Obama makes key Cabinet picks

Several key appointments, including State and Treasury Department secretaries appear to be nearly-done deals, with Democratic officials confirming President-elect Barack Obama's intended nominees.

Bush effigy burned at Iraq protest

Followers of a Shiite cleric on Friday stomped on and burned an effigy of President Bush in Baghdad as they protested a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact on Friday.

Mexico: Ex-drug czar took cartel money
Mexico's former drug czar took $450,000 to leak information to a powerful cartel, officials said Friday.

Disputed Senate ballots hold key to Minn. win

The pile of disputed ballots in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race is growing at a pace sure to dwarf the 215-vote margin prior to the recount, making it tough to tell who is gaining an edge as the recount progresses.

Bob Jones Univ. apologizes for racist policies
A fundamentalist Christian University has apologized for racist policies including a one-time ban on interracial dating that wasn't lifted until nine years ago and its unwillingness to admit black students until 1971.

Child deaths test faith-healing exemptions
Three criminal cases have revived concerns about exemptions that most states grant to parents who rely on faith healing instead of doctors to treat sick children.

Obama team springs leaks

Barack Obama was famously able to impose discipline and control over his presidential campaign, but it didn't take long for him to discover that running a transition is something quite different.

Hundreds wait at stores for BlackBerry Storm

Hundreds of people lined up at Verizon Wireless stores on Friday to buy the BlackBerry Storm, the first touch-screen phone from Research In Motion that aims to compete with Apple's iPhone.

Sorenstam's LPGA career ends with missed cut

'All of a sudden, the time is here,' Swede says at ADT Championship