Obama assembles powerful West Wing

Barack Obama is assembling a new and influential cadre of counselors just steps from the Oval Office whose power to direct domestic policy will rival, if not exceed, the authority of his Cabinet.

Ill. panel recommends Blagojevich ouster
A key panel unanimously recommended Thursday that Gov. Rod Blagojevich be impeached for abusing his power, mismanaging Illinois government and committing possible criminal acts.

Scoop: Stars saving red-carpet best for inaugural

Celebrities aren't very interested in what they will wear to upcoming awards shows — they're already looking ahead to the outfits they'll don for Barack Obama's inauguration.

Report: Missile kills top al-Qaida men

A CIA strike in Pakistan killed two top al-Qaida terrorists long sought by the U.S., including the man believed to be behind a  deadly hotel bombing in Pakistan, U.S. officials told the Washington Post.

Floods cut Washington highways

Floods and avalanches kept tens of thousands of people in Washington state from their homes Thursday and cut off highways that link Seattle's ports with markets around the country.

Attack on U.S. patrol in Afghanistan kills 5
A suicide bomber struck U.S. troops patrolling on foot in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least two soldiers and three civilians.

Small retailers struggle in tough season

Like a lot of small retailers, Henry Burton depends heavily on the holiday season to ring up sales, and, like a lot of retailers, this past holiday season proved especially challenging.

Deep freeze disrupts hardy Alaskans

Ted Johnson planned on using a set of logs to a build a cabin in Alaska's interior. Instead he'll burn some of them to stay warm.

Job hunts grow harder in recession

New claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week, but the number of people continuing to seek aid rose sharply.