Amid the last-minute shopping bustle, the voice in the Black Hawk helicopter simulator shouted with an urgency that exceeded even the holiday mall frenzy. "Enemy right! Enemy right!" Triggers squeezed. Pixels exploded. Shopping waited. At Franklin Mills, a mall here, past the Gap Outlet and the China Buddha Express, is a $13 million video arcade that the U.S. Army hopes will become a model for recruitment in urban areas, where the armed services typically have a hard time attracting recruits. The Army Experience Center is a fitting counterpart to the retail experience: 14,500 squar ....More>>

FELIPE ANGELES, Mexico: Four hooded men smashed in the door to the adobe home of an 80-year-old farmer here in November, handcuffing his frail wrists and driving him to a makeshift jail. They released him after relatives and friends paid a $9,000 ransom, which included his life savings. The kidnapping was a dismal story of cruelty and heartbreak, familiar all across Mexico, but with a new twist: the daughter of this victim lived in the United States and was able to wire money to help assemble his ransom, the farmer, who insisted that he not be identified by name, said in an interview. A ....More>>

MINNEAPOLIS -- The state Canvassing Board was poised to certify the results of the recount in Minnesota`s grueling Senate election in Al Franken`s favor - but that doesn`t mean the race is definitely over. The board was to meet Monday and was expected to declare which candidate received the most overall votes from nearly 3 million ballots cast. The latest numbers showed Franken, a Democrat, with a 225-vote lead over Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, who led Franken on election night. But after the announcement, there will be a seven-day waiting period before an election certificate is comple ....More>>

CHICAGO -- Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris plans to have a high-stakes showdown on Capitol Hill this week with Democratic leaders who continue to say he won`t be seated in Congress. Dozens of black leaders and ministers organized by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush gave Burris a rousing send-off Sunday at New Covenant Church on Chicago`s South Side. Burris took the stage to a crescendo of drums, organ music and applause as hundreds of supporters cheered his appointment. "We are hoping and praying that they will not be able to deny what the Lord has ordained," Burris said. "I am not hesi ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- The Cabinet that President-elect Barack Obama picked on a fast track has an unexpected opening, with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Obama`s choice for commerce secretary, withdrawing under pressure of a federal investigation into how his political donors landed a lucrative transportation contract. Richardson insisted he would be cleared in a grand jury probe. But he and Obama said the investigation would have likely disrupted a timely nomination to a top economic post. "I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confir ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama is heading to Capitol Hill to push for quick action on a broad economic stimulus package that congressional leaders are saying won`t be ready until mid-February at the earliest - almost a month later than the president-elect wanted. Obama planned to meet Monday with House and Senate Democratic leaders and with a bipartisan group of key lawmakers. He had hoped to have Congress enact the recovery plan in time for him to sign his when he takes office Jan. 20. But even his spokesman, Robert Gibbs, conceded Sunday night that was "very, very unlikely." "We don`t anti ....More>>

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli forces consolidated their hold on parts of the Gaza Strip on Monday, seizing three high-rise buildings on the outskirts of the territory`s biggest city and killing seven children as militants pummeled southern Israel with rockets. At least six other civilians were killed as the bruising campaign against Hamas militants entered its 10th day. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the offensive would continue until Israel achieved "peace and tranquility" for residents of southern Israel who continued to be bombarded by Palestinian rocket and mortar fire. ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- When he ran for president, Bill Richardson touted more than an adventurous style and impressive resume. He was the guy who embraced flaws as a strength, the one who said the American people "don`t want blow-dried candidates with perfection." A federal grand jury investigation into what could be a serious flaw, however, has led New Mexico`s governor to a tough decision to leave the national political stage--at least for now. Richardson on Sunday scrapped his nomination to be Barack Obama`s commerce secretary. A federal grand jury is looking into how a California firm that co ....More>>

