Top headlines:
Report: U.S. lax on helping whales, dolphins: The Bush administration has failed to provide protections required by law to 14 marine mammals potentially at risk due to commercial fishing, congressional investigators said Wednesday. ›20:42
Chain stores post dismal December: Major retailers Thursday reported dismal sales for December, confirming fears that the holiday season was the weakest in four decades. ›20:58
Drugmakers aim to polish image with ad blitz: The pharmaceutical industry, confronting sluggish growth, low prestige and the prospect of more-aggressive government oversight, is moving on several fronts to burnish its image. ›11:09
Microsoft's Ballmer: Windows 7 is nearly final: Microsoft Corp.'s next version of the Windows operating system is almost ready for prime time. ›04:22
Private funeral set for Jett Travolta in Florida: John Travolta and his family were expected to host a private memorial service Thursday for their son, 16-year-old Jett Travolta, at their home in a central Florida gated community. ›19:35
Senator: Ash spill shows need for rules: The federal government must adopt standards to prevent future toxic ash spills like last month's billion-gallon disaster in Tennessee, a key Senate Democrat said Thursday. ›19:34
Bush creates huge marine sanctuaries: Announcing the largest marine conservation effort in history, President George W. Bush on Tuesday designated three remote Pacific island areas as national monuments. ›19:21 6 Jan, Tue
Obama, security aides, still debating Blackberry: For President-elect Barack Obama, parting with his Blackberry is such sweet sorrow. ›18:17
Lead for car batteries poisonstown: The dirtin this town on the fringes of Dakar, Senegal's capital, is laced with lead left over from years of extracting it from old car batteries. And it is poisoning children. ›08:47 4 Jan, Sun
Dark Knight is big hero of Peoples Choice: "The Dark Knight" soared away with every trophy it was nominated for Wednesday at the People's Choice Awards, including favorite cast, superhero, action movie and on-screen matchup for Christian Bale's Batman and the late Heath Ledger's Joker. ›15:33
Clinton State Department team takes shape: The Secretary of State-designate isn't waiting to be confirmed to name her team, settling already on several senior positions, say Democratic sources and officials familiar with the transition. ›18:09
Great Barrier Reef's coral growth is slowing: The growth of coral in the Great Barrier Reef has slowed to the most sluggish rate in at least 400 years and signs point to manmade greenhouse gas emissions as the culprit, according to a new study. ›19:00 1 Jan, Thu
Feds: Wayward dolphins in rivers are dying: More than two-thirds of the 16 bottlenose dolphins inhabiting New Jersey rivers since summer have died or disappeared, federal officials say. ›23:30 7 Jan, Wed
January is the saddest movie month of the year: If youre a moviegoer, the transition from December to January is a rough one, like falling asleep in Willy Wonkas chocolate factory and waking up in the dystopia of Blade Runner. ›18:22 5 Jan, Mon
Giant planets have to grow up fast: Compared to small, rocky worlds like Earth, Jupiter-class gas giant planets form quickly or not at all, a new study shows. ›21:58
Mortgage rates fall to record low again: Rates on 30-year mortgages fell to a record level for a fourth straight week, dropping to the lowest mark since Freddie Mac started tracking the data nearly 28 years ago. ›21:08
Low times for high tech as CES opens: Bill Gates isn't at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Steve Jobs isn't at Macworld. One way or the other, 2009 will be a turning point for the consumer technology industry. ›15:22
Tourists burn a trail to Australian Antarctic outpost: An isolated Australian outpost in remote Antarctica has become a popular destination for adventure-seeking tourists, as more tour operators put it on their itinerary for more than just researchers. ›14:41
Disney's Space Mountain to close for renovations: Space Mountain one of Walt Disney World's most iconic attractions will be closing this spring for a makeover. ›15:53
Trump rounds up celebs for latest Apprentice: Country singer Clint Black, Olympian Scott Hamilton and TV personality Khloe Kardashian will be among the contestants vying to become the latest "Celebrity Apprentice" when the eighth season begins March 1. ›14:43
Sub to probe shifting Antarctic glacier: A yellow, remote-controlled submarine will dive under an ice shelf in Antarctica to seek clues to world ocean level rises in one of the most inaccessible places on Earth. ›17:34 7 Jan, Wed
Failed love museum offers balm for heartbreak: From an empty ring box to sexy lingerie and a pair of fur-lined handcuffs, an exhibition of the relics of failed love has come to Asia, hoping to bring solace to the heartbroken. ›21:24 7 Jan, Wed
Video: Managing debts, and expectations: Jan. 7: The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday the projected federal deficit for 2009 is $1.2 trillion, and that does not include the $800 billion economic stimulus package President-elect Barack Obama is proposing. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.(Nightly News) ›23:43 7 Jan, Wed
Video: Russia makes power play: Jan. 7: Russia has waged a different kind of cold war on parts of Eastern Europe by shutting off the flow of natural gas through Ukraine. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.(Nightly News) ›23:55 7 Jan, Wed
