Travelers wait in line for their flights at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Dec. 22, in Seattle, Washington.
Travelers wait in line for their flights at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Dec. 22, in Seattle, Washington.
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By Stephen Brashear, Getty Images
flights |  | 
Airline passengers' complaints on upswing

By Gary Stoller, USA TODAY

Air travel in '08 may have taken its sharpest dip since the 9/11 attacks, but complaints to the Dept. of Transportation rose.
washington |  | 
Obama pushes for bailout approval
The president-elect made one last pre-presidential visit to the U.S. Senate, urging Dem colleagues to stick with him and OK the remaining $350 billion.
washington |  | 
Clinton: U.S. must use 'smart power'
Urges "principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology."
news |  | 
'Idol': Phoenix kicks off Season 8
Show kicked off with new contestants and producers. But the real star of the auditions was the new judge.
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Inauguration perspectives

Video: Tuskegee airman on life, Obama, inauguration
Dr. Roscoe Brown, a Tuskegee Airman and a leader in the African-American community, discusses his life and the challenges that face Barack Obama.

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Military life
One soldier details his experiences in a cartoon.
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Roscoe Brown
The African-American leader talks his life, Obama.
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Biden trip
The Vice President-elect is spening time in Iraq.
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Truth about 'Lie to Me' and other news about Fox shows.
Mind the gap
What advice would you give Obama to boost achievement?
Army suicides
Statistics indicate rise as time spent in combat increases.
Women's hoops
UConn, UNC rule top of the poll as showdown looms.
Close to Home
Prices fall in Eugene, Ore., but not enough to aid home sales.
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Share your recent activity with your Facebook friends and more.
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National Football League

NFL Replay: Wild playoffs turn front-runners into has-beens
The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants defeats to the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, assured that two No. 6 seeds are in the conference finals for the first time.

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Mark Memmott and the White House team bring you the latest on the Obama presidency. Join the conversation.

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Prayer leaders may be included at the National Service.
Lifeline Live
Ben and Jen announce new baby's name.
The Huddle
Injured Polamalu unlikely to practice, should play.
Losing weight
Six habits of highly effective dieters.
Cruise Log
Another cruise ship jumper rescued at sea.
MMA Insider
Affliction pleased with ticket sales for Fedor-Arlovski card.
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Opinion

Public health plan deserves shot
Critics of President-elect Barack Obama’s health care reform plan say a government-run alternative will kill its free-market competitors. But if private plans can’t compete, aren’t they simply validating the argument for a single-payer system?
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Across the USA
nation |  | 
By Tom Britt, atGeist.com
Parachuting investor caught in Fla. after fleeing
With his world crumbling around him, investment adviser Marcus Schrenker opted for a bailout. However, his escape plan was short-lived.
nation |  | 
Wash. court: Sex between teachers, 18-year-olds OK
Wash. state law does not bar teachers from having consensual sex with 18-year-old students, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.
nation |  | 
By Jessica Rinaldi, for USA TODAY
One day, 3,000 adoptions from pet shelters, no fees
By Sharon L. Peters, Special for USA TODAY
They're pulling out all the stops next week in a nationwide effort to boost the number of shelter animals that find new homes.
nation |  | 
Cheerleader mom sent to mental health facility
A woman who enrolled in high school under her daughter's name and tried out for the cheerleading squad has been committed to a facility.
Finance
technology |  | 
Business Wire
Yahoo names tech veteran Carol Bartz as new CEO
Yahoo confirms that it has hired Silicon Valley veteran Carol Bartz as its new chief executive.
banking |  | 
Citigroup agrees to merge brokerage with Morgan Stanley in $2.7B deal
Citigroup and Morgan Stanley are combining their brokerages in a deal that shows how much Citigroup wants to slim down and build up cash.
economy |  | 
Bernanke: Stimulus is good, but financial markets need help
By Sue Kirchhoff, USA TODAY
Fed Chairman cautioned that more is needed to ensure a long-lasting recovery from the "extraordinary stress" in global financial markets.
Politics
washington |  | 
By Mike Theiler, Reuters
Energy pick Chu warmly received at Senate
By Traci Watson, USA TODAY
Barack Obama's nominee to head the Department of Energy told senators that he would focus the department to address global warming.
washington |  | 
Democrats seek criminal probe of Bush 'abuses'
The incoming Obama administration should launch a criminal investigation of Bush administration officials to see whether they broke the law...
Sports
nfl |  | 
By Gregory Shamus, Getty Images
Ravens get chance to 'make it right' in meeting vs. Pitt
By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY
There is a familiar NFL notion that it is especially tough to beat a team for the third time in the same season.
chiefs |  | 
Chiefs lure Scott Pioli from Patriots to be GM
Scott Pioli, who helped build a dynasty at New England, is the new general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tech
tech | 
Slacker CEO Dennis Mudd
By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
New iPhone radio app -- and it's not Pandora
By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
Slacker, the company with the personalized radio website, now have a free iPhone/iPod touch application that plays online radio on the go.
extremes |  | 
Intense cold blast chills Midwest, heads East
Temperatures crashed to Arctic levels as a severe cold wave rolled across the upper Midwest on the heels of yet another snowstorm.
wireless |  | 
Cellphones put to 'unnerving' use in Gaza
By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY
Both sides in Gaza have employed phones as a form of psychological warfare, part of a trend toward using new media in an old conflict.
Health & Wellness
food |  | 
Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
The number of people sickened in a nationwide outbreak of salmonella tied to tainted peanut butter rose Tuesday to 425 in 43 states.
weightloss |  | 
By Carlos Barria, Reuters
Miami's vices make it fattest; Salt Lake City fittest
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
Miami residents aren't all following the South Beach Diet. It is the fattest city in the USA and Salt Lake City is the most fit.
health |  | 
Sexually spread diseases up, better testing cited
Sexually spread diseases -- for years on the decline -- are on the rise in the USA, with reported chlamydia cases setting a record.
health |  | 
More than 1 million baby cribs recalled over suffocation risk
The Canadian company that makes the Stork Craft line of baby cribs is voluntarily recalling more than 1 million of them in the USA, Canada.
health |  | 
UnitedHealth strikes deal with N.Y.
By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY
UnitedHealth Group has agreed to end a practice that allegedly caused patients to overpay for care outside the insurer's network.
Judicial system
judicial |  | 
Supreme Court hears death row appeal involving right to lawyer
By Joan Biskupic, USA TODAY
The Court heard a La. death row appeal in a case that explores how a defendant's right to a lawyer plays out during police encounters.
Inauguration preparations
news |  | 
By Santa Fabio for USA TODAY
Aretha Franklin lends her voice to history at inauguration
By Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY
If Barack Obama feels like a change of pace after his gig as leader of the free world, he might consider a singing career. So says Franklin.
people |  | 
Crowds won't keep these six inauguration-seekers away
By Olivia Barker, USA TODAY
For Wade, it is a "full-circle moment." Born in D.C., seven months before MLK Jr.'s 'Dream', Wade now lives in a town he mentioned.