Future first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha flew to Washington on Saturday, just one day before President-elect Barack Obama`s planned departure for D.C. The timing of the move – at the start of a new school semester – echoes Michelle`s vow to help her girls transition smoothly into their new life. On Monday, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, will begin classes at the prestigious Sidwell Friends School, according to The Washington Post. At Sidwell Friends, a private institution, the Obama girls will have Vice-President-elect Joe Biden`s grandchildren as classmates. (Forme ....More>>

Bettie Page, a legendary pinup girl whose photographs in the nude, in bondage and in naughty-but-nice poses appeared in men`s magazines and private stashes across America in the 1950s and set the stage for the sexual revolution of the rebellious `60s, died Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 85. Her death was reported by her agent, Mark Roesler, The Associated Press said. Page, whose popularity underwent a cultlike revival in the last 20 years, had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia and was about to be released Dec. 2 when she suffered a heart attack, Roesler said. In her t ....More>>

Cholera swept through the five youngest children in the Chigudu family with cruel and bewildering haste. On a recent Saturday, they chased one another through hardscrabble streets that flow with raw sewage, and chattered happily as they bedded down for the night. The onslaught of diarrhea and vomiting began around midnight. Relatives frantically prepared solutions of water, sugar and salt for the youngsters, aged 20 months to 12 years, to drink. But by morning, they were limp and hollow-eyed. The disease was draining their bodies of fluid. "Then they started to die," said their brother L ....More>>

President-elect Barack Obama pledged to disclose any interaction between his transition team and the office of the besieged Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, while declaring again that he and his staff had no involvement in deal-making over an appointment to his vacated Senate seat. U.S. government officials also acknowledged that a grand jury was weighing evidence in the case against Blagojevich, though the timing of any indictment was unclear. Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on charges of conspiracy and soliciting bribes in a case that involved, among other things, accusations that h ....More>>

In a shift, the White House said Friday morning that it would consider using money from the $700 billion financial bailout to rescue troubled automakers, one day after the Senate abandoned its efforts to pass legislation offering a government rescue to the companies. Dana Perino, a spokeswoman for President George W. Bush, issued a statement criticizing Congress`s failure to pass an automotive rescue plan that had been negotiated betweem Democratic lawmakers and the White House. Two of the Big Three, General Motors and Chrysler, have said they are so short of cash that they may not be able ....More>>

European Union leaders on Friday reached an agreement on climate change legislation, but in the process weakened plans to reduce emissions and handed energy companies billions of euros in potential profits. The leaders said the accord, which offers a swathe of concessions to polluting companies and countries, would not jeopardize their overreaching goal of reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020. The accord balances concerns about job losses during uncertain economic times and a desire to prompt a United Nations-sponsored treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol after it expires in 2 ....More>>

Authorities have found the skeletal remains of a small child near the Orlando home of missing 3-year-old Caylee Anthony. The Orange County Sheriff`s Office says the body was discovered by a utility worker Thursday morning about a half mile from Caylee’s grandparent`s house, CNN reports. Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said at an impromptu, 3:30 p.m. news conference that investigators "exhumed remains and transformed them to the medical coroner`s office." On Friday`s Today show, Beary said he will have to wait one to two weeks for tests to identify whether or not the remains are Cay ....More>>

The House voted on Wednesday to approve a $14 billion government rescue of the American automobile industry, but the bailout plan, which would provide emergency loans to General Motors and Chrysler, was in jeopardy because of strong Republican opposition in the Senate. The House approved the rescue plan by 237 to 170, mostly along party lines, with 32 Republicans mainly from states heavily dependent on the auto industry joining 205 Democrats in supporting the measure. Voting against were 150 Republicans and 20 Democrats. The White House so far has failed to generate support among Senate ....More>>

