Israel welcomes cease-fire proposal

Israel tentatively welcomed a proposal for a Gaza cease-fire and briefly halted its offensive to allow aid to reach civilians, but also gave the military a green light to press ahead with its assault on Hamas.

Even guys cuddle their sweethearts' clothing

As many as three-quarters of women and two-thirds of men say they snuggle with shirts and other clothing worn by someone dear, but not near, researchers reported.

Ice storm in Northeast, floods in South

Storms had people on edge across the U.S. Wednesday, with ice and freezing rain  in the Northeast, flooding and power outages in the South and the Pacific Northwest watching for avalanches.

'God' author faces plagiarism claim

Neale Donald Walsch, best-selling author of "Conversations with God," said that he unwittingly passed off another writer's Christmas anecdote as his own in a recent blog post.

Coulter ‘delighted' she isn't banned from NBC

After her appearance on TODAY was canceled earlier in the week, conservative author Ann Coulter was on the show Wednesday, speaking out about unwed mothers and "B. Hussein" Obama. She said she was "delighted to hear" she wasn't banned from NBC.

Obama hails 'extraordinary gathering'

President-elect Barack Obama has returned to the White House for a private sit-down with President George W. Bush, less than two weeks before their official transfer of power.

Ski bum? Bottom bared in lift mishap

A guy who dangled upside down from a ski lift with his bare bottom exposed probably doesn't want to hear any "ski bum" jokes.

Lovesick teen's boyfriend jailed over murders
A 20-year-old man who helped kill a lovesick girl's family because the two were forbidden to date has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Mississippi now has highest teen birth rate
Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen pregnancy rate, displacing Texas and New Mexico for that lamentable title, according to a new federal report.