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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.

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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.

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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.

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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, installing an enormous oxygen tank at the International Space Station and accomplishing everything else on their list.

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  New Macy's Parade route means no cutting corners

  It won't be just the balloons, marching bands and floats on display in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The laws of physics will also be on parade.

• 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.

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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.

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

  Sarah Palin brought her book-signing tour to North Carolina's Fort Bragg on Monday and hundreds greeted the former Republican vice presidential candidate in a campaign-like gathering.

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  Sanford Faces 37 Charges by State Ethics Board

  Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina will face ethics charges on 37 counts of using his office for personal gain.

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  S.C. Governor Faces 37 Charges by State Ethics Board

  The charges against Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina include spending state money on business-class plane tickets, instead of flying coach.

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  White House Begins Campaign to Promote Science and Math Education

  The plan will enlist companies and nonprofits, including “Sesame Street,” to spend money and time to encourage students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math.

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  Sanford Faces 37 Charges on State Ethics Laws

  Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina faces charges that he broke state laws more than three dozen times.

• Sidebar: Bright Lines Blur in Juvenile Sentencing

  The effects of a decision on executing mentally retarded inmates could offer a lesson on punishment for juveniles.

• U.S. to Propose CO2 Cut at Talks

  The United States will propose an emissions reduction target at a U.N. climate change summit in Copenhagen, a senior administration official said.

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  In Mississippi Delta, a Promising Summer Washed Away by the Fall

  In August, Southern farmers thought they had a bumper crop — the best in years. Then heavy rains in September and October spoiled the harvest.

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  As Sewers Fill, Waste Poisons Waterways

  Many sewer systems are overwhelmed, spilling excrement, medical waste and chemicals into waterways.

• Shortage Slows a Program to Detect Nuclear Bombs

  The Department of Homeland Security has had to stop deploying new detectors because the U.S. has run out of a crucial raw material, experts say.

• Payback Time: Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government

  The ultralow interest rates the U.S. has been paying on its colossal debt may not last much longer, and the White House estimates that the tab will exceed $700 billion a year in 2019.

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• Pipe-cutting led to radiation at Three Mile Island

  Radioactive dust unexpectedly blew out of a pipe being cut by workers during weekend maintenance at the Three Mile Island nuclear ...

• Ventures a drain on states, localities

  Government-owned businesses that generate revenue for states and cities have taken a sharp turn downward and now are draining ...

• Police: 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 ...

• South Carolina governor facing ethics charges

  South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford faces ethics charges that he broke state laws by violating rules on airplane travel and campaign ...

• Officer, passenger injured during transit arrest

  A train passenger's video of an arrest shows heavy-duty glass shattering and showering down on a San Francisco area transit police ...

• Man pleads not guilty in ESPN reporter videos case

  An Illinois insurance executive accused of secretly making nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews is scheduled for arraignment ...

• Philadelphia officials seek cause of huge apartment fire

  Fire investigators in Philadelphia are trying to determine what caused a weekend apartment fire that left nearly two dozen people ...

• Smart kids ignored? Disparities in gifted education reported

  A new report by the National Association for Gifted Children blames low federal funding and a focus on low-performing students ...

• Hate crimes against blacks, religious groups rise

  The number of hate crimes against blacks and religious groups increased in 2008 over the previous year, the FBI reported Monday.

• Palin arrives at Fort Bragg to a crowd of hundreds

  Hundreds of people are lined up at an Army base in North Carolina where former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin ...

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• FBI to announce charges against al-Shabaab recruiters

  The FBI and Justice Department will announce new charges today aimed at dismantling a terror recruitment ring that has sent dozens of Somali American youths and others from the United States to join n extremist Islamic insurgency in Somalia, officials said.

• Terrapins Numbers

  3 Games in which Terrapins wide receiver Torrey Smith has posted at least 260 all-purpose yards this season. He's the only player in the country to accomplish that feat.

• In the recession, all roads lead to home

  MISSOULA, MONT. -- Her parents redecorated her bedroom soon after she left for college, as sure as everyone else in this town that Melissa Meyer would not be moving back. They took down the photos ofMelissa meeting the Dalai Lama and laughing alongside Joe Biden, placing them in the closet.

• U.S. slow to build new flu defenses

  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.

• Appointments

  Audio Video Systems of Chantilly named Michele Ferreira vice president of sales and marketing, and Barry Goldin vice president of operations.

• Thousands of strange creatures found deep in ocean

  NEW ORLEANS -- The creatures living in the depths of the ocean are as weird and outlandish as the creations in a Dr. Seuss book: tentacled transparent sea cucumbers, primitive "dumbos" that flap ear-ike fins, and tubeworms that feed on oil deposits.

• In recession, one road led back home

  Her parents redecorated her bedroom soon after she left for college, as sure as everyone else in this town that Melissa Meyer would not be moving back. They took down the photos of Melissa meeting th Dalai Lama and laughing alongside Joe Biden, placing them in the closet.

• Senate vs. House bills

  Government-run insurance Each bill creates a public option. The Senate bill allows states to opt out.

• 2011 Kia Sorento

  The bottom line: No union or company is safe in a hotly competitive global market where consumers call the shots. That's especially true in the case of excellent products, such as the 2011 Sorento. M hunch is that no one will look for the union label when looking at that one.

• It may not be the thought that counts

  Questions for Joel Waldfogel, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His book, "Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays," was published in Octoberby Princeton University Press.