Britain`s remaining troops in Iraq will begin withdrawing from the country in March on a timetable that will aim to leave only a small training force of 300 to 400 by June, according to Defense Ministry officials quoted by the BBC and several of Britain`s major newspapers on Wednesday. The long-expected drawdown of the British force next year from its current level of 4,100 troops will bring an effective end to Britain`s role as the principal partner of the United States in the occupation of Iraq. In the invasion in March 2003, a British force of more than 46,000 troops participated in the ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle will pull double duty in the Obama administration, where he will serve not only as the Health and Human Services secretary but also oversee a new White House Office of Health Reform. A Democratic official familiar with the plans - to be announced Thursday in Chicago - said the additional appointment makes it clear that Daschle will coordinate efforts within the administration to overhaul the nation`s health care system. "He will be the White House`s voice on this critical issue," said the official, who was not authorized to speak pu ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- Wall Street expects the government to report that new claims for unemployment benefits increased last week as companies ramped-up layoffs amid the recession. The jobless claims report comes a day after the federal government said the monthly budget deficit reached a record in November, in part because of increased spending on programs such as unemployment insurance and food stamps. The number of new claims for jobless benefits is projected to increase to a seasonally adjusted 525,000, up from 509,000 the previous week, according to Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- A House-passed bill to speed $14 billion in loans to Detroit`s automakers stands on shaky ground in a bailout-weary Congress, undermined by Republican opposition that could derail the emergency aid in the Senate. Republicans are challenging lame-duck President George W. Bush on the proposal, arguing that any support for the domestic auto industry should carry significant concessions from autoworkers and creditors and reject tougher environmental rules imposed by House Democrats. The House approved the plan late Wednesday on a vote of 237-170. It would infuse money within da ....More>>

MINNEAPOLIS -- Authorities have identified the body of the woman pulled from the Mississippi River late Tuesday night. Lisa Gustincic, 39, of Edina was pulled from the partially frozen river by divers from the Hennepin County Water Patrol near the North Visitor Center along the Mississippi River. Divers searched for hours after a witness called authorities Tuesday afternoon to report that a dog was hovering near an area of broken ice near the Camden Avenue bridge. Officials found a hole in the ice and a cell phone near an area of open water -- but no person. Eight divers from the Hennepin Coun ....More>>

The White House and leading congressional Democrats have reached an agreement on legislation to provide a stopgap bailout to U.S. automakers, according to officials from the administration and Congress. The next steps were not clear early Wednesday afternoon. A House vote could take place later Wednesday. But strong Republican opposition in the Senate made prospects there less certain. The bill could provide the $14 billion that General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) and Chrysler LLC need to avoid filing for bankruptcy, allowing them to continue operations through the end of March. The $14 ....More>>

The Greek government on Wednesday defended its response to the crisis that has gripped the country since a teenager was fatally shot in a clash with the police last weekend, saying that leaders in Athens had chosen not to crack down on a violent minority in an effort to avoid further bloodshed. Even as new clashes erupted during a general strike that disrupted transportation, schools and services throughout Greece, a government spokesman said he expected the crisis to tail off in due course. "I think it`s going to fade out," said Panos Livadas, general secretary of the Information Minist ....More>>

CHICAGO -- President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday praised former Vice President Al Gore`s ideas on the environment as one part of helping the nation`s struggling economy recovery. Obama, Gore and Vice President-elect Joe Biden met privately at Obama`s transition headquarters here for almost two hours. Obama said they discussed so-called green jobs as a way to boost employment across the country, improve national security by reducing reliance on foreign oil, and reduce energy costs. Obama said global warming is "not only a problem, but it`s also an opportunity." "We all believe what t ....More>>

CHICAGO -- President-elect Barack Obama called for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign on Wednesday, hours after the embattled governor reported for work amid charges he plotted to sell Obama`s vacant Senate seat. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the president-elect agrees with other prominent politicians in Illinois and elsewhere that "under the current circumstances, it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois." Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday, accused of scheming to enrich himself by selling Obama`s open seat for cash or a lucrativ ....More>>

