Recession hits Rust Belt towns hard

In Ohio's fading steel towns, the recession was a final cruelty piled on top of three decades of disappearing jobs.

  Job losses send disability claims soaring

Poll: Obama approval dips below 50 percent

The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that only 32 percent of Americans polled believe President Obama's health care plan is a good idea, but a majority backs the troop surge in Afghanistan.

Dems vow to close Medicare 'doughnut hole'

Stocks slide after jobless claims rise

  The stock market pulled back Thursday as an unexpected increase in unemployment claims stirred concerns about a still-weak job market.

  Senate panel approves Bernanke nomination

Bengals’ Henry dies day after fall from truck

  Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry died Thursday, a day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck during what police said was a domestic dispute with his fiancee.

PFT’s Picks: Jags won’t ruin Colts’ perfect season

Scoop: Were Barkley, Jordan models for Woods?

Tiger Woods’ “indiscretions” began with a pair of bad influences, claims one of his former mistresses.

Tidbits: Hudson worried about A-Rod, women

Air ambulances leave some with sky-high bills

In a country with dwindling health benefits and rising ranks of uninsured, where the rule is to fly first and ask questions later, some patients are finding emergency air flights may save their lives, but also contribute to medical debt they can’t pay.

Check your Facebook privacy settings. Now!

If Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg can't figure out his social networking site's privacy settings after they were ripped open earlier this month, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Eight ancient drinks uncorked by science

Offbeat holiday celebrations

  There are some places that put an offbeat spin on the holidays with everything from oversize ice-sculptures to New Year’s Eve events where big yellow Peeps drop from the sky.

Thousands flock to Aria for glitzy unveiling