There's been a lot of political buzz about Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's 2008 bid for the Republican presidential nomination, and now I know why: In one swoop, his Commonwealth PAC this week hired what could be the A-team of political consultants.
AP - The Dow Jones industrial average swept past 12,000 for the first time Wednesday, extending its march into record territory as investors grow increasingly optimistic about corporate earnings and the economy.
AP - Social Security checks for nearly 49 million Americans are going up by 3.3 percent next year, which will mean an extra $33 per month in the average check, the government announced Wednesday.
AP - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the United States is ready to use the "full range" of its military might to defend Japan in light of North Korea's nuclear weapons test, and her Japanese counterpart drew a firm line against developing a Japanese bomb.
Insurgent attacks in Iraq killed 10 U.S. service members in a single day, the U.S. military said today, bringing the American death toll to 67 in October. The war and escalating sectarian violence have displaced nearly 54,000 families, the Iraqi government said. And of those, at least 100,000 are children, a Red Cross official said.
Kentucky is in shock and mourning after a 67-year-old social worker was beaten to death while supervising a mother's visit with her 9-month-old baby. A search is under way for the mother, Renee Terrell, and her boyfriend, and an Amber Alert has been issued for the baby. Police say the baby, Saige Terrell, was in foster care because of neglect.