National News on Comcast.net | National Headlines | AP News | Reuters | ABC News | CBS News | Fox News

• 
  Americans search for cheaper Thanksgiving trips

  Millions of Americans got an early jump on their Thanksgiving travel Wednesday, with many opting to drive or take trains and buses instead of shelling out more money for flights amid a sour economy still hitting household budgets hard.

• 
  Mom of teen set on fire: Son focused on recovery

  In the days after 15-year-old Michael Brewer was set on fire by a group of teens, his mother, Valerie Brewer, sat at his hospital bedside and worried.

• 
  Year after NY stampede, Black Friday gets makeover

  Victoria Rogers had originally planned to make an early stop the day after Thanksgiving last year at the Walmart store in Valley Stream on Long Island. Her last-minute decision against it might have saved her life.

• 
  Ex-CNN host Lou Dobbs weighs Senate run in NJ

  Former CNN host Lou Dobbs is seriously considering running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey in 2012 as a stepping stone to a possible White House bid — a congressional matchup that would pit one of illegal immigration's biggest critics against a champion for immigrant rights.

• 
  Vicki Kennedy describes husband's cancer battle

  The widow of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy told Oprah Winfrey in an interview broadcast Wednesday that even as her husband knew he was dying of brain cancer he had been "in training" to make sure he had enough strength to attend President Barack Obama's inauguration.

• 
  Drywall investigation expands into US products

  A federal probe of tainted Chinese drywall has broadened because a small number of homeowners are reporting that American-made drywall is causing some of the same problems: a sickening, sulfurous stench and corroded pipes and wiring.

• CDC: Swine flu vaccine safe; no big problems seen

  There's no evidence that the swine flu vaccine is causing any serious side effects, U.S. health officials said Wednesday, in their first report on the safety of the new vaccine.

• 
  Shuttle Atlantis leaves space station, headed home

  Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station early Wednesday and headed home with one astronaut eager to hold his newborn daughter for the first time and another who's been away from her young son since the summer.

• 
  Lambert says he got carried away, but not sorry

  Adam Lambert admits he got carried away with his sexually charged American Music Awards performance, but he's offering no apology.

• Search crew working to free man stuck in cave

  Rescuers chipped away with air-powered tools in a narrow tunnel Wednesday to free a man trapped upside down about 150 feet below ground in a popular Utah cave.

• Families of Military Suicides Seek White House Condolences

  Under a policy that has existed at least since the Clinton administration, presidents have not sent letters to survivors of those who took their own lives.

• Obama to Offer Firm Pledge on Emissions Cuts in Copenhagen

  President Obama will offer to reduce greenhouse gas emissions “in the range of” 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, White House officials said.

• After Suicides, Military Families Await the Letter That Never Comes

  Under an unwritten policy that has existed at least since the Clinton administration, presidents have not sent letters to survivors of those who took their own lives.

• 
  News Analysis: Afghan Strategy Will Contain Messages to Several Audiences

  As President Obama rolls out his plan, he will be adjusting his approach for voters, allies and enemies.

• 
  Modern Flourishes at Obamas’ State Dinner

  At their first state dinner, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, made sure to infuse the glittering gala with distinctive touches.

• 
  From the Hospital to Bankruptcy Court

  Lawyers and court officials say that medical debt is causing more bankruptcies.

• Schumer Faults Adidas for Overseas Production

  The New York senator said he might ask N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern to intervene to try and keep production of much of the league’s official jerseys in the United States.

• National Briefing | Midwest: Ohio: Doctor’s Help Was Sought During Failed Execution Attempt

  As an execution team tried to find a vein during an effort at lethal injection, prison staff members sought help from a doctor — a move generally discouraged by ethical and professional medical rules.

• 
  Obama May Add 30,000 Troops in Afghanistan

  President Obama’s aides signaled that he would send as many as 30,000 additional American troops, but the total number remained in flux.

• 
  Modern Flourishes as Obamas Host State Dinner

  At their first State Dinner, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, made sure to infuse the glittering gala with distinctive touches.

more

• Designated driver for hire fills need

  The Runnemede resident, who is a former bartender and nightclub manager, said he has witnessed the damage caused by a DUI arrest. ...

• Judge: White U.S. firefighters must be promoted

  A federal judge has ordered Connecticut officials to promote 14 firefighters who won a reverse discrimination case decided by ...

• Washington Post to close remaining U.S. bureaus

  The Washington Post will close its remaining U.S. bureaus in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago at the end of the year to save ...

• Animal welfare groups put cooperation to work

  Animal welfare groups are regularly partnering on a range of projects, from saving animals in natural disasters to rescuing puppy-mill ...

• Traveling I-95? Log on before leaving

  Before heading out to Grandma's, drivers on Interstate 95 and other East Coast highways can get up-to-the-minute speed and congestion ...

