Watching the Lion in His Den

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A Plan B For HHS

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Financial burden of homeownership spread unequally

When it comes to homeownership, Hispanics in New Jersey, single parents in California and senior citizens in Rhode Island all have something in common: More than a third have an unaffordable mortgage.

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Retail sales slumped 2.7 percent in December

Sales at U.S. retailers fell at a steeper-than-expected rate in December, government data showed on Wednesday, as a deteriorating economy forced consumers to cut back.

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Texas death row inmate pulls out eye, eats it

A Texas death row inmate with a history of mental problems pulled out his only good eye and told authorities he ate it. Andre Thomas, 25, was arrested for the fatal stabbings of his estranged wife, their young son and her 13-month-old daughter in March 2004.

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Obama team looks to revamp financial bailout

President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is broadening the mission of the $700 billion bailout for the financial sector, aiming to unfreeze credit for homeowners, consumers, small businesses and local governments.

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New Va. payday lending law takes effect Jan. 1

RICHMOND, Va. - Some of the nation's most sweeping reforms on payday lenders will take effect in Virginia Thursday, but some short-term, high-interest lenders are getting around the new law by offering different types of loans.

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Questions loom over use of Treasury bailout

The head of a congressional panel overseeing the $700 billion bailout program said Friday that lawmakers need to "take a very hard look" at how banks have used the money.

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Madoff 'victims' do math, realize they profited

The many Bernard Madoff investors who withdrew money from their accounts over the years are now wrestling with an ethical and legal quandary.

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Obama taps spending watchdog, eyes Social Security

Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs - even as he campaigned anew to spend t …

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Gulp! Mexico tells citizens to swallow their gum

The country that gave the world chewing gum is getting gummed up: The average square yard (meter) of Mexico City sidewalk has 70 blobs of discarded chew.

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Small retailers struggle with recession, weather

Like a lot of small retailers, Henry Burton depends heavily on the holiday season to ring up sales, and, like a lot of retailers, this past holiday season proved especially challenging.

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New Congress opens pledging to rescue economy

The Capitol rang loud with vows to fix the crisis-ridden economy Tuesday as Congress opened for business at the dawn of a new Democratic era. "We need action and we need action now," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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Season of savings brings rewards

When it comes to holiday shopping, Americans have been great at saying they were going to cut back - but not so good at actually doing it. This year appears to be an exception.

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Obama stimulus plan boosts business tax refunds

President-elect Barack Obama's proposed stimulus package would provide businesses with billions of dollars in refunds on taxes they paid several years ago.

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Travolta says he is heartbroken at son's death

John Travolta said Sunday he and his wife Kelly Preston are "heartbroken" over the death of their chronically ill 16-year-old son, who collapsed at the family's vacation home on Grand Bahama.

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Motorists' habits spur call for tax increases

Motorists are driving less and buying less gasoline, which means fuel taxes aren't raising enough money to keep pace with the cost of road, bridge and transit programs.

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Store bankruptcies can burn shoppers

Some questions and answers about rights consumers have if their retailer goes out of business - and what they can do to protect themselves ahead of time.

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South African activist Helen Suzman dies at 91

South African anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman, who won international acclaim as one of the few white lawmakers to fight against the injustices of racist rule, died Thursday. She was 91.

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Aspen tries to recreate New Year after bomb scare

They rang in 2009 a day late in Aspen after a former resident unhappy that his hometown has become a resort playground for the wealthy vowed "mass death" and left four bombs around downtown before killing himself.

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UN: Gaza faces 'alarming' humanitarian situation

Gaza's 1.5 million residents are facing an "alarming" humanitarian situation under constant Israeli bombardment, with the main power plant shut down, overcrowded hospitals struggling to cope and very limited food supplies, U.N. officials said.

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Police fatalities move downward in 2008

Greater use of bullet-resistant vests and stun guns helped reduce police deaths in 2008 compared with the previous year, two law enforcement support groups report.

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Israeli airstrikes kill dozens of Gaza civilians

Israel's three-day aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed dozens of civilians, along with Hamas fighters, and has paralyzed life in a territory already battered by blackouts and supply shortages during 18 months of border closures.

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Hawaii's Oahu island regains power after blackout

Crews gradually restored electrical service across parts of Oahu on Saturday after a power failure blacked out the island's population of about 900,000 people and thousands of tourists including vacationing President-elect Barack Obama.

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Storm blankets West with snow, ice glazes Midwest

Yet another snowstorm closed highways in parts of the West on Friday, the latest in a tiring week of bad weather, and a dangerous sheet of ice in parts of the Midwest contributed to a looming flood problem.

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