Ten Things You Can Do to Stay in Your Home  Advice and resources for preventing or fighting foreclosure.

Supreme Court rejects limits on drug lawsuits The Supreme Court has upheld a $6.7 million jury award to a musician who lost her arm because of a botched injection of an anti-nausea medication.

USPS criticized for $1.2 million home buy At a time when the U.S. Postal Service says it is experiencing a financial crisis, it purchased a $1.2 million home from an employee so he could relocate, a CNN investigation has found.

Ex-federal worker sent to prison for taking bribes A former federal worker was sentenced Thursday to a year and a half in prison for taking bribes in exchange for awarding inflated construction contracts, even though he's cooperated fully with investigators and helped to expose others in the scheme.

Her teen committed suicide over ‘sexting’ The perils of teens electronically exchanging suggestive messages were driven home by Cynthia Logan, whose daughter Jesse took her own life at 18 after being taunted over a photo meant only for her boyfriend. “She was being tortured,” said the teen’s heartbroken mom.

America Is #... 15?  Because of income inequality, the United States scores poorly on a new index of general well-being.

In past 2 years, 87 million in U.S. went uninsured

Court worried about big penalty for phone buyer The Supreme Court is questioning the government's contention that it can charge a drug buyer who uses a cell phone with a felony instead of a misdemeanor just because a phone was used.

IRS to drop private debt collection program The Internal Revenue Service is eliminating a program that uses private debt collectors to go after tax delinquents, an agency spokeswoman confirmed Thursday evening

Vatican can be sued for clergy abuse, judges rule An Oregon man who alleges he was molested in the 1960s by a priest can pursue a civil lawsuit against the Holy See, a federal appeals court says.

EPA urged to reverse Bush-era auto emission ruling The head of California's air pollution agency urged federal regulators on Thursday to reverse a Bush-era decision that blocks the state from setting its own limits on greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles

Mediator: All but 3 Sept. 11 lawsuits settled A mediator says all but three of nearly 100 lawsuits brought on behalf of those killed or injured in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have been settled for half a billion dollars.

14 years later, case begins against 2 ex-NYC cops An attorney says New York police used excessive force when two now-retired detectives shot to death two young men 14 years ago

Yucca nuclear waste site at dead end Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Thursday the proposed Yucca Mountain site in Nevada no longer is an option for storing highly radioactive nuclear waste.

Peanut processor filing has no money for injuries Sickened consumers who sued the peanut processor blamed for a national salmonella outbreak could have trouble recovering damages from company accounts because assets listed in a bankruptcy filing Friday will likely go to other businesses that bought its products

Food stamp enrollment jumps to record 31.8 million

Judge throws out long-running Enron investor case A U.S. judge has dismissed Enron investors' long-running legal claims against three big financial firms over their dealings with the collapsed energy trader.

Is Drug-Company Money Tainting Medical Education? Harvard gets a failing grade in its potentially troubling links between Big Pharma and medical schools

Ex-NASA official indicted for ethics breach  A former top NASA official has been indicted on charges of steering $9.6 million in agency funds to a consulting client.

Has $50 billion really vanished in Madoff case? Investigators claim Bernard Madoff told them that he stole $50 billion, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the number may be as fictitious as the sprawling fraud that he allegedly ran.

Army reports 18 more suspected suicides last month

FBI Watching Somali Muslims In Minneapolis The FBI is investigating the sudden repatriation of 20 Americans of Somali descent, all from the same mosque in Minneapolis. But mosque officials deny that they turn young people into radicals, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.

Congressmen Overseeing Defense Budget Got $8 Million from PMA Group and Clients The FBI hasn't been the only group continuing to investigate lobbying firm PMA Group, which specializes in securing federal earmarks for its clients.

GAO said critical of big Boeing program for Army Congressional auditors have prepared a highly critical report that questions the "fundamentals" of a roughly $160-billion U.S. Army modernization program led by Boeing Co and Science Applications International Corp, an online trade publication said on Friday.