• Website offers traffic reports for drivers traveling Interstate-95

  Before heading out to Grandma's, drivers on Interstate 95 and other East Coast highways can get up-to-the-minute speed and congestion ...

• The spirit of this season: Be thankful, spend less

  Sometime in the 1980s, when he was living on the street, the kid who later became the seminal rapper KRS-One stopped at the ...

• Reno cops seek 2-hour nap for bars

  Reno bills itself as the "Biggest Little City in the World," a place that never sleeps, but residents in ear shot of some of ...

• Witnesses say reservist was a Fort Hood hero

  Three weeks after 13 people were shot and killed at Fort Hood, Texas, new details are emerging about an Army Reserve captain ...

• Easy air travel shaping up for Thanksgiving

  Moderate weather and a drop in flights is shaping up to make flying during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend relatively hitch-free ...

more

• Bombings in Iraq leave at least 10 dead

  BAGHDAD -- At least 10 people were reported killed Wednesday in Iraq, including four who perished in twin bombings near a revered Shiite shrine in Karbala.

• Nuclear power regains support

  LONDON -- Nuclear power -- long considered environmentally hazardous -- is emerging as perhaps the world's most unlikely weapon against climate change, with the backing of even some green activists wo once campaigned against it.

• U.S. commander, ambassador to testify on war in Afghanistan

  The top U.S. general and the U.S ambassador in Afghanistan have been told to prepare to testify before Congress as early as next week, according to White House and other U.S. officials, giving an indcation of how and when President Obama plans to announce his war strategy.

• Fort Hood shooting investigation bringing unwanted attention to Texas mosque

  KILLEEN, TEX. -- FBI agents in blue gloves recently converged on a single-story brick mosque on the rural outskirts of town here and pillaged through the giant green trash bin outside in search of evdence.

• U.S. to offer target for emission cuts

  The United States will identify a near-term emission reduction target as part of an effort to reach a comprehensive climate agreement in Copenhagen next month as long as other major greenhouse gas emtters do the same, senior administration officials said Monday.

• 21 killed in Philippines in attack on journalists and Mangudadatu supporters

  MANILA -- Dozens of gunmen hijacked a convoy carrying journalists and family and supporters of a candidate for provincial governor, killing at least 21 of the travelers Monday in the southern Philippnes' worst political violence in years.

• Data show rise in consumer spending, drop in jobless claims

  Consumer spending rose in October and fewer people filed for jobless benefits last week than in over a year, according to a new round of economic data that provides a bit of hope for the economy headng into the holiday season.

• Obama to attend climate talks in Copenhagen

  President Obama will travel to Copenhagen in December to help kick off the global climate talks despite the conference's failure to secure a binding worldwide treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emission.

• The future of Thanksgiving: Designer turkeys?

  If ever there were a candidate for genetic engineering, surely it is the pale, flavor-challenged bird that will adorn millions of American dinner tables as a matter of Thanksgiving ritual.

• Vaccine makers are slow to perfect new techniques

  After a lethal bird flu virus emerged in Asia, U.S. officials launched an intense effort to build new defenses against a pandemic, including replacing an antiquated vaccine system, which depends on mllions of chicken eggs.

more

• 
  Terrorism probe casts scrutiny on Minneapolis' Somali immigrant enclave

  Little Mogadishu residents talk of a lack of identity and a life of poverty and racism. And they disagree over their former neighbors who are accused of plotting jihad in Somalia. Barely a block fro the Mississippi River sits a neighborhood Mark Twain could not have imagined.

• Talk of war surtax for Afghanistan expenses heats up

  The suggestion bouncing around Capitol Hill points to the fiscal anxieties President Obama faces if he asks Congress to write another big-ticket item into the budget. As President Obama is preparing to announce a troop increase and new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, several powerful House co...

• 2012 Republican campaign underway in nation's bookstores

  Mike Huckabee, like Sarah Palin, is pitching his books and persona to potential voters. Romney and Pawlenty take a more traditional tack, focusing on strengthening ties with the GOP establishment. Team Huck rolls into the bookstore like a NASCAR pit crew, red shirts adorned with the corporate logo...

• Ban lifted for green-card applicants with HIV

  A two-decade-old rule kept those with the virus out of the U.S. Now such immigrants will be able to visit the country and apply for legal status. A stamp in Heidemarie Kremer's passport reveals her ealth status as HIV-positive.

• Vaccine-maker tries to assure patients H1N1 doses are safe

  Sanofi Pasteur opens its factory doors to reveal the creation process. Officials at the Pennsylvania company say the shots are made the same way seasonal flu vaccines have been made for decades. Foret the chicken.

• 
  New HIV infections in decline

  There were about 17% fewer new infections worldwide in 2008, compared with 2001, but fewer than half of those infected began treatment, a World Health Organization and UNAIDS report says. The estimated number of new HIV infections each year has declined about 17% since 2001, but for every five peo...

