NewsCosmos

The government’s stimulus plan was supposed to flood the economy with cash to help end the  recession. But so far,  spending is just a trickle.  The Answer Desk, by John W. Schoen.

Iraqi forces assumed formal control of Baghdad and other cities on Tuesday after American troops handed over security in urban areas in a step toward ending the U.S. combat role in the country.  

It took up to a half-hour for paramedics to be called to Michael Jackson′s home after the singer was found stricken in the bedroom of his rented mansion, an attorney said Monday.

A Yemenia Air plane going from the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen to the island nation of Comoros crashed in the Indian Ocean early Tuesday, officials said.

A rail car filled with liquefied natural gas exploded when a freight train derailed in the middle of a small Italian town, setting off an inferno that killed at least 10 people and injured 50 others.

The Associated Press has learned that Michael Jackson finished an elaborate video production two weeks before he died.

After a series of early and relatively easy victories on Capitol Hill, the White House faces a test with the climate bill, which reveals ideological differences among the majority.

Immigrants, chiefly those here illegally, are particularly vulnerable as the recession lingers. Without proper documentation, those out of work can’t access unemployment and other government benefits, increasing the pressure to pull up stakes and look for opportunity elsewhere.

Police clashed with protesters outside Honduras’ national palace Monday, leaving at least 15 people injured. Ousted president Manuel Zelaya said he would seek to return to his country Thursday.

Bernard Madoff was sentenced Monday to 150 years in prison after apologizing to victims for a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme that the judge called “extraordinarily evil.”