‘Car guys' retrain but downshift to lower pay
Big, burly and a "car guy" since high school, Tom Persinger worked for years at General Motors. Now he's a nurse's aide earning $12 an hour. "I've been humbled quite a bit," he said.

Up to 6,000 exposed to hepatitis at hospital
A former surgery technician may have exposed thousands of Colorado patients to hepatitis C when she swapped her own dirty syringes for ones filled with a powerful narcotic, officials said.

Johnny comes marching home — to no job
National Guardsmen are coming home from Iraq to face a new enemy – a swooning economy that has landed like a KO'd heavyweight on the canvas of their home towns.

Michelle Obama bringing glamour to Moscow

The first lady, who has wowed publics in the U.S. and Europe with her easy elegance and charm, will perhaps face a bigger challenge in winning over a Russian public that has scant respect for women who grab the limelight from their powerful husbands.

2 GIs die in bombing, gunfight at Afghan base
Militants blew up a vehicle outside the gates of a U.S. base in Afghanistan on Saturday, sparking a two-hour gunbattle, officials said. Two American troops were killed and four others injured.

Iran leader's aide: Mousavi is a U.S. agent

A top aide to Iran's supreme leader called the country's main opposition figure a U.S. agent and accused him in an editorial Saturday of committing crimes against the nation.

Jackson says he'll return for another Lakers run

Phil Jackson is returning to coach the Los Angeles Lakers next season.

Analysis: Yet again, Palin plays by own rules

Sarah Palin demonstrated once again yesterday that she is one of America's most unconventional politicians, following an unpredictable path to an uncertain future.

Economists point to rising debt as next crisis

The Founding Fathers left one legacy not celebrated on Independence Day but which affects us all. It's the national debt, which is a staggering $11.4 trillion — about $37,000 for every American.

Powerful sedative found in Jackson's home

A law enforcement official says the powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's home. Diprivan is an intravenous anesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. Also known as Propofol, it's very unusual to have in a private home