• Obama says he'll announce Afghan plan after Thanksgiving

  The president says his strategy will include military, diplomatic and civilian initiatives designed to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan. Aides say the announcement could come as early as Tuesday. President Obama says he will deliver a plan to "finish the job" in Afghanistan directly to the American...

• These turkeys won't be gobbled up

  Two Butterball birds will be pardoned by President Obama after weeks of pampering and grooming. And his declaration will get them one step closer to a ride in Disneyland's Thanksgiving parade. Last month, Walter "Gator" Pelletier, chairman of the National Turkey Federation and an executive at Butt...

• Census worker's death was suicide, not anti-government violence, police say

  William Sparkman was found dead in the Kentucky woods with a rope around his neck and 'Fed' written on his chest. A Census Bureau worker found dead in rural Kentucky -- a death that sparked fear of nti-government violence in some quarters -- committed suicide, authorities said Tuesday.

• Airlines fined $175,000 for stranding passengers on plane

  The 47 people on board a Continental Express flight were not allowed to leave the aircraft for nearly six hours while it was parked in Rochester, Minn., due to confusion over TSA rules. Federal fines totaling $175,000 were levied Tuesday against the three airlines that stranded dozens of passenger...

more

• Obama to Attend Climate Summit

  Obama will go to Copenhagen next month to participate in a global climate conference, a White House official said, ending speculation over whether the president would attend the event.

• Pie Fights at Mommie Helen's

  On Thanksgiving, the customers waiting in line for Dorothy Pryor Rose's famous pies can turn hostile. This year, the bakery has hired a security guard to keep the peace.

• Policy on Soldier Suicide Challenged

  The family of a soldier who killed himself in Baghdad is mounting an effort to overturn a policy that prevents the president from sending condolence letters to families of troops who have committed sicide.

• Afghan Surge Targets Taliban Bastion

  Military commanders say they will devote most of the 20,000 to 40,000 fresh troops expected from the U.S. to secure Afghanistan's south.

• Obama, Singh Pledge Cooperation

  Obama and India's Singh pledged to expand ties on issues ranging from counterterrorism to global warming.

• Probe in Fort Hood Intensifies

  Military investigations into the Fort Hood shooting intensified, with the arrival of two former top officials leading a Pentagon probe into what could have been done to prevent the shootings.

• Church Fights for Assets, Legitimacy

  When members of St. Luke's of the Mountains Church voted to leave the Episcopal Church, they never meant they wanted to leave their church. But last month, they got an eviction notice.

• Somali Case Hints at Radicalization

  Counterterrorism officials investigating the recruitment of ethnic Somalis in the U.S. for jihad in Somalia say the case echoes the type of homegrown radicalization that threatens parts of Europe.

• An Old-School Social Network

  For 52 years, a group of influential men have met to discuss their hopes and ambitions.

• U.S. Mulls New Panel to Tackle Deficit

  The White House is considering a bipartisan commission to tackle the nation's deficit, as it seeks to show resolve on a problem that threatens its broader agenda.

more

• 
  Obama Weighs the Cost of an Afghanistan Military Surge

  Skeptical Democrats demand a war tax as Afghanistan's declining security situation raises the financial burden of the U.S. in expanding its commitment there

• 
  The 00's: A Decade from Hell

  Bookended by 9/11 and a financial wipeout, the first 10 years of the century will likely go down as the most dispiriting decade Americans have lived through since World War II. Can the next one be better?

• 
  Gay Rights: How a California Judge Is Challenging Obama

  A powerful judge has ordered the Executive Branch to stop interfering with his decision to allow a court employee to get health coverage for her wife

• 
  Helicopter Parents: The Backlash Against Overparenting

  Overparenting got way out of control in the past generation. But now a band of rebels is trying to restore some balance and sanity to family life and help bring all those anxious helicopter parents down for a soft landing

• 
  Leon Panetta Defends CIA Against DNI, Wins Over Doubters

  Lately, Panetta has eased CIA staffer doubts, winning kudos for defending the agency's turf from Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair

• 
  CIA Chief Panetta Winning Over Doubters at the Agency

  So many CIA veterans were particularly not happy over the summer when they felt that Panetta had failed to protect the Agency from the political backlash over its Bush-era detention and interrogationpractices.

• 
  Are Minorities Getting Enough Out of the Stimulus?

  Federal and state governments are missing a great opportunity to use the stimulus to aid the poor and minority communities hardest hit by the Great Recession

• 
  Tuition Hikes: Protests in California and Elsewhere

  A combination of budget crises and the recession spark protests in GoldenState. But the problem plagues other public universities too

• 
  Guantanamo Bay: Inside Obama's Plan to Close the Center

  White House plans for terror suspects currently in detention are likely to outrage liberals and conservatives

• 
  Army Corps of Engineers Faulted in Katrina Destruction

  There can be something thrilling about accountability, so it was nice to see a federal judge declare the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers directly responsible for the destruction of most of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina

more