Sorting out NFL pretenders from contenders
Curran: Just which teams vying for the NFL postseason actually have a chance to reach Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla.? Tom Curran is here to sort out the top teams and figure out which are contenders and which are pretenders.

Automakers pitch Congress anew

U.S. automakers drew fresh skepticism from lawmakers Thursday in a rocky confrontation over their pleas for an expanded $34 billion rescue package they say they need to survive.

U.S. weighs action on mortgage rates

Department considers plans to intervene directly to force down rates and stimulate the moribund housing market, according to sources.

Mars science laboratory delayed to 2011

The Mars Science Laboratory mission, originally slated to launch next year, has been delayed until 2011, NASA announced today.

Jewish settlers, Israeli troops clash

Israeli security forces stormed a disputed house in Hebron on Thursday, dragging out some 250 settlers who barricaded themselves inside and hurled rocks, eggs and chemicals.

Landmark West Hollywood strip club burns

A fire has erupted at the Body Shop, a landmark strip club in West Hollywood, Calif., included in the Motley Crue song "Girls, Girls, Girls."

Solar car completes first round-the-world trip

The first solar-powered car to travel around the world ended its journey at the U.N. climate talks Thursday, arriving with the message that clean technologies are available now to stop global warming.

Star-studded Web video protests Prop 8

Since Proposition 8 passed in California, much of Hollywood has been up in arms. Now, they are singing and dancing, too, in a new Web video called "Prop 8: The Musical."

Zimbabwe declares health emergency

Zimbabwe has declared a national emergency over its cholera epidemic and the collapse of its health system due to the country's economic crisis.