Iranian gets prison in night goggle case An Iranian woman who surrendered to U.S. authorities hoping to get probation was sentenced Friday to prison for her role in a plot to smuggle night-vision goggles to Iran.

Franken pushes to toss Minn. Senate lawsuit Democrat Al Franken is calling for full dismissal of Republican Norm Coleman's election lawsuit challenging the Minnesota Senate recount.

Report: Bill seeks $500 billion for FDIC fund Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd has moved to allow the FDIC to temporarily borrow up to $500 billion from the Treasury Department, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Senate Clears Way To Reverse Polar Bear Rule The rule says greenhouse gases can't be restricted to protect polar bears from global warming.

U.S. to invite wealthy to invest in bailout: report The U.S. government plans to invite wealthy investors to invest in the bailout of the crippled financial system, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

GOP Targets Irresponsible Borrowers House Republicans on Thursday will force lawmakers to vote on whether people who received "liar loans," or people who misrepresented their income to qualify for a mortgage, should be eligible for federal housing aid

Senators Call On Obama to Appoint Census Director A group of bipartisan Senators called on the Obama administration today to appoint a permanent director of the Census Bureau to oversee a politically delicate process that is just 13 months away

U.S. bill would revamp accounting oversight Two U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation to create a new body that would have the final say on accounting standards, possibly paving the way for a more business-friendly accounting environment.

U.S. launches $75 billion mortgage plan to aid homeowners

Review of intel official's ties to Saudi govt At the request of House Republicans, a government watchdog is examining whether the new chairman of an influential U.S. intelligence panel has compromising ties to Saudi Arabia's government

House panel approves FDA tobacco oversight The U.S. Food and Drug Administration would gain new power to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products under legislation passed by a U.S. House of Representatives panel on Wednesday.

Coleman: 1,725 rejected votes should be counted Attorneys for Norm Coleman are arguing that their legal case is still valid and that about 1,725 rejected absentee ballots should be opened and counted.

House OKs bill to let judges rewrite mortgages The House has passed legislation to give debt-strapped homeowners a chance to win lower mortgage payments through bankruptcy courts.

Treasury secretary's pick for deputy withdraws Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is two steps further away from filling the ranks of his senior staff now that two people he had hoped to name to key posts have withdrawn from consideration.

U.S. officials admit huge regulatory gaps on AIG U.S. regulators failed to spot how much risk insurer AIG was piling on, and by the time they understood, they had no choice but to pour in tens of billions of public dollars, officials said on Thursday.

Senators Ask Who Got Money From A.I.G. A Senate panel told the Federal Reserve to identify all the parties made whole by the bailout of A.I.G. or forget about coming back to ask Congress for more rescue money.

Frank wants criminal probes into crisis The Massachusetts Democrat wants the culprits in the financial crisis punished.

Sir Ted: unconstitutional? Naysayers point to Article I Section 9 of the Constitution, which says you can't be senator and a knight.

Minnesota High Court Rules Franken Can't Be Certified Yet In a blow to Al Franken and Senate Democrats, Minnesota's highest court has ruled that he will not be certified the winner of the 2008 Senate recount until a trial on the race has been resolved.

Obama promises to limit no-bid contracts President Obama ordered an overhaul yesterday of the way the US government awards defense and other contracts, saying that more competition is needed to drive down costs and declaring that "the days of giving government contractors a blank check are over."

Vets object to Obama plan for private billing Veterans groups are warning President Barack Obama against going ahead with a possible administration move to charge veterans' private health care for service-related injuries.

Obama reverses Bush change to Endangered Species Act Reversing a last-minute Bush administration rule change, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he'd require federal agencies to consult with government wildlife experts about whether new government projects such as highways or dams would harm endangered or threatened species.

Judge: Will Obama defend Yoo? A man Bush ordered detained without charge is suing John Yoo over the legal opinions he issued.

Big donors dominate Obama panel  President Obama's newly named Economic Recovery Advisory Board includes a union executive who took the Fifth in a Clinton-era federal investigation.

