Top Stories - U.S. News & World Report

The Saturday-night passage of the House health reform bill has left a bad taste in the mouths of reproductive-rights advocates. They're opposed to the last-minute addition of a controversial amendment that specifically prohibits abortion coverage in plans funded by the federal government. In an E-mail sent out about an hour before the reform bill passed, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards called the amendment "an unacceptable addition to the healthcare reform bill that, if enacted, would result in women losing health benefits they have today. ... Full Story »

I get a lot of mail at Ask a Manager from people consumed with fury over habits their coworkers have-habits that I bet most of those coworkers aren't even aware of. Full Story »

You know about the bailouts, the stimulus plan, cash for clunkers, and moola for mansions. But for all the anxiety they've caused, those government giveaways are just a tiny part of a mushrooming problem. Full Story »

Whether it's over or not, the recession has made retirement at age 65 more difficult. New analysis from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that 51 percent of Americans have a high risk of not being able to maintain their current lifestyle in retirement, up from 44 percent in 2007. "If they retire at age 65, they will not be able to maintain the same standard of living as they did before," says the center's director, Alicia Munnell, about the households at risk. ... Full Story »

If you've been frustrated in trying to get your kids vaccinated against H1N1 flu, you're not alone: Two thirds of parents who have sought vaccine for their children have failed to find it, according to a Harvard School of Public Health survey out today. That's no small deal, because 41 percent of the parents polled said they have tried to get their children vaccinated against swine flu. Hearing that big Wall Street firms Goldman Sachs and Citigroup got H1N1 vaccine doesn't do much to reassure worried parents that the system is directing vaccine to the kids who need it the most. ... Full Story »

It's been a bad autumn for deaths during U.S. running races--at least six during half marathons and one during a marathon. Although the specific causes of death aren't known in all cases, heart ailments are at the top of the list of possible explanations whenever someone dies suddenly during an athletic event, be it a road race, triathlon, or a football or basketball game. As rare as these events are when compared with deaths from car accidents, homicide, or even the flu, doctors are debating whether lives could be saved by more carefully scrutinizing athletes before they compete. ... Full Story »

In the hopes of sustaining the real estate market's recent momentum, Uncle Sam has made more than two-thirds of current homeowners and nearly all first-time buyers eligible for thousands of dollars in tax perks when they purchase a house. President Obama signed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 into law Friday, a day after the House of Representatives approved it by a 403-to-12 vote. The legislation includes language that significantly expands the popular first-time home buyer tax credit that was enacted in February. ... Full Story »

Pop star Rihanna is finally speaking out about the domestic assault inflicted upon her in February by her boyfriend at the time, Chris Brown. She told Diane Sawyer in an interview that aired this morning on ABC's Good Morning America that the brutal beating--for which Brown pled guilty in June--was "a wake-up call for me. Big time." She added that it was "wrong" that she initially went back to Brown afterward the attack. (Watch the interview here.) Full Story »

In what will no doubt boost skepticism over the Obama administration's message of stimulus success, the unemployment rate in October rocketed to 10.2 percent, a figure much higher than economists had expected and just 0.6 percentage points away from the post-World War II high seen in 1982. While unemployment snapped back down swiftly in the early-1980s recession, it is widely expected that job creation will be slow in this recovery. Full Story »

When new assignments force members of the armed forces to move, it often means children need to switch schools. In some military families, children change schools multiple times during the course of their academic lives. The Department of Defense says that the disruptions can produce setbacks in students' schooling, but department officials are working to fix that: They're developing the military's first online virtual high school, to be open in time for the 2010-2011 school year. Full Story »