momo Blog talk

Budget cuts force Bronx Zoo to 'fire' animals

2009-02-10T19:01:00.001-08:00

Layoffs for sea lions? Furloughs for frogs? Is there no job security, anywhere? State budget cuts mean many zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens will lose crucial state funding for their exhibits. New York's 76 zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens will lose $9.1 million in state funds next year.

Budget cuts force Bronx Zoo to 'fire' animals

2009-02-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

Infrastructure gets poor report card

2009-02-07T00:45:00.001-08:00

America's civil engineers think the nation's aging and rusty infrastructure is just not making the grade. The American Society of Civil Engineers issued an infrastructure report card Wednesday giving a bleak cumulative ranking of D. The ranking grades the condition of 15 infrastructure entities such as roads, bridges and dams.

From $80,000 a year to eviction

2009-02-06T17:50:00.001-08:00

Amber Easton has gone from $80,000 a year in salary to scrambling for work. At a time in her life when she should be scaling the corporate ladder, she has instead spiraled into a deep depression. She recently lost her car and now faces eviction from her apartment.

VA to pay $20M to settle stolen data lawsuit

2009-02-06T08:38:00.001-08:00

The Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to pay $20 million to current and former military personnel to settle a class action lawsuit on behalf of the men and women whose personal data was on a laptop computer stolen during a burglary.

DNA may exonerate man who died in prison

2009-02-06T00:35:00.000-08:00

A court hearing Thursday in Texas may determine whether the Timothy Cole, who died in prison while serving a 25-year sentence for a rape, should be exonerated. DNA tests later showed he did not commit the crime. Cole's family is trying to clear his name.

N.C. State women's basketball coach dies

2009-02-05T16:45:00.001-08:00

North Carolina State University women's basketball coach Kay Yow, who won more than 700 games in nearly four decades of coaching and guided the U.S. team to an Olympic gold medal, died Saturday after a long struggle with breast cancer, the university said.

Skydiver lands with dying instuctor on his back

2009-02-05T08:42:00.001-08:00

Daniel Pharr says he was in the middle of his first-ever skydive, thousands of feet over South Carolina, when the instructor strapped to his back stopped talking to him Saturday. Pharr said he "went into survival mode," using his military training to calm himself as he tried to get to ground safely.

WWII vet frozen to death left estate to hospital

2009-02-05T00:40:00.001-08:00

A 93-year-old World War II medic who froze to death in his home last month when his power was cut for non-payment left his entire estate to a local hospital, an estate attorney tells CNN. A nephew says Martin Schur indicated to family members two years ago that he had saved up more than $500,000.

Police: Doctor injured by bomb in car

2009-02-04T16:41:00.001-08:00

An explosion that critically injured the chairman of the Arkansas Medical Board was caused by a bomb, police said. Dr. Trent Pierce was wounded when the car blew up in front of his West Memphis, Arkansas, home, authorities said. "It's a terrorist attack on Dr. Pierce, and we don't know why someone would do this," said Police Chief Robert Paudert.

Digital TV a civil rights issue? Group says yes

2009-02-04T08:47:00.001-08:00

The U.S. House is set to vote again Wednesday on allowing local TV stations to keep their analog transmitters plugged in until summer to give Americans more time to buy analog-to-digital converters. A civil rights group says that unless Congress acts, millions of people -- many of them poor, disabled or elderly -- will see only static on their sets.

From $100,000 a year to unemployed

2009-02-04T00:41:00.001-08:00

Eric Bell, 41, was making about $100,000 a year at a financial services company. His career was rising. But things came crashing down in May when his job was slashed. He thought with his MBA, he could get a new job quickly. Seven months later, the father of a 5-year-old boy has yet to find a full-time job. But he remains optimistic, and a psychologist says Bell's situation has important lessons for others.

Salmonella recall continues to spread

2009-02-03T16:46:00.001-08:00

Kroger -- a grocery chain with stores in 31 states -- has issued a recall for foods made with peanut products, widening recalls related to the Peanut Corporation of America. Separately, the Kellogg Company announced Monday it is recalling more products potentially linked to salmonella-tainted peanut products made by PCA.