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- President George W. Bush on Tuesday defended his doctrine of pre-emptive war and warned that the United States must remain willing to "to take the fight to our enemies across the world." Down to his waning days in office, Bush is trying to define his own legacy, never more clearly than during his sprawling account here of how the U.S. armed forces have changed under his watch. The president declared that today`s military is "stronger, more agile and better prepared" than the one he inherited in 2001. It was a defense against criticism that Bush has stretched the milit ....More>>

A military aircraft crashed into a residential neighborhood here on Monday, igniting an intense fire that killed three people in one house and destroyed at least one other home and two cars, fire and police officials said. The crash, in the University City suburb of San Diego, occurred as the plane, an F/A-18D, was preparing to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar about two miles away, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The pilot ejected from the aircraft and was transported to a local hospital in stable condition, said Staff Sergeant Leonard Langston, a spokesman at Miramar Stat ....More>>

When President-elect Barack Obama talked on Sunday about realigning the American automobile industry he was quick to offer a caution, lest he sound more like the incoming leader of France, or perhaps Japan. "We don`t want government to run companies," Obama told Tom Brokaw on "Meet the Press." "Generally, government historically hasn`t done that very well." But what Obama went on to describe was a long-term government bailout that would be conditioned on government oversight. It could mean that the government would mandate, or at least heavily influence, what kind of cars companies make, ....More>>

TOKYO -- Sony is slashing 8,000 jobs, or 4 percent of its global work force, aiming to cut costs by $1.1 billion a year as an economic downturn and a stronger yen batter profits at the Japanese electronics maker. Sony Corp., which has 185,000 employees worldwide, said Tuesday it will complete the job cuts - all in the electronics sector - by the end of March 2010. The company will close several plants, including one in Dax, France, cut investment in electronics and outsource some work. The moves will deliver more than 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in savings a year by March 2010, the co ....More>>

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Suspicious letters containing powdery substances addressed to governors were intercepted in at least six states on Monday, but tests indicated the powder in five of them wasn`t harmful. The letters were reported in Alabama, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and Rhode Island. Though no injuries were immediately reported, the mailings disrupted state governments in a few of the states, forcing some evacuations and testing for workers who might have been exposed. Preliminary tests found the powders sent to Alabama, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana and Rhode Island w ....More>>

PORTLAND, Ore. -- After nearly 25 years in prison, Diane Downs has again changed her story about the night she and her children were shot on a rural road near Springfield. Downs was convicted of killing her 7-year-old daughter, Cheryl Lynn, and wounding Danny, 3, and Christie Ann, 8. The crime, which shocked the nation long before Susan Smith and Andrea Yates killed their own children, inspired a best-selling book and a made-for-television movie. On Tuesday, Downs, now 53, was scheduled to face the Oregon Board of Parole for the first time. Imprisoned in California, she was expected to a ....More>>

LAS VEGAS -- At least three of the four former co-defendants who took plea deals and testified against O.J. Simpson in his kidnapping and armed robbery trial could get probation at sentencing Tuesday, their lawyers said. State parole and probation agents are recommending no prison time for Michael McClinton, who acknowledged bringing guns to the hotel room confrontation between Simpson and two sports memorabilia dealers, and Charles Cashmore, the last man recruited for the escapade, their attorneys said Monday. "We`re hoping Judge (Jackie) Glass sees her way to look upon the recommendati ....More>>

ATHENS, Greece -- Riot police fought running battles with mourners Tuesday after the funeral of a teenager whose shooting by officers triggered Greece`s worst rioting in decades. Officers fired heavy amounts tear gas to dispel dozens of youths throwing stones and sticks and setting trash cans on fire. No injuries were reported from the clashes, which started outside the cemetery and spread to a nearby district. Dozens of local residents gathered on the streets, shouting at police to stop firing tear gas in the residential area Some 6,000 people attended the funeral Tuesday, applauding ....More>>

