Is this stock market rally for real?
With the stock market up 25 percent from November lows, a lot of individual investors are asking: Is this rally for real?

Mississippi now has highest teen birth rate
Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen pregnancy rate, displacing Texas and New Mexico for that lamentable title, according to a new federal report.

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.

Bikers strap on fruit to dodge helmet law
Police in Nigeria have arrested scores of motorcycle taxi riders with dried fruit shells, pots or pieces of rubber tire tied to their heads with string to avoid a new law requiring them to wear helmets.

Reid: Burris may ultimately get Senate 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.

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.

U.S. 2008 planned layoffs most in five years
Planned layoffs at U.S. firms eased in December from the previous month's seven-year high but they were up an astounding 275 percent annually, according to a new report.

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.

Coulter ‘delighted' she isn't banned from NBC

After her appearance on TODAY was canceled earlier in the week, conservative author Ann Coulter was on the show Wednesday, speaking out about unwed mothers and "B. Hussein" Obama. She said she was "delighted to hear" she wasn't banned from NBC.