Pirates: Holiday celebrated on hijacked ship

Disagreements between Somali pirates holding a Ukrainian ship escalated into a shootout and three pirates are believed dead, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The pirates denied the report.

Wall Street turmoil now spans globe

Stock markets around the world cascaded lower Monday, European regulators announced the rescue of four major banks, and U.S. and foreign officials pledged to make hundreds of billions of dollars available to ensure that banks would continue lending to each other.

Car crash risk rises on election days, study says
Could voting for president be hazardous to your health? An analysis of Election Day traffic deaths suggests yes, but the authors say that's no reason not to go to the polls.

Study links birth size, breast cancer
Women who were bigger and longer babies may be more likely to develop breast cancer, researchers reported on Tuesday.

Study: Urban bears fatter, die earlier

Urban black bears are much heavier and more likely to die violent deaths than their wilder peers, a new study found. And if female, they're more likely to get pregnant at a younger age.

Late-night hosts crack wise about bailout
The late-night wags had the market meltdown, a woebegone baseball team and the presidential candidates in their sights on Monday night.

Fire burns Calif.'s Los Padres forest
A wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest has nearly doubled in size and prompted the evacuation of a few homes in the remote region.

Pro or con, readers decry lack of leadership

It was hard to tell who was angrier Monday: Readers who were terrified by the failure of the  $700 billion Wall Street bailout or those horrified that the massive economic life-saver came within 23 votes of passage. Msnbc.com's Kari Huus reports.

NYT: Concerns grow about Palin's readiness

Gov. Sarah Palin is heading into the critical vice presidential debate facing challenges about her credentials and signs that her popularity is slipping.