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Lenders have become even less willing to part with their money, further crimping budgets and family spending.

The presidential race has turned into an audition for who could best handle a national economic emergency.

At issue is whether plaintiffs have the right to sue when the products that hurt them had met federal standards.

California legislative leaders and the governor have come to an agreement on the state budget, which is now roughly three months late.

After investigators said an engineer in last week’s collision had been texting on the job, regulators temporarily banned the use of all cellular devices by anyone at the controls of a moving train.

Democrats believe that a long list of Republican lawmakers with legal troubles makes it impossible for Republicans to gain much ground on the issues of ethics and good government.

The recommendations included a simpler application, Pell grant maximums linked to the consumer price index and federally financed college savings accounts for children in low-income families.

The blueprint would change the city’s building codes to promote energy efficiency, and it calls for installing huge solar panels at municipal properties and building alternative fueling stations.

Treasury and Fed officials were discussing with leaders in Congress a plan for the government to buy up distressed mortgages.

A backlash against short sellers has begun, with regulators in the U.S. and Britain tightening rules and authorities in New York intensifying investigations.

The president spoke briefly on Thursday after remaining largely out of sight as Wall Street has become engulfed by a financial crisis.

Senator John McCain’s once easygoing if irreverent campaign presence — endearing to crowds, though often resulting in gaffes — has been put out to pasture.

As Gov. Sarah Palin has moved to the national stage, Senator Ted Stevens, who goes on trial next week, has risen in some opinion polls in Alaska.

Todd Palin was one of 13 people subpoenaed in the inquiry into whether Gov. Sarah Palin or members of her administration abused their power in the dismissal of a top state administrator.

A Spanish-language Obama ad misrepresents John McCain’s record on the immigration issue and his relationship with Rush Limbaugh.

A privacy group filed a class-action lawsuit on Thursday seeking to halt what it describes as illegal surveillance of Americans’ telephone and Internet traffic.

Remnants of Hurricane Ike swept through the region on Sunday, bringing torrential downpours and strong winds.

As the veterans’ health system strains to handle a growing caseload, a move is under way in Congress to avoid yearly delays in financing that can hamper the medical care of the nation’s veterans.

O. J. Simpson’s legal team began Thursday to mount a defense that will sound familiar to anyone who followed his 1995 murder trial.

Flashing headlights and honking horns penetrated the early-morning sky as police officers and first responders led drivers in a slow procession across the new Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis.

Gov. Haley Barbour agreed to move a special election for Trent Lott’s former Senate seat to near the top of the November ballot, ending a dispute that had threatened to delay the start of absentee voting.

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell of Alaska conceded to Representative Don Young in the Republican primary for Alaska’s only House seat.

Agriprocessors Inc., an embattled kosher meatpacker with a plant in Postville, Iowa, named a corporate lawyer from New York to be its chief executive, responding to an ultimatum from the leading kosher certifying organization.

An Episcopal bishop, whose diocese is moving toward splitting from the national church, was ousted from ministry.

A man charged in the killings of four people who died during a June killing spree in Illinois and Missouri has been charged with murder in four more bludgeoning deaths.

More than 120 million 2010 Census forms should start to land in mailboxes by Monday. They should all arrive by Wednesday.

Midwest braces for especially wet season as record snow melts, heavy rainfall threatens in spots.

A new study shows that leaky heart valves can be fixed without major surgery by guiding a clip into place from an incision in ...

Utility crews pushed through fallen trees and windblown debris to reach downed power lines Sunday, working to restore electricity ...

The drugmaker argues that the patients used in the study did not qualify for treatment with fenofibrate and therefore did not ...

Seasonal allergies won't kill you, but they sure can knock you down. USA TODAY sorts through the latest allergy research.

Two guns used in high-profile shootings this year at the Pentagon and a Las Vegas courthouse both came from the same unlikely ...

Thousands of teachers, classmates and neighbors filled a high school stadium Saturday to honor a 17-year-old girl whose body ...

