Pirates open fire on U.S. cruise ship

Pirates near Somalia chased and shot at a U.S. cruise liner with more than 1,000 people on board but failed to hijack the vessel, a maritime official said Tuesday.

Ruling dissolves Thai government

Thailand's prime minister resigned on Tuesday after protests that paralyzed his government and closed the capital's airports. Protesters promised to lift their siege by Wednesday.

Rapport with Obama will be key for Clinton

Hillary Clinton's success as secretary of state may depend as much on Obama's willingness to admit her to his inner circle as her mastery of the job, officials say.

Obama reaches out to governors

The president-elect pledged quick work Tuesday on an economic recovery plan to include tax cuts and increased federal spending, and told the nation's governors he wants their advice.

GM's U.S. sales drop 41.3 percent
General Motors' November U.S. sales plunged 41 percent, while Ford's dropped 31 percent, dashing hopes that the industrywide drop in vehicle demand might be easing.

NYT: Pardon back in focus for Holder

In the career of Eric H. Holder Jr., President-elect Barack Obama's attorney general choice, there is one notable blemish: Holder's role in the 2001 pardon of billionaire financier Marc Rich.

Bush faces historic pardon choice

Anticipation is growing over possible pardons by President  Bush. Conservative columnist William Kristol argues that the president should consider pardoning "everyone who served in good faith in the war on terror."

Retailers tiptoe between Christmas, holidays

As American shoppers embark on their annual shopping binge , a prickly marketing question splits American consumers and stores: "Christmas" or "holiday"?

Carbon monoxide kills 11 girls at China school
Eleven girls died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a school in northern China's Shaanxi province, an education official said Tuesday evening. The girls had reportedly lit a fire to keep warm.