Salmonella recall continues to expand

2009-02-03T08:34:00.001-08:00

Salmonella recall continues to spread

2009-02-03T00:34:00.001-08:00

Kentucky, reeling from ice storm, braces for wind

2009-02-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

National Guard troops were going door to door Sunday in Kentucky, checking on families in the worst-hit areas of what Gov. Steve Beshear called "the biggest natural disaster that this state has ever experienced in modern history." And the National Weather Service warned of another potential problem: winds that could knock down loose trees.

Carville: A history lesson for Limbaugh

2009-02-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, Rush Limbaugh, the moral and intellectual leader and most influential person in the Republican Party in the United States, wrote in the august op-ed pages of The Wall Street Journal, the acknowledged epicenter of right-wing thought, that President Obama should adopt a bipartisan solution to address the president's economic stimulus plan -- or as Limbaugh refers to it, "porkulus."

Carville: A history lesson for Limbaugh

2009-02-02T00:34:00.000-08:00

Amid protests, Obama backs 'right to choose'

2009-02-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

President Obama affirmed his support for a woman's "right to choose" on Thursday, the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that led to the legalization of abortion, as thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the National Mall to challenge his position.

Army mulls negligent homicide charge for KBR

2009-02-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

A U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division investigator has recommended changing the official manner of death for a soldier electrocuted while showering at his base in Iraq from "accidental" to "negligent homicide," according to an e-mail from the investigator obtained by CNN.

Kentucky could be without power for days

2009-02-01T01:26:00.001-08:00

More than half a million Kentuckians remained without power Saturday after a devastating ice storm hit the state earlier this week, Gov. Steve Beshear said. Ice-laden power lines and tree branches still drooped heavily Saturday, and temperatures remained below freezing. The governor said it wasn't clear when power would be restored.

U.S. Airways sends $5,000 to passengers

2009-01-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

U.S. Airways has sent a check for $5,000 to each passenger who was on the plane that crashed in the Hudson River last week, saying it will be months before they receive any of their possessions that were on the plane and are recoverable.

Cooking my way into their memories

2009-01-31T09:05:00.001-08:00

Unlike Thanksgiving, which I approach with the kind of resignation a Sherpa must feel setting out on his umpteenth ascent of Everest, Christmas gives me culinary wanderlust, a desire to go places I've never been, try recipes and piece together menus no sane woman should dare.

Family bridged 30-year China-U.S. divide

2009-01-31T00:51:00.001-08:00

For more than three decades, two sides of Lucille Chang Lee's childhood remained on opposite sides of the China-U.S. divide. Adopted as a toddler by her mother's best friend and taken to the United States, Lee had to wait until Cold War hostilities thawed in the 1970s before she could meet her biological family again.

Relative: Freezing death of man, 93, avoidable

2009-01-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

Marvin Schur's neighbors found the World War II veteran's frozen body in his bedroom on January 17, four days after a device that regulates how much power he uses -- installed because of failure to pay -- shut off his power. A relative of the 93-year-old Bay City, Michigan, man says the incident could have been prevented.

Family found dead in suspected murder-suicide

2009-01-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

A family of four has been found dead in a Whitehall, Ohio, home, in what's believed to be a murder-suicide, authorities said Thursday. It was the second time this week that a family died in an apparent murder-suicide. On Tuesday, the bodies of Ervin Antonio Lupoe, his wife and five children were found in their Los Angeles, California, area home.

Four types of guys to avoid

2009-01-30T00:32:00.000-08:00

The biggest, baddest, most terrifying part of falling in love is opening up and letting yourself be vulnerable. When it works, love can seem like the stuff of fairytales: you meet someone, you get to know and like each other, you enter into a mutually trusting and respectful relationship, you fall deeply, madly, hopelessly in love, and you live happily ever after.

JonBenet Ramsey: 12 years later still a mystery

2009-01-29T16:34:00.001-08:00

It is one of the most notorious cold cases in recent memory. A 6-year-old girl, a child of beauty and privilege, was found dead in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colorado, on the day after Christmas 1996.