CHICAGO -- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on charges of conspiring to get financial benefits through his authority to appoint a U.S. senator to fill the vacancy left by Barack Obama`s election as president. According to a federal criminal complaint, Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper`s editorial board who had been critical of him fired. A 76-page FBI affidavit ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- The Marine Corps left troops in Iraq vulnerable to deadly roadside bombs by failing to answer an urgent request from battlefield commanders for blast-resistant vehicles, according to an internal Pentagon investigation obtained by The Associated Press. Acquisition officials shelved the February 2005 request for the "MRAPs" (pronounced EM-raps) after Marine leaders decided armored versions of the Humvee were the best answer to the improvised explosive devices that became the signature weapon of the Iraq war. However, the beefier Humvees proved incapable of withstanding the increasi ....More>>

Washington -- Saying that the United States economy was likely to worsen before it improves, President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to pursue a recovery plan "equal to the task ahead," including the creation of a vast public-works program not just built around bridge and highway projects, but on creating "green jobs" and disseminating new technologies. Even if the current economic crisis looks nothing like the Great Depression, Obama said, "This is a big problem, and it`s going to get worse." In a pre-taped interview with NBC`s "Meet the Press," Obama said that the survival of th ....More>>

One quiet Friday in June 2006, Lawrence Summers stepped down as president of Harvard University. Few of the undergraduates for whom Summers, a former Treasury secretary, used to sign dollar bills were around. Most of his staff, including his driver, had been reassigned. Soon, even the burger with his name was off the menu at Mr. Bartley`s in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now, Summers will have a job as the top White House economic adviser to Barack Obama. U.S. economic policy will be spearheaded in what many call the worst environment since the Great Depression in part by a ma ....More>>

New York -- Paul Nawrocki says he`s beyond the point where he cares about humiliation. That`s why he weekly takes a 90-minute train ride to New York, where he walks the streets wearing a sandwich board that advertises his plight: The former toy-industry executive needs a job. "Almost homeless," reads the sign. "Looking for employment. Very experienced operations and administration manager." Wearing a suit and tie under the sign, Nawrocki -- who was in the toy industry 36 years before being laid off in February -- stands on Manhattan corners for hours, hoping to pass resumes to interes ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- Unemployment is on the rise. The stock market is in the tank. Is this any time for a party? For the sake of the masses of people expected for President-elect Barack Obama`s inauguration, let`s hope so. While Obama must be sensitive to the nation`s time of war and recession, there`s still reason to expect a rollicking time. "We`re mindful of the fact that people in this country are hurting, that they`re going through hard times," said Linda Douglass, spokeswoman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "On the other hand, we see this not just as a celebration of an election, b ....More>>

WASHINGTON -- After Roger Suarez`s eldest son died in Iraq two years ago, the grieving father buried him in his homeland of Nicaragua and tried to move on. In recent weeks, Suarez`s emotional wounds have been ripped open. A video was posted online of a chaotic fire fight that involved his 21-year-old son, Pfc. Roger Suarez-Gonzalez. Taken from a camera mounted on a soldier`s helmet, it raised the possibility that his son and another soldier died not by enemy fire as their families were told, but by U.S. tank rounds in a "friendly fire" incident. "I don`t feel satisfied," Suarez said in S ....More>>

CHICAGO -- President-elect Barack Obama announced support Sunday for a short-term government bailout of the nation`s carmakers that is tied to industry restructuring. He also accused auto executives of a persistent "head-in-the sand approach" to long-festering problems. Obama said Congress was doing "the exact right thing" in drafting legislation that "holds the auto industry`s feet to the fire" at the same time it tries to prevent its demise. In an appearance on NBC`s "Meet the Press" and later at a news conference, Obama at one point suggested some executives should lose their jobs. ....More>>

Afghanistan -- In one of the biggest and most brazen attacks of its kind to date, suspected Taliban insurgents with heavy weapons attacked two truck stops in northwest Pakistan early today, destroying more than 150 vehicles carrying supplies bound for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan. The predawn attack on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar left the grounds of the truck terminals littered with the burned-out shells of Humvees and other military vehicles. At least one guard was reported killed. Peshawar abuts Pakistan`s barely governed tribal areas, which are rife with violence, but an ....More>>