Supreme Court urged to drop enemy combatant case The Obama administration on Wednesday renewed its request that the Supreme Court drop the case of a suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent and not rule on whether a president can indefinitely detain terror suspects in the United States.

Key Democrats oppose Obama budget plan to limit itemized tax deductions for high earners President Barack Obama's proposal to limit itemized tax deductions for high earners is running into opposition from key Democrats in Congress who worry that charities and the housing market would be hurt.

Gupta withdraws from surgeon general search

Obama says road-building package is good for 150,000 jobs

Judge assails cases doubting Obama's citizenship A federal judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit questioning President Barack Obama's citizenship, lambasting the case as a waste of the court's time and suggesting the plaintiff's attorney may have to compensate the president's lawyer.

FEC Dismisses Judicial Watch Complaint Against Obama The Federal Election Commission on Thursday threw out a complaint brought by a conservative group alleging that President Barack Obama broke campaign finance laws when he got a sweetheart deal on a mortgage written by a Chicago bank.

Oil slips below $44 on expectations of demand fall

Unknown gunmen kill Iraq tribal sheikh

Al Maliki: Recent polls halt partition aims Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki affirmed that the results of recent polls have halted the intentions of “Iraq enemies” in provoking partition and sectarianism.

Reports of freeing Iranian detainees denied

11 people killed, 4 of same family in Iraq At least 11 people were killed including four of the same family while 22 others were wounded most of whom policemen in separate attacks in Baghdad and Mosul. In Kirkuk, attorney Faysal Al Fayslawi was assassinated in his office on Wednesday night.

Why 10,000 Ugandans are eagerly serving in Iraq (The Christian Science Monitor)  Under a relentless equatorial sun and the gaze of her Zimbabwean instructor, Juliet Kituye quickly reassembles her AK-47. Next to her, a young man in a ripped red T-shirt discharges imaginary rounds at an invisible target.

Jerusalem 'tractor attacker' killed Man who drove digger into police car and empty bus is shot dead by police.

Disturbing Idea of Expelling Arabs from Israeli Territory Gains Ground

Saudi Arabia woman driver arrest

U.S.: Evidence mounts of Syrian nuclear cover-up  The United States said on Wednesday that United Nations inspectors had found growing evidence of covert nuclear activity in Syria, and European allies said a lack of Syrian transparency demanded utmost scrutiny

Congressmen try to restrict Gaza funds House urges UNRWA to name its employees in order to ensure that none of them are terrorists.

Iran: We can hit Israeli nuclear sites Revolutionary Guards chief issues stark warning; Iranian FM: Bushehr will be active in summer 2009.

Nasrallah reportedly travels to Teheran Iranian sources say Hizbullah leader accompanied by Lebanese parliament speaker and Samir Kuntar.

US concern over postponement of Yemen parliamentary polls The United States has expressed concern over postponement of parliamentary elections in Yemen by two years.''It is difficult to see how a delay of this duration serves the interests of the Yemeni people or the cause of Yemeni democracy,''

Clinton concern over demolitions US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expresses "deep concern" over Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem. Clinton Silent on Israeli Settlements, Gaza Blockade

Jerusalem mayor: Clinton a victim of misinformation A day after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gently chastised Israeli officials for demolishing Arab homes in East Jerusalem, the city's new mayor pushed back Thursday and suggested that America's top diplomat had been the victim of a disinformation campaign.

U.S. role seen in "deterrence" toward Iran The United States should emphasize a military 'deterrence' policy, including a possible guarantee of nuclear protection for friendly Middle Eastern countries, in persuading Iran to abandon suspected nuclear weapons aims, a think tank recommended on Wednesday.

Rockets slam South, IAF hits tunnels None wounded in evening of rocket attacks; Islamic Jihad vows revenge after IDF kills two of its men.

'Israel seriously considering Iran military op' Washington Institute for Near East Policy: Time frame for action on Teheran nukes growing shorter.