Extreme multiple births carry tremendous risks

2009-01-29T08:38:00.001-08:00

After the birth of octuplets this week, some doctors are questioning the ethics and medical practice that contribute to extreme multiple births. Multiples have higher health risks because of their likelihood to be born premature. Many premature babies, such as the new California octuplets, are much smaller and face greater dangers than full-term.

Economic troubles bring many to the brink

2009-01-29T00:34:00.001-08:00

Elizabeth Gore, with a voice soaked in motherly calm, counsels a suicidal caller. Gore is among the counselors at the County Mental Heath ACCESS call-in center. Counselors there reckon with Los Angeles County's unemployment rate of 9.5 percent, among the worst in the nation. "I don't think it's ever been this bad. Not in my tenure," Gore said.

Deaths blamed on icy roads

2009-01-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

Winter weather was blamed for at least five traffic deaths as freezing rain and sleet blanketed areas from Texas to Kentucky on Tuesday. Bridges and roads iced over as the storm system headed east toward the Washington area, where several inches of snow were expected.

House OKs act easing way to bring pay lawsuits

2009-01-28T08:32:00.001-08:00

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would make suing for pay discrimination easier by altering a time limit on such suits. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which passed 250-177, would give workers alleging unequal pay the right to sue within 180 days of their most recent paycheck.

Drum major quits after Obama nod fallout

2009-01-28T00:35:00.001-08:00

An Ohio man who was suspended as the drum major of a band for giving President Obama a nod during last week's inaugural parade is calling it quits. John Coleman resigned from the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes & Drums a week after the parade in Washington. Publicity about his suspension had gotten to be too much, he said.

Second person dies from Oregon bank blast

2009-01-27T17:33:00.001-08:00

A state bomb technician became the second person to die Saturday after a bomb exploded Friday evening at a Woodburn, Oregon, bank branch. They were among officials who were investigating a suspicious device at a West Coast Bank branch when the bomb went off, police said.

Obama to close Gitmo prison quickly

2009-01-27T00:38:00.001-08:00

President-elect Barack Obama plans to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay as early as his first week in office to show a break from the Bush administration's approach to the war on terror, according to two officials close to the transition.

Daddy tames tigers; Mommy hangs by her hair

2009-01-26T16:45:00.001-08:00

For the Roffo family of Florida, life really is a three-ring circus. Daniel Roffo, his wife, Andrea, and son, Davian, are all on a two-year tour with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. So how do they manage the balancing act of work and family?

One month, 14 fires, one big arson investigation

2009-01-26T09:55:00.001-08:00

The fourteenth suspicious fire in a month's time hit a small community near Philadelphia before dawn today. The seven-alarm fire in Coatesville damaged more than a dozen homes and caused nearly $2 million in damage, according to a city spokeswoman. "I never thought Coatesville would be on the map for something like this," said one resident. "It's just awful. Just awful."

Paterson: 'No signal from me' to Kennedy to quit

2009-01-26T00:41:00.001-08:00

New York Gov. David Paterson said Sunday that Caroline Kennedy received "no signal from me that she had to withdraw" from her campaign to fill Hillary Clinton's vacant U.S. Senate. Appearing at a news conference with the person he picked to fill that seat -- Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand -- Paterson said the decision was entirely Kennedy's.

Caroline Kennedy wants Senate seat

2009-01-25T16:46:00.001-08:00

Caroline Kennedy, the 51-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy, has made it clear to high-level Democrats, including New York Gov. David Paterson, that she wants to be the next senator from New York, a source close to Kennedy has told CNN's John King.

Man gets 45 years in bizarre collar-bomb plot

2009-01-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison in a deadly bank robbery plot -- described by the judge in the case as "incredibly bizarre" -- in which a pizza deliveryman died when a bomb affixed to his neck exploded.

Iraqi lady puts past aside for first Thanksgiving

2009-01-25T00:41:00.001-08:00

Sajida Faraj scoops mashed potatoes and peas onto her plate, not quite sure of the history behind her first Thanksgiving meal. But she knows how thankful she is to be at a church in Atlanta this November, lining up for turkey, stuffing and pecan pie.

