Gotti neighbor allegedly dissolved in acid

It's been one of the last mysteries from John Gotti's gangland career: What happened to the neighbor who accidentally ran over and killed the mobster's 12-year-old son — and then vanished?

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.

Racism: What we say doesn't match what we do
Think you wouldn't tolerate a racist act? Think again, says a surprising experiment that exposed some college students to one and found indifference at best.

Diplomats seek Gaza cease-fire

The U.N. suspended food shipments to Gaza on Thursday, but a cease-fire resolution moved toward a vote in the U.N. Security Council.

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.

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.

Florida strikes first, leads OU in BCS title game

In the fight for the BCS Championship, Florida landed the first real punch against Oklahoma. Tim Tebow connected with Louis Murphy for a 20-yard touchdown pass, giving Florida the game's first score and the first lead, 7-0, barely one minute into the second quarter.

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.

Fast action urged on stimulus plan

President-elect Barack Obama warned Thursday that the nation's recession could "linger for years" unless Congress acts to pump huge sums from Washington into the U.S. economy.