U.S. National - Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The legal battle over gay marriage in California turned on Monday to whether the state's top court could strike down a change in the state constitution that was approved by voters.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wanted by the FBI: agents, language specialists, computer experts, intelligence analysts and finance experts.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Iowa farmer Gordon Wassenaar says he is optimistic about 2009, displaying a sometimes puzzling "glass half full" mentality needed in a profession in which mother nature can wipe out months of work