NYT: Obama fund-raiser quells Cabinet rumors

NYT: The business holdings and connections that made Penny Pritzker a key to the Obama presidential campaign's fundraising may have kept her from a job as commerce secretary.

Cosmic Log: Hubble solves space question

Military sets date for first execution since 1961
A former Army cook convicted of multiple rapes and murders is set to die next month in what would be the U.S. military's first execution in nearly 50 years.

Report: Browns courting Cowher as next coach
The Cleveland Browns have approached former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher about the possibility of becoming the team's next coach, according to a report on Profootballtalk.com on Thursday.

Leftist Sandinistas win Nicaragua vote

Nicaragua's ruling Sandinista party won the large majority of municipal races, including the capital Managua, in local elections that have sparked violent clashes and allegations of fraud.

Phone workers peek at Obama's cell records
Verizon employees snuck a peek at President-elect Barack Obama's old cell phone records and will be reprimanded accordingly, the company said late Thursday.

Obama team springs leaks

Barack Obama was famously able to impose discipline and control over his presidential campaign, but it didn't take long for him to discover that running a transition is something quite different.

Pet store chain linked to puppy mills
After an eight-month investigation, the Humane Society of the United States accused Petland, the national pet store chain, of selling dogs bred under appalling conditions.

Thousands of Iraqis protest U.S. pact

Thousands of followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr converged on a central Baghdad square Friday for a mass prayer to protest a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact.

The miniature killer returns on ‘CSI'

While Grissom was off testifying at Natalie's hearing, Riley and Greg solved a woman's murder that was linked to a 12-year-old case, and Hodges and Nick recalled the joys of mailbox baseball.