An American woman and three others arrested in Ireland over an alleged plot to assassinate Swedish artist Lars Vilks have been ...

Law enforcement officers who worked near Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attacks seem to show early signs of heart problems ...

Thousands of New York City taxi drivers overcharged passengers by more than $8.3 million over the past two years by setting their ...

Authorities say a man tried to sexually assault a Southern California jogger, who escaped by jumping off a cliff and sliding ...

The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, a special federal court ruled Friday in a long-running battle by ...

An advocacy group for gay students in Mississippi said it has been fielding dozens of offers from around the nation to hold a ...

The Texas State Board of Education agreed to new social studies standards on Friday after the far-right faction wielded its power ...

At Least 2 Dead From Storm, Floods in N.E. States; Utilities Struggle to Restore Power to Half-Million Customers

Is this "the week" for health care reform to pass in the House. Bob Schieffer speaks with Robert Gibbs and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). Plus; AAHP's Karen Ignagni and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz debate health insurance reform.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told Bob Schieffer that health care reform will pass the House in one week. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said that House Democrats are being asked to "jump off a cliff".

Karen Ignagni, President of AAHP and Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz join Bob Schieffer for a discussion on insurance reform in health care.

Jeff Glor reports on how new eye treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder can help someone's Winter blues.

You decide, which blanket with sleeves is better? The Snuggie or The Slanket? Mo Rocca investigates.

Slate Magazine's Timothy Noah explains the two biggest and most talked about issues when it comes to health care. Reconciliation to avoid and "procedural filibuster".

If corporation have the same rights as humans, which was given by the Supreme Court when they ruled that both can fund political campaigns, how about a company's run for Congress? Bob Schieffer with a unique story.

Weapons Used in Pentagon, Las Vegas Shootings Traced to Evidence Vault; Some States Restrict Destroying Confiscated Guns

Flights Delayed, Trains Stalled as Wind, Rain Batter Northeast

A Colorado woman is being investigated in connection with a plot to kill a controversial cartoonist. As Jan Crawford reports, concerns grow about homegrown terrorism in the U.S.

One Kentucky man decided long ago that his future was underground exploring caves. Mark Strassmann takes us for a walk in the dark with modern-day caveman Roger Brucker.

Two young Americans are helping others all over the world by giving bikes away to the less fortunate. As Jeff Glor reports, 88Bikes is spreading smiles, two wheels at a time.

There has been another setback for people who believe that vaccines may cause children's autism. As Elaine Quijano reports, will the latest court rulings put an end to this debate?

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate hope to pass health care reform soon by means of a parliamentary procedure known as "reconciliation." John Dickerson explains how it works.

Winter is going out like a lion in the U.S. as powerful storms are pounding widespread areas with drenching rain. As Manuel Gallegus reports, flood threats are rising.

Founder of Bicycle Charity 88Bikes Driven to Provide Children of Third World a Vehicle to Regain Lost Bits of Childhood

Christine Holcomb-Mott, the mother of Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, an accused collaborator in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist, speaks about her daughter's actions and fears for her grandson's welfare.

Memorial Held for Professors, Students Who Died While on Humanitarian Mission in Haiti

GOP Senator Blames Obama, Democrats for "Bitter, Destructive and Endless" Push to Pass Health Reform

This week's 'Chef on a Shoestring', host of two Food Network shows, Claire Robinson, will prepare a three-course meal for four on a budget of just $40.

One of the biggest questions surrounding motherhood is what time in a woman's life is the ideal time to start a family. Erica Hill speaks with a panel of 5 moms who shed some light on this question.

Many people don't think about taking care of their brains. Author, Dr. Daniel Amen, speaks with Chris Wragge about building a better body using our brains.

As daylight saving time approaches, many worry about over-sleeping when changing their clocks. Men's Journal's Jonathan Wilde speaks with Erica Hill about some next generation alarm clocks.

Colo. Woman Freed After Being Held in Probe of Cartoonist Murder Plot; Investigators Looked for Links to "Jihad Jane"