Spacewalker learns from tool mistake

The astronaut who lost her tool bag on a spacewalk admitted Wednesday that she made a mistake by not checking to see if the sack was tied down, and said she's still smarting over the whole thing.

NYT: Daschle poses conflict-of-interest test

The choice of Tom Daschle for secretary of health and human services poses questions about how broadly Barack Obama will apply campaign promises to limit conflicts of interest among appointees.

It's North vs. South in Big Three bailout fight

Should taxpayers in Alabama be asked to help bail out Big Three automakers whose plants are concentrated in Northern states such as Michigan and Ohio? How the auto industry pits North against South.

Wall Street drops to more than 5-year low
Wall Street hit levels not seen since 2003 on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average plunging below the 8,000 mark amid a dour economic outlook from the Fed.

Lawyers visit secret Gitmo camp
For the first time, defense lawyers have been allowed to see a section of the Guantanamo prison that is so restricted, even its location on the U.S. base is secret.

Mayor sorry for kids' anti-Obama chant
The mayor of an Idaho town where second- and third-grade students on a school bus chanted "assassinate Obama!" has publicly apologized, saying there's no excuse for such behavior.

U.S. intel office adds warming to warnings

A major U.S. intelligence report coming out Thursday  is adding climate change to the "traditional" mix of factors expected to destabilize the world into the near future.

Senate leader calls off vote on auto bailout

The Senate's top Democrat has called off a planned vote this week on a $25 billion auto industry bailout.

NBC: Daschle to be Obama's HHS secretary

The former Senate majority leader has been a close adviser to the president-elect throughout the campaign for the White House and recently wrote a book proposing health care improvements.