Sen. Dick Durbin's daughter dies

2009-01-24T16:32:00.001-08:00

The daughter of Sen. Dick Durbin died Saturday from a congenital heart condition, the Illinois Democrat's office said.

Election season produces another inspiring first

2009-01-24T08:32:00.001-08:00

The Louisiana man who Saturday became the first Vietnamese-American elected to the House says he hopes his win will push more young people to become politically active. "I am very honored and at this point, somewhat speechless, to be the first Vietnamese-American congressman," Anh "Joseph" Cao told CNN on Sunday.

Obama reverses foreign family-planning policy

2009-01-24T00:32:00.001-08:00

President Obama signed an executive order Friday striking down a rule that prohibits U.S. money from funding international family-planning clinics that promote abortion or provide counseling or referrals about abortion services. The ban was initiated by President Reagan in 1984, canceled by President Clinton and reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2001.

Luxury cars for under $30,000

2009-01-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

The conventional wisdom, among most folks, anyway, is that buying a used car is usually something done out of necessity, by those on a budget -- that is, people who want, or need, to "move down" from the new-car market because a new model is simply out of their reach.

Relative of victims: Forgive Mumbai attackers

2009-01-23T08:36:00.001-08:00

A Virginia woman whose husband and daughter were gunned down in last week's terror attacks in India says the attackers should be forgiven. "We must send them our love, forgiveness and compassion," Kia Scherr says. "As Jesus Christ said long ago, they know not what they do."

Driving while texting -- do you know the cost?

2009-01-23T00:36:00.001-08:00

Maybe you've been tempted. Sitting at the wheel in traffic, you hear the familiar beep of a text-message alert.

Social-networking sites share breaking news

2009-01-22T16:53:00.003-08:00

Janis Krums was heading to New Jersey on a ferry when he clicked a snapshot with his iPhone of US Airways Flight 1549 partially submerged in the Hudson River. He uploaded the picture to his Twitter account and then forgot about it as he assisted in the rescue of the plane's passengers.

Social-networking sites share breaking news

2009-01-22T16:53:00.001-08:00

Drop in air pollution linked to longer lifespans

2009-01-22T08:32:00.001-08:00

Americans are living longer because the air they breathe is getting cleaner, a new study suggests. The average drop in pollution seen across 51 metropolitan areas between 1980 and 2000 appears to have added nearly five more months to people's lives, according to a study published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Bush twins offer advice to Sasha, Malia Obama

2009-01-22T00:38:00.001-08:00

Jenna and Barbara Bush know a lot about growing up in the White House. And they are sharing their wisdom. Like their dad, who left a note for President Barack Obama, Jenna and Barbara Bush wrote Tuesday to Obama's daughters about what to expect in the weeks and months ahead.

U.S. marshals seize tainted blood thinner in Ohio

2009-01-21T17:22:00.001-08:00

Federal authorities said Thursday they have seized some of an Ohio company's supplies of contaminated blood thinner containing material from China.

At 90, Billy Graham remains 'America's pastor'

2009-01-21T08:39:00.001-08:00

Franklin Graham was stumped. He had no idea what to give his father, the evangelist Billy Graham, for his 90th birthday on Friday.

Supporter likens Obama to Tiger Woods

2009-01-21T00:52:00.001-08:00

The Rev. Martin Luther King is looking down on the United States, smiling, Otis Sutton said Wednesday.

Helicopter forced to land after hitting bird

2009-01-20T16:33:00.000-08:00

A bird struck an Arkansas hospital's helicopter over the weekend, tearing a hole into the aircraft's nose and prompting the pilot to land early, according to officials and pictures taken after the landing. The incident came two days after a US Airways jetliner was forced to land in New York's Hudson River, apparently after striking a flock of birds.

Doctors separate conjoined twins

2009-01-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

"Sometimes you can forget about the preciousness of life," hospital spokesman Allen Poston thumbed onto his Blackberry after peering into an operating room where a team of 15 doctors and medical staff separated conjoined twins in six hours in surgery in Oklahoma. On Monday afternoon, 2-month-old Preslee Wells and her conjoined sister, Kylee, rolled onto their own backs for the first time.

