Rapport with Obama will be key for Clinton

Hillary Clinton's success as secretary of state may depend as much on Obama's willingness to admit her to his inner circle as her mastery of the job, officials say.

Carbon monoxide kills 11 girls at China school
Eleven girls died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a school in northern China's Shaanxi province, an education official said Tuesday evening. The girls had reportedly lit a fire to keep warm.

NYT: Pardon back in focus for Holder

In the career of Eric H. Holder Jr., President-elect Barack Obama's attorney general choice, there is one notable blemish: Holder's role in the 2001 pardon of billionaire financier Marc Rich.

Teen shows up bruised, chained at gym

Police are questioning a couple after a bruised and half-naked 17-year-old boy showed up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle, claiming he had just fled his captors, authorities said.

Ruling dissolves Thai government

Thailand's prime minister resigned on Tuesday after protests that paralyzed his government and closed the capital's airports. Protesters promised to lift their siege by Wednesday.

Patient photos help docs read CT scans better
An intriguing Israeli study found adding photos of patients' faces to the file made radiologists more meticulous when looking at the X-rays

Celizic: Burress should've packed his brain, not a gun

Celizic: I keep getting this mental picture of Plaxico Burress going through his mental checklist last Friday night as he left his palatial home in New Jersey and headed for the bright lights of Manhattan: aftershave, check; wallet, check; credit cards, check; wad of cash, check; Glock, check. What a moron.

Retailers tiptoe between Christmas, holidays

As American shoppers embark on their annual shopping binge , a prickly marketing question splits American consumers and stores: "Christmas" or "holiday"?

Bush faces historic pardon choice

Anticipation is growing over possible pardons by President  Bush. Conservative columnist William Kristol argues that the president should consider pardoning "everyone who served in good faith in the war on terror."