McDonald's courts moms as emissaries

McDonald's has recruited mothers to go behind the scenes of the company's operations, meet senior executives and then communicate what they see via the Web in a bid to brighten its image.

ConsumerMan: Shady retirement seminars
Many Americans nearing retirement are bombarded with invitations to attend financial management seminars. A free lunch is offered. But that lunch may prove to pricey.

Community colleges suddenly in spotlight
Long the neglected stepchildren of American higher education, community colleges have come front-and-center in the eyes of students, policymakers and philanthropists.

Over 1,000 melamine babies still in hospitals
Over a thousand Chinese infants are still in hospital receiving treatment for kidney damage caused by tainted milk, China's Health Ministry said on Thursday, more than two months after the scandal broke.

Napolitano eyed for Homeland Security

An early Barack Obama supporter from the southwestern part of the country, the former Arizona attorney general is a leading contender for the job of secretary of homeland security.

Global markets extend rout

European and Asian stock markets tumbled Thursday after recession fears sent Wall Street plunging the day before.

Bush to sign legislation to extend jobless aid
Because of the tight job market, the White House says President George W. Bush would sign legislation pending in Congress to further extend unemployment benefits.

U.S. jobless claims jump to 16-year high
New claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, providing more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market.