Stores fear holiday sales may stick

Shoppers are getting used to those 75 percent off sales, and that's bad news for merchants who worry they will also have to quickly slash prices on spring goods to attract customers.

5 reasons to be cautious about stocks
With the stock market up 25 percent from November lows, a lot of individual investors are asking: Is this rally for real?

Europe shivers as Russia cuts gas shipments

Russia shut off all gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine on Wednesday — leaving more than a dozen countries scrambling to cope during a winter cold snap.

Ice storm in Northeast, floods in South

Storms had people on edge across the U.S. Wednesday, with ice and freezing rain  in the Northeast, flooding and power outages in the South and the Pacific Northwest watching for avalanches.

Reid: Burris may ultimately get seat

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Roland Burris will not likely take Barack Obama's Senate seat until a court in Illinois rules on a dispute surrounding his appointment.

Even guys cuddle their sweethearts' clothing

As many as three-quarters of women and two-thirds of men say they snuggle with shirts and other clothing worn by someone dear, but not near, researchers reported.

CBO sees record $1.2 trillion '09 deficit
The U.S. federal budget deficit will hit an unparalleled $1.2 trillion for the 2009 budget year, according to grim new Congressional Budget Office figures.

Stonehenge: One totally awesome rave location

Stonehenge was built as a dance arena for prehistoric "samba-style" raves, according to a study of the acoustics of the 5,000-year-old stone circle.

Obama pledges to curb spending

President-elect Obama says he'll have to juggle the competing interests of economic stimulus and deficit control, but that restoring general business health must come first.