Top Stories - U.S. News & World Report

The word on Capitol Hill is that it is going to be a long December for lawmakers. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced that the House may well be in session until Christmas Eve. That hasn't come close to happening since 1982, when Congress stuck around until December 23 to wrestle with highway funding. Full Story »

In a sign that employers are beginning to dip their toes into the hiring waters, a rising number of temp jobs helped shrink November's total job losses to 11,000, a figure small enough for officials to consider employment numbers essentially unchanged for the month. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage point to 10 percent. The data were far better than economists' forecasts of 125,000 jobs lost and an unchanged unemployment rate. Full Story »

With interest rates hovering near zero and unlikely to change soon, finding attractive investment yields is tough. But stocks have been surging, and many investors have locked on to those with appealing dividends. Getting a nice yield can combine income with upside market potential. Full Story »

Here's something odd: Consumer spending is drifting upward, raising hopes for an economic recovery. Yet the unemployment rate is spiking like a scary fever, with jobs more scarce than at any time since the 1930s. Full Story »

It's one of the most explosive decisions of the Obama administration so far--prosecuting Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other suspected 9/11 terrorists in a civilian court in New York instead of a military tribunal. And it's a risky move both substantively and in political terms. Full Story »

With the number of doctor visits for H1N1 continuing to drop sharply, it looks like it's safe to say that the swine flu pandemic has peaked for now, at least in the United States. That's great news for worrywart parents like me, because it means our children are less likely to fall ill. It also increases the odds that people who really need H1N1 vaccine--pregnant women and kids with asthma and other chronic health problems--can get it. That's still important, because children are still getting sick and dying, and there may well be a new spike of H1N1 cases in the new year. Full Story »

I love to read advice columnists. It always cracks me up when someone writes in about her "boyfriend of two weeks." Honey, two weeks is not a boyfriend, no matter how much he declares his undying love to you. The fact that you are writing an advice columnist about this fledgling relationship indicates that you should get out now. You don't owe anything to this person, and if he's causing you that much angst, it will only get worse. Full Story »

More than three years into a painful housing crash, the real estate market has sent recent--albeit tentative--signs of stabilization. Home sales have increased, inventory levels are down, and price declines have become less precipitous. Along with more affordable home prices and a tax perk from Uncle Sam, attractive mortgage rates--which remained below 5 percent as of late November--have been a driving force behind this development. The availability of low mortgage rates will play a decisive role in the performance of the 2010 housing market as well. ... Full Story »

Four weeks remain to enroll in Medicare for 2010. For 26 million participants in Medicare's Part D prescription drug program, it's especially important to pay attention to the details of the insurance plans you're considering, especially the ways various insurers handle co-pays for specific drugs. Full Story »

After the real estate crash decimated the mortgage market, a tiny government agency has assumed an outsize role in the housing recovery. In 2006, the Federal Housing Administration--which insures home loans against default--backed just 3 percent of new home-purchase mortgages. But today, the agency insures nearly 3 out of every 10 new home loans. That's because while banks have raised their lending standards, credit requirements for FHA-backed loans have remained fairly liberal. ... Full Story »