How to escape your own personal rat race

2009-01-20T00:40:00.001-08:00

Sheila and I are conversing at a drug treatment center, where she's been remanded. Counselors are listening, so we can't plan a way to break her out. As it happens, escape is the last thing on Sheila's mind. I'm not coaching her through the woes of being institutionalized for drug use but prepping her for her upcoming release.

Seven traits to investigate on a first date

2009-01-19T16:38:00.001-08:00

Common sense says to keep first dates light and breezy, to stay away from controversial topics, and to avoid discussing former relationships at all costs, but that doesn't mean you can't learn some very important things about your date. In fact, it's your obligation to learn six particular date traits to save yourself time and potential heartache.

Stars, crowds converge on D.C.

2009-01-19T08:36:00.001-08:00

Inauguration revelry began Sunday afternoon as thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington for a free concert featuring big stars. President-elect Barack Obama spoke at the concert, just after 4 p.m. Bruce Springsteen opened the concert with his song "The Rising." Among the other stars stage: Mary J. Blige, Tom Hanks, Beyonce, James Taylor and U2.

Leaders, stars, crowds converge on Washington

2009-01-19T00:39:00.001-08:00

Songs, stars, revelry at the Lincoln Memorial

2009-01-18T16:47:00.001-08:00

Inauguration revelry began Sunday afternoon as thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington for a free concert featuring big stars. President-elect Barack Obama spoke at the concert, just after 4 p.m. Bruce Springsteen opened the concert with his song "The Rising." Also on stage: Mary J. Blige, Tom Hanks, Beyonce, James Taylor and U2.

Puppy moving into White House too

2009-01-18T08:32:00.002-08:00

Barack Obama's two daughters had another reason to high-five their dad's election to the presidency Tuesday night: they're getting a puppy.

Puppy moving into White House too

2009-01-18T08:32:00.001-08:00

Barack Obama's two daughters had another reason to high-five their dad's election to the presidency Tuesday night: they're getting a puppy.

Salmonella outbreak tracked in 42 states

2009-01-18T00:41:00.000-08:00

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with public health officials in 42 states to determine the cause of an outbreak of a particular type of salmonella called Typhimurium. According to CDC sources, at least 388 people have been infected with this strain since September 3, and approximately 69 people have been hospitalized.

Army general is nation's first 4-star woman

2009-01-17T16:38:00.001-08:00

An Army lieutenant general has become the first woman in U.S. military history to get four stars.

Secret Service to unveil new presidential limo

2009-01-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

As a candidate, Barack Obama promoted hybrid cars. As president, he'll be handed the keys to one. Sort of. Shortly after taking the oath of office, Obama will climb into the Mother of All Hybrids -- part car, part truck and, from the looks of it, part tank.

'We can't pay you yet,' California to tell creditors

2009-01-17T00:33:00.001-08:00

The check isn't in the mail, and it's not going to be for at least 30 days, California will start telling some of its creditors in February. Among those who will be left waiting for checks are more than 1 million aged and disabled Californians who need to pay for rent, utilities or food.

Ex-officer pleads not guilty in BART shooting

2009-01-16T16:35:00.001-08:00

A former police officer for the Bay Area transit system pleaded not guilty Thursday in the New Year's Day shooting of passenger Oscar Grant III at an Oakland, California, rail station. Johannes Mehserle appeared in a packed Alameda County courtroom. Mehserle is charged with shooting Grant in an incident that spurred violent protests in Oakland.

Senate fails to pass $14 billion auto bailout

2009-01-16T08:32:00.001-08:00

Senate Democrats and the White House failed to find 60 votes to end debate on a $14 billion auto bailout bill and bring it to a vote Thursday night, killing the measure for the year. The 52-35 vote followed the collapse of negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans seeking a compromise.

Lost in space -- astronaut's tool bag

2009-01-16T00:32:00.000-08:00

Things didn't go quite according to plan for astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper during her spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Tuesday.