US sanctions 11 firms tied to Iran bank

Global Support for the War in Afghanistan is Plummeting -- So Why Aren't Americans Talking About It? While leaders like Stephen Harper and Gordon Brown bend to the will of their constituents, Obama is staying the course.

U.S. lawmakers want easier Afghan, Pakistan imports U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday to allow duty-free import of goods made in special zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan in an effort to combat extremism there through investment and job creation.

Kyrgyzstan Ends Air Base Agreements Kyrgyzstan, which last month closed a U.S. air base, ended similar agreements with other members of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Lede: Mullah Omar Calls for a Taliban Surge The Taliban leader has called on Islamist militants in Pakistan to stop fighting the Pakistani government and reinforce the Afghan insurgency.

A Nato war on drugs in Afghanistan would endanger the real war on terrorism

U.S. to invite Iran to Afghanistan meet: Clinton

Blast hits U.S. base in Afghanistan, several wounded A bomb blast exploded outside the main U.S. base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, wounding several people, a U.S. official said. An Afghan governor blamed the attack on a suicide car bomber, and the Taliban claimed responsibility.

Iran Will Be Invited To Afghan Conference In a sign of the new emphasis on diplomacy, the Obama administration says Iran would be invited to a high-level conference on Afghanistan's future.

Warm winter fuels rise in Afghan border violence Violence has risen sharply this year along Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan, where a warm winter is allowing militants freer movement through mountain passes, a U.S. Army officer said on Friday.

Sufi Shrine 'blown up by Taleban' Suspected Taleban militants in NW Pakistan blow up the shrine of a 17th Century Sufi poet of the Pashtun language, police say

Pakistani vigilantes take on Taliban  Residents of Peshawar, the main city outside militants' stronghold in the tribal areas, are forming armed patrols to defend their villages - sometimes with official backing

Pak cop resigns from job, doesn’t want to be killed  The funeral of the police officers killed in the attack was held late on Tuesday evening.

Anonymous call behind Lahore 3/3: Reports An anonymous call made the police in Lahore change the route of the bus taking the Sri Lankan cricket team to the Gaddafi Stadium.According to Pakistan media reports, the caller asked the police to use the Gulberg route instead of travelling along Ferozpur road as had been decided earlier. 

Second raid on Ukraine gas offices Security services turned away by MPs in second raid in two days over "abuses in gas sector".

Russia building anti-satellite weapons Russia is working to develop anti-satellite weapons to match efforts by other nations, a deputy defense minister was quoted as saying Thursday.

Putin: Russia could cut gas to Ukraine on Saturday Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would cut natural gas to Ukraine if it wasn't paid by Saturday, a threat that revived worries about supply cuts to Europe

Elderly couple end their lives at Swiss clinic The assisted suicides of a British couple at a Swiss clinic rekindled the debate on if Britain should introduce laws to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with a doctor’s help

Blast in Ingushetia Kills 5 Police Officers The blast occurred as officers tried to defuse a bomb found in the restive southern Russian region close to Chechnya, according to investigators.

German police seize neo-Nazi CDs German police raid more than 200 premises in an investigation into the promotion of neo-Nazi music.

AP Interview: Gorbachev criticizes Putin's party In some of his strongest criticism of his successors, Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday likened Vladimir Putin's United Russia party to the worst of the communists he once led and helped bring down, and said Russia is today a country where the parliament and the judiciary are not fully free.

Vatican-backed conference snubs creationism A Vatican-backed conference on evolution is under attack from people who weren't invited to participate: those espousing creationism and intelligent design.

Chavez seizes US food company  Venezuela leader also threatens to nationalise largest private firm over food prices

Venezuela to end Cargill takeovers Government says it will not nationalise any more of US food giant's assets.

Colombia extradition rulings stoke worry in U.S. Recent decisions by the Colombian Supreme Court on extraditions of guerrilla ringleaders in the kidnapping of three Americans have sparked concern that future captors of Americans may not face justice in U.S. courts, hampering the pursuit of terrorist groups.Colombia hands ex-paramilitary leader over to U.S.