Top headlines:
Neanderthals done in by competition: Climate change has become the default scapegoat for nearly every extinction on Earth. But a new study lets climate off the hook for at least one event: the disappearance of Neanderthals. ›19:20
Oprah adds Holocaust story disclaimer: Oprah has yet to comment on the debunked story of a Holocaust survivor who claimed to have met his future wife in a Nazi concentration camp. But a brief disclaimer on the story she featured prominently on her show has been added to her Web site. ›19:44 6 Jan, Tue
Oil slips on jitters over economy: Crude prices fell with the number of Americans continuing to claim unemployment benefits jumping to a 26-year high and retailers reporting more dismal sales numbers. ›20:04
'One Laptop Per Child' program cuts staff: In another sign of the growing financial strain on nonprofit groups, the One Laptop Per Child program is paring its staff in half. ›17:09
Floods, slide danger cut Wash. highways: Floods and avalanches kept tens of thousands of people in Washington state from their homes Thursday and cut off highways that link Seattle's ports with markets around the country. ›21:46
Detroits auto show likely to be a bit austere: With the industry in financial dire straits, much of the glitz and glamour at this years Detroit auto show will be replaced by a new sense of austerity. ›14:44
Quiz: Who was top money-making movie star in '08?: Test your red-carpet savvy with our weekly quiz ›16:02 17 Dec, Wed
Madoff said to have stashed $173 million: Prosecutors say Bernard Madoff had $173 million in signed checks in his office desk that he was ready to send out at the time of his arrest last month. ›21:14
Scoop: Stars saving red-carpet best for inaugural: Celebrities aren't very interested in what they will wear to upcoming awards shows they're already looking ahead to the outfits they'll don for Barack Obama's inauguration. ›16:26
Matthews won't run for Pa. Senate seat: MSNBC political commentator Chris Matthews has told his colleagues he won't be leaving television to run for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania. ›02:44
Chip maker aims to connect home media: Silicon Image Inc, the chip maker that helped create a widely adopted digital data transmission standard, on Thursday announced a new technology that will let users play and control their digital media on any screen in the house. ›17:13
Partners in love, but not in business: How dangerous is financial imbalance in a relationship? Dr. Gail Saltz advises a man whose fiancee has excluded him from investing in her startup, leaving him to handle all the household expenses. ›22:43 7 Jan, Wed
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
Daschle seeks health care overhaul: the President-elect's choice to head health and human services told former Senate colleagues on Thursday that he would learn from Bill Clinton's failed attempt to overhaul health care. ›19:45
Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent: The Ohio man who became a household name during the presidential campaign says he is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for the conservative Web site pjtv.com. ›17:58 7 Jan, Wed
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
Small retailers struggle in tough season: Like a lot of small retailers, Henry Burton depends heavily on the holiday season to ring up sales, and, like a lot of retailers, this past holiday season proved especially challenging. ›16:10
U.K. slashes rates to 315-year low: The Bank of England cut official interest rates by a half a percentage point to 1.5 percent on Thursday, the lowest level in its 315-year history. ›16:49
Tools to exceed your '09 resolutions: You may have the best intentions, but its hard to keep New Years resolutions for 12 months. TODAY Style editor Bobbie Thomas profiles the latest tools that'll help you meet and exceed your goals in 2009. ›18:30
Monkey goby invasion a Great Lakes fear: Dozens of foreign species could spread across the Great Lakes in coming years despite policies designed to keep them out, causing significant damage, a federal report says. ›20:36
Win a trip to the inauguration: Florida homebuilder Cynthia Russell won an all-expenses-paid trip to the inauguration for her essay on her economic struggles and her hopes for the new administration. The Presidential Inaugural Committee is giving away nine more trips to those who enter by midnight Thursday. ›15:28 7 Jan, Wed
Algae used in biofuel on jet test flight: Continental Airlines on Wednesday became the first U.S. commercial carrier to conduct a demonstration flight powered in part by alternative fuels. ›23:31 7 Jan, Wed
5 reasons to be cautious about stocks: With the stock market up 25 percent from November lows, a lot of individual investors are asking: Is this rally for real? ›21:02 7 Jan, Wed
Coulter: Liberals are assaulting America: In what might be her most controversial book yet, Ann Coulter calls out liberals for playing the victim, arguing that they are in fact the victimizers. Here is an excerpt from her new book, "Guilty." ›13:32 7 Jan, Wed