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  For a healthcare holdout, it's lonely in the middle

  Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln, who remains undecided on Senate legislation, is getting pummeled from the left and right. As one of the few senators undecided on healthcare reform, Arkansas Democat Blanche Lincoln faces a huge headache.

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  A Noah's Ark in the desert

  Animal lovers open their home to share their collection of kangaroos, porcupines, camels and more with visitors. When the recession cut into Jay and Valerie Holt's veterinary practice, their financil bind was more pressing than most.

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  Pricing an Afghanistan troop buildup is no simple calculation

  The White House estimate is twice the Pentagon's. Some see politics at play. As President Obama measures the potential burden of a new war strategy in Afghanistan, his administration is struggling to come up with even the most dispassionate of predictions: the actual price tag for the anticipated ...

• Reaction to Senate healthcare vote offers a preview of 2010 campaigns

  Next year's congressional elections weigh heavily in partisan comments. Republicans say healthcare vote shows Democrats' devotion to big government; Democrats say the GOP is merely the 'party of no.' With the Senate's 60-39 vote to proceed to debate, after Thanksgiving, on a healthcare bill that t...

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  Centrist senators say healthcare bill needs major changes

  Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson says he supported a procedural motion to begin debate but doesn't approve of the legislation as it stands. Democratic leaders face a tough fight ahead. Only a day after Senate Democrats voted to move into a historic debate on overhauling the nation's healthcare system, k...

• Legislation to stop whining gets an earful

  A Missouri congressman calls for a complaint-free day before Thanksgiving. Angry respondents feast on the bill. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.) wanted people to stop complaining for a day and count heir blessings.

• Obama gathers his A list for first state dinner

  The guest list for Tuesday's gala remains a secret, but it should solidify who is considered a VIP in the Obama White House. The dinner honors India's prime minister. What's the hottest ticket in the nation's capital? An engraved invitation to Tuesday's White House state dinner, the first hosted b...

• Grand Canyon decides permit system is unfair

  Starting in February, locals won't be able to line up for the right to backpack overnight -- they'll have to mail or fax like everyone else. 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 t...

• Mexican American former anti-drug chief's reputation on trial

  Richard Padilla Cramer is accused of selling out to drug lords, helping them unmask informants and set up smuggling deals. Family and former colleagues say he's the last person they'd suspect. Aroun here, the grim joke goes, most people work for the government or the mafias.

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  Senate healthcare vote clears the way for formal debate to begin

  Democrats overcome a GOP filibuster with a 60-39 vote in a key procedural move on the $848-billion healthcare legislation. Debate is likely to run through the end of the year. Without a vote to spare, Democrats pushed their healthcare legislation over its first obstacle on the Senate floor Saturda...

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• Health-Care Haggling Heats Up

  Democratic leaders moved their health bill to the Senate floor, where issues including abortion and cost remain divisive for party members.

• Scholarship Funding Divides Michigan

  Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has launched a bid to salvage a $100 million college-scholarship program that she sees as critical to diversifying her state's flagging economy.

• Climate Emails Stoke Debate

  Emails and documents posted on the Internet after being hacked from a climate-change research center may raise ethical questions about a group of scientists who contend that humans are responsible fo global warming.

• White House Weighs Jobs, Deficit

  The White House is lukewarm about proposals by Democrats to introduce legislation to create jobs, instead favoring targeted measures that would be less likely to inflate the deficit.

• Health Fight Is First of Many for GOP

  The health-care vote was the first skirmish in a long battle aimed at frustrating White House ambitions and ensuring that Democrats bear responsibility for legislation the GOP sees as increasingly unopular with Americans.

• Fake Tan and Then a Tango

  Popular television dance shows are relying on fake-tanning professionals to create the appearance of physically-fit contestants.

• Let's Fix Michigan and Notre Dame

  The Michigan and Notre Dame football teams are in a perilous state, but the solution is simple: Merger! The Notre Michigan Irish Wolverines.

• Volunteers Log Off as Wikipedia Ages

  Wikipedia.org is losing unprecedented numbers of the millions of online volunteers who write, edit and police the world's fifth-most-popular Web site.

• Mayor Newsom Committed to Politics

  San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he is committed to remaining in politics, despite political reverses that led him to consider returning to the private sector after his term ends in two years.

• Early Data Suggest Suicides Are Rising

  Early signs suggest the number of suicides in the U.S. crept up during the worst recession in decades, according to a Wall Street Journal survey.

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  Can These Parents Be Saved: The Growing Backlash Against Over-Parenting

  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

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  Fort Hood: Hasan's Warning Signs Ignored, Say Classmates

  Soldiers who studied with accused killer Nidal Malik Hasan claim that he gave clear signals of sympathy for America's enemies

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  Detroit's Kilpatrick Back in Court Over Money Troubles

  America loves a story of redemption. But former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's constant excess, and his view that somehow he is above the law, makes absolution a difficult sell

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  Q&A: William Langewiesche on Hudson Hero Sullenberger

  In a new book, journalist William Langewiesche offers a dissenting view on Captain Chesley Sullenberger's dramatic January flight

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  A Brief History of the Court-Martial

  The upcoming military trial of accused Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan could be the most prominent in a generation

• The Story of Barack Obama's Mother

  Barack Obama's greatest influence was a woman most know nothing about. How her uncommon life shaped his worldview

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