Mary Ann Caldwell puts a window sticker on a 2009 F-150 pickup as it goes down the line at the Kansas City Ford Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo. Ford plans to ramp up production of its F-150 pickups.
Mary Ann Caldwell puts a window sticker on a 2009 F-150 pickup as it goes down the line at the Kansas City Ford Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo. Ford plans to ramp up production of its F-150 pickups.
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By Charlie Riedel, AP
autos |  | 
2008 auto sales may have plunged by 3M

By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY

world |  | 
Israeli troops cross Gaza border
Israeli tanks and infantry entered Gaza Saturday night, launching a ground offensive in a widening war on Gaza's Hamas rulers.
politics |  | 
Obama: U.S. needs stimulus plan
President-elect Barack Obama urged congressional leaders to move quickly on an economic recovery plan.
people |  | 
Travolta's son might be buried in Fl.
John Travolta's teenage son died after apparently hitting his head on the bathtub.
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The year in pictures

Images that thrilled us, moved us
From the passing of legends of stage and screen, to a sports spectacle second to none, to the unending pain of war and natural disaster ... Here are some of the pictures from 2008 we won't soon forget.

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Attack response
Protesters in U.S. condemn Israeli attacks.
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N.Y. senate
Governor may be leaning toward Caroline Kennedy.
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Gazans flee
Israel let hundreds of Palestinians with passports leave.
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Business burial
Business of bankruptcy bustles in Wilmington, Del.
Green strategy
Green economy chances are wide, but complex.
Anniversary
'Sesame Street' is 40 but young at heart.
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Inauguration fashion

Fashion students go to drawing board for Obama inauguration
Who will dress Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day? Instead of querying the pros, USA TODAY checked in with fashion design students at Marymount University.

Photo galleries

Top travel stories
Celebrities
Year in review
Sports
News
Weather
Space
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Check out the newly launched USA TODAY for iPhone. Stay informed about the latest news stories, scores and weather forecasts with this app, available for free download.

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Winter weather
Fine for football, more mess for the West.
In the Sky
Passenger profiling? Muslim fliers removed from flight.
MMA Insider
Japan's other big promotion takes center stage.
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Opinion

Racism’s grip on college football
In a nation that is clearing hurdles of discrimination in awe-inspiring ways, one segment of one sport – college football – seems stuck in time. Indeed, of the 119 programs in the NCAA’s Division I-A, only nine head coaches are minorities.
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Learn more about the completed Obama Cabinet.
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Make the NCAA preview your one-stop calendar.
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Interactive quiz about the 2008 hurricane season.
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Politics
news | 
Burris: 'We are the senator'
Choice of Illinois Gov. Blagojevich makes his case, but says he won't create a scene when Senate reconvenes on Tuesday.
College Sports
bigeast |  | 
By James Lang, US Presswire
Pitt rejects upset bid by Georgetown
The No. 3 Panthers never trailed in Saturday's 70-54 win over the No. 8 Hoyas.
bowls |  | 
Sooners, Gators arrive in South Fla. with a title on their minds
By Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY
Whoever wins Thursday night's national championship game will become the first coach to claim two BCS titles.
NFL
nfl |  | 
US Presswire, AP photos
Survival: Playoff QBs faced long odds for '08 success
By Skip Wood, USA TODAY
The quarterbacks in this weekend's wild-card round of the NFL playoffs seem to have stepped out of a volume of intriguing short stories.
nfl |  | 
Peyton Manning wins record-tying third NFL MVP award
Peyton Manning has joined Brett Favre as the only three-time winners of The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
nfl |  | 
AP photos
Falcons' Smith, 'Fins' Sparano win USA TODAY's NFL coach honors
By Sean Leahy, USA TODAY
After both men led their teams to the playoffs following sub-.500 seasons in 2007, Sparano and Smith share USA TODAY's award.
Money
retail |  | 
Stores loosen policies to make it easier to return holiday gifts
By Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAY
Stores and their shoppers are viewing after-holiday returns in a whole new light this year.
management |  | 
By Mario Anzuoni, Reuters
Women CEOs slowly gain on Corporate America
By Del Jones, USA TODAY
USA TODAY has tracked the stock performance of female CEOs in the Fortune 500 for years.
Entertainment
news |  | 
'Benjamin' and 'Forrest' have a few things in common
By Patty Rhule, Special for USA TODAY
Both films share screenplay writer Eric Roth, though it's too soon to say if history will repeat itself at awards time for Button.
news |  | 
DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures
'Transformers' breaks out the big guns for sequel
By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY
The United States military has declared war on giant, shape-shifting alien robots.
news |  | 
Stay in the race with Showtime's 'Sahara' doc
By Gary Strauss, USA TODAY
The documentary follows three who as they run the entire length of the Sahara, the world's largest desert.
reviews | 
By Larry D Horricks, ThinkFilm
'Good' is a misnomer for this war story
By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY
Not unlike Defiance, another Nazi-themed movie that opens this week, Good lacks character development and dimension.
World
world |  | 
Australia tells U.S. it won't accept Gitmo detainees
Australia said for a second time that it will not resettle detainees freed from the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba.
world |  | 
India asks Pakistan to hand over Mumbai suspects
India's prime minister raised again an issue that has heightened tensions between the longtime rivals.
Across the USA
religion |  | 
Could you live like Jesus for a year?
The Rev. Ed Dobson has spent most of his life following Jesus. But only now does he realize how hard it is to live like him.
nation |  | 
Homicides down in some large U.S. cities
Killings dropped by a third in Wisconsin's largest city last year, making it one of the most successful in tackling its 2008 murder rate.
Natural disasters
hurricane |  | 
Gulf officials discuss hurricane evacuation problems
Mississippi officials want to improve emergency traffic flow where evacuation traffic from Hurricane Gustav created congestion.