally shot himself in the leg shortly after leaving a Jupiter gun store. Police said the unidentified man went to Chuck's Guns and Ammo Monday afternoon, looking for batteries for the laser sight on a small handgun. When the man was back in his car, the gun accidentally fired, hitting im in the leg.

• Man claims Va. deputies beat him for burping

  A Roanoke man claims sheriff's deputies beat him in the city jail because of his burping. Thomas Scott Vandegrift made the allegations in a federal lawsuit filed last week against several deputies, the city, the sheriff's office and the sheriff. According to the lawsuit, the deputies were annoyed b Vandegrift's burping, which was caused by acid reflux.

• NY boy, 11, faces charges over pencil attack

  An 11-year-old boy faces assault and weapon charges for trying to stab a classmate with a pencil over a math problem. Police in New Hartford, 80 miles west of Albany, said the boy was mad because a classmate kept trying to help him in math class on Monday. When the would-be helper wouldn't back off, police said the boy lashed out with a sharp pencil and inflicted a scratch treated by the school n...

• Complaint claims mayor uses mute button on speakers

  Los Angeles County prosecutors are looking into a complaint that the mayor of Carson cuts off public speakers at City Council meetings if he doesn't like what they're saying. David Demerjian of the district attorney's office said the complaint claims that Mayor Jim Dear hits the mute button on speaers before the three-minute time limit is up.

• Man allegedly steals ambulance with patient inside

  Authorities say a drunken man stole an ambulance from a Wisconsin ski area with the patient and paramedics still inside. The Dane County Sheriff's Department says emergency responders were treating a patient in the back of the ambulance at the Tyrol Basin Ski and Snowboard Area in Mount Horeb on Moday night.

• Makeup bandit returns after 6 month absence

  A bandit who likes to steal makeup from a well known drug store chain has returned after a six month absence. Chandler police said the "Blue Basket Bandit" attempted a theft Monday at a Walgreens store. Over the past two years, police said the thief has stolen approximately $10,000 worth of cosmeti merchandise from Walgreens stores around Chandler and neighboring cities.

• Dog waste piling up at Wyoming forest trails

  A smelly problem is piling at trails around Jackson where people go hiking and cross-country skiing with their dogs. How big is this problem? Bridger-Teton National Forest officials say they recently counted 173 piles of dog waste around just one trailhead.

• Man rescued after 3 days in snow-covered SUV in CO

  A 31-year-old Indiana man says he had not food but kept himself hydrated with Mountain Dew and snow while he was stuck in his snow-covered SUV in southwestern Colorado for three days.

• Cattle battle: NZealand has more cows than kiwis

  New Zealanders who for decades have endured jokes about being outnumbered 20-to-1 by sheep have a new farm animal majority to worry about: cows.

• Man points gun at neighbor over snow shoveling

  New Castle County Police said a man pointed a gun at a neighbor who was shoveling snow on Saturday at the Hampton Walk Apartments. A man told police a neighbor came outside while he was shoveling, pointed a gun and threatened to shoot him if he didn't stop shoveling snow onto his car.

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• Micron to buy Numonyx in $1.3 billion stock deal

  Micron Technology says it plans to buy fellow memory chip maker Numonyx in an all-stock transaction the companies value at $1.27 billion.

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  Google's e-mail gets social in Facebook face-off

  Google Inc. opened a new social hub in its e-mail service on Tuesday, leaving little doubt that the Internet search leader is girding for a face-off with Facebook.

• RealNetworks, MTV to spin off Rhapsody

  RealNetworks Inc. and MTV Networks said Tuesday that they plan to spin off Rhapsody America LLC, their digital music service joint venture, into an independent company.

• AOL integrates Facebook chat with AIM

  As part of an ongoing effort to improve its user experience, Internet company AOL Inc. is letting users of its AIM instant-messaging service chat with friends on Facebook.

• PayPal's India transaction block could last months

  Online payments service PayPal says its suspension of certain transactions in India could last months.

• Warner CEO sees e-book `fracas' as helping music

  The head of Warner Music Group expressed hope on Tuesday that the recent "fracas" over the price of e-books would help give content creators such as his company more pricing power over device makers.

• 
  Online ad improvement seen in IAC's 4Q loss

  Internet company IAC/InterActiveCorp lost $1 billion in the fourth quarter because it wrote down the value of its search business, but the results beat expectations and offered the latest indication that the online advertising market is improving.

• 
  Electronic Arts shares dive on weak outlook

  A disappointing outlook from Electronic Arts Inc. sent shares of the video game publisher sharply lower Monday, a sign that significant cost-cuts and layoffs have not ended the company's slump.

• 
  Security chip that does encryption in PCs hacked

  Deep inside millions of computers is a digital Fort Knox, a special chip with the locks to highly guarded secrets, including classified government reports and confidential business plans. Now a former U.S. Army computer-security specialist has devised a way to break those locks.

• MySpace Music experiments with audio ads

  Hoping to boost revenue, MySpace Music has begun experimenting with audio advertisements that users must hear if they want to listen to music for free online.

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• 
  James leads Cavaliers to 12th straight win

  LeBron James scored 32 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their 12th straight win Tuesday night, a 104-97 victory over the New Jersey Nets.

• Rutgers suspends Stringer for a game

  Rutgers suspended Hall of Fame women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer on Tuesday for one game for misusing practice players.

• Ducks' Getzlaf optimistic for Olympic return

  Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf says he is optimistic he'll return from his sprained left ankle in time to play for Canada in the Olympics.

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  Carmelo returns to help Nuggets beat Mavs, 127-91

  Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points in his return from an ankle injury and the Denver Nuggets had their biggest win of the season, routing the Dallas Mavericks 127-91 on Tuesday night.

• 
  Helicopters and trucks bring snow to Cypress

  A clattering helicopter and a rumbling truck dumped more snow on Cypress Mountain, the warm weather-plagued venue where the first Winter Olympic event is just four days away.

• Snow forces changes to Alpine training at Whistler

  With a series of storm fronts rolling in off the Pacific, Vancouver Games men's Alpine race officials pushed up the start of the first downhill training session on Wednesday in a bid to ensure this weekend's opening race starts on schedule.

• 
  Strained relationship with father for top US skier

  The Vancouver Olympics are shaping up to be Lindsey Vonn's shining moment, the apex of a career that began years ago when her father introduced her to skiing. He saw enough talent in his daughter to move the whole family to Colorado.

• 
  Money woes ease in NASCAR, sponsors seek bargains

  With the NASCAR season revving up at Daytona International Speedway this week, companies still have a chance to associate themselves with the sport's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

• 6 NHL teams to open 2010-11 season in Europe

  The NHL is sending more teams across the pond.

• Gaborik's knee cut by skate in Rangers practice

  Marian Gaborik limped off the ice during practice Tuesday after the New York Rangers' leading scorer was cut on the right knee by the skate of goalie Henrik Lundqvist in a collision.

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