Worst of c-c-c-c-cold blast yet to come

2009-01-15T16:49:00.001-08:00

Frigid air gripped cities from the Canadian border to Florida on Wednesday, with some cities posting record lows. And the coldest air of the season will sweep down through the Upper Midwest and settle over the East and South -- reaching as far at the Gulf of Mexico -- in the next two days

Senate to vote Thursday on bailout, Reid says

2009-01-15T08:36:00.001-08:00

The Senate will vote Thursday on whether the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue package is released, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said late Wednesday. A senior leadership aide says Democrats are hopeful but acknowledges that they are still not sure they have the votes to give President-elect Barack Obama the money he says is essential to fixing the economy.

Youngest prisoner at Gitmo ordered freed

2009-01-15T00:41:00.001-08:00

A man who his attorney says was the youngest prisoner sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention center -- captured in Pakistan at 14 -- was ordered freed by a federal judge Wednesday. The judge ruled Mohammad el-Gharani was not an enemy combatant and directed the military "to take all necessary and appropriate diplomatic steps to facilitate the release" of el-Gharani from the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Getting inside Obama's 'brain'

2009-01-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

Karen Kornbluh is not famous, but her ideas are. As Barack Obama's chief policy director, political insiders call her his "brain."

Legal analyst: Same-sex marriage again in limbo

2009-01-14T16:30:00.002-08:00

California voters on Tuesday appear to have approved Proposition 8, a measure banning same-sex marriage in the state.

A new president but old problems for Gates

2009-01-14T16:30:00.001-08:00

Since 2006, he has garnered an image of fixing problems at the Pentagon -- he was the anti-Rumsfeld, and his time was to be short. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates now faces a host of issues he thought he would be leaving behind as the new administration prepares to move in and he stays on.

USGS: Alaskan gas could heat millions of homes

2009-01-13T18:22:00.001-08:00

Today's technology could extract enough untapped natural gas, frozen in Alaska's North Slope, to heat millions of homes for years, federal officials announced Wednesday.

Obama team works to flesh out staff

2009-01-12T16:26:00.001-08:00

President-elect Barack Obama was taking time out from piecing together his leadership team Tuesday to honor the country's fallen veterans.

Franken welcomes 'victory' as lawsuit looms

2009-01-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

A state election board on Monday will announce Democrat Al Franken has defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, state officials told CNN Sunday. The canvassing board on Monday will say a recount determined Franken won by 225 votes. Coleman's campaign has indicated it will challenge the certification.

Panel to declare Franken winner of Senate race

2009-01-11T04:43:00.001-08:00

Jackson Jr. went to authorities about governor

2009-01-10T17:14:00.001-08:00

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who was cited in a criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich, has been an informant for at least a decade with the U.S. Attorney's office, a Jackson spokesman said Tuesday. Jackson has been an informant regarding the embattled governor of Illinois, though not in the case currently under investigation.

'Black Friday virgin' tastes shopping ritual

2009-01-09T04:41:00.001-08:00

As a self-described "Black Friday virgin," Erika Preuss says she still has lots to learn about the proper technique for this holiday weekend ritual. "I discovered that I was very unprepared for Black Friday, not dressed properly, as you need more padding to avoid all the shopping carts ramming into you," she said.

JetBlue, TSA workers settle Arabic T-shirt case

2009-01-07T23:50:00.001-08:00

JetBlue Airways and two TSA screeners will pay $240,000 to settle an Iraqi man's claim he was denied access to a flight until he covered a T-shirt that read in English and Arabic, "We Will Not be Silent." In the settlement, JetBlue and the TSA screeners deny any wrongdoing, saying they only wanted to resolve the 2Â½-year-old federal lawsuit.

Peterson claims desertion, meets with lawyer

2009-01-07T16:10:00.001-08:00

Drew Peterson has met with a prominent divorce attorney more than a year after his wife, Stacy, disappeared, his lawyer confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.

Battle over Big Three bailout looms

2009-01-07T05:08:00.001-08:00

Congress will kick off a special lame-duck session Monday, and a partisan battle awaits over the fate of the nation's Big Three automakers.

Oprah on her battle with weight

2009-01-06T15:48:00.001-08:00

Four years ago, when Oprah managed to get down to a trim and fit 160 pounds, she thought she'd hit on a foolproof formula for permanent weight loss. Then life --in the form of a thyroid problem and a killer schedule-- intervened. Last year she was back up to the 200-pound mark and knew something had to change. After a desperately needed time-out to reflect and recharge, here's what she's learned, what she's doing differently, and what's next.

Photographer races to honor last few WW I vets

2009-01-06T05:49:00.001-08:00

Photographer David DeJonge plans to capture a vanishing bit of history Tuesday on a trip to Arlington National Cemetery near Washington.

Obama inspires Harlem students, principal

2009-01-05T20:14:00.001-08:00

"Obama! Obama! Obama!" a student confidently chants as he strides down the hallway of Sojourner Truth School in Harlem.

Maher: Is there something funny about Obama?

2009-01-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, America elected its first black president, Barack Obama. But what does Obama's sweeping victory mean for the United States?

Recount likely in Minnesota U.S. Senate race

2009-01-05T04:49:00.001-08:00

The Minnesota secretary of state's office said Wednesday a recount will probably be held in the state's neck-and-neck U.S. Senate race.

Hurricane season second costliest on record

2008-12-26T21:57:00.001-08:00

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season ended Sunday, marking the finish of one of the busiest and costliest hurricane seasons ever. The damage caused by this year's Atlantic hurricanes is estimated at $54 billion, according to the National Climatic Data Center. That's second in recorded history only to 2005, the year Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast.

Vehicle crashes into Hanukkah celebration

2008-12-26T17:18:00.001-08:00

Fourteen people, including children, were hospitalized Thursday afternoon after a driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a New York building where a Hanukkah festival was under way, police told CNN. Heshey Jacob, president of the Hatzolah Volunteer Emergency Medical Service, said the vehicle went through a play tent in the front of the building where children were playing.

Shuttle makes safe but costly California landing

2008-12-25T15:25:00.001-08:00

Space shuttle Endeavour landed safely Sunday afternoon at Edwards Air Force Base in California, after NASA officials waved off two opportunities for the shuttle to touch down in Florida because of poor weather conditions. NASA has estimated it costs about $1.7 million to bring a shuttle home to Kennedy Space Center from California.

De-icer sucked into jetliner, passengers hurt

2008-12-25T08:22:00.001-08:00

At least two people were injured when de-icing fluid was sucked into the ventilation system of an Alaska Airlines jetliner at Sea-Tac International Airport in Washington on Wednesday, airport and airline officials said. At airports across the U.S., weather was forcing significant delays as travelers tried to reach their destinations by Christmas.

Bush grants 19 pardons; Libby not on list

2008-12-25T01:32:00.001-08:00

President George W. Bush granted pardons Tuesday to 19 citizens charged with a variety of crimes. One of them is Charles Winters, who died almost 25 years ago. Winters helped smuggle weapons to Jews fighting in what was then Palestine in the late 1940s. Presidential pardon watchers are waiting to see whether former vice presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby gets one.

Massive sludge spill overtakes homes

2008-12-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

A wall holding back 80 acres of sludge from a coal plant in Tennessee broke this week, spilling more than 500 million gallons of waste into the surrounding area. The sludge, a byproduct of ash from coal combustion, was contained at a retention site at the Tennessee Valley Authority's power plant in Kingston, about 40 miles east of Knoxville.

President pardons 19, commutes meth dealer

2008-12-24T06:42:00.001-08:00

President Bush granted pardons Tuesday to 19 citizens charged with a variety of crimes, but none was prominent. One of the men pardoned is Charles Winters, who died almost 25 years ago. His son had worked on winning a presidential pardon for his dad, who had helped smuggle weapons to Jews fighting in what was then Palestine in the late 1940s.

Massive sludge spill runs over homes, water

2008-12-23T20:48:00.001-08:00

Unusually destructive hurricane season ends

2008-12-23T16:03:00.001-08:00

40 years ago, Apollo 8 made space history

2008-12-23T01:54:00.001-08:00

Forty years ago this week, three men in a tiny spacecraft slipped their earthly bonds and traveled where no one else had before, circling the moon 10 times and beaming back an iconic image of a blue-and-white Earth in the distance, solitary but bound as one against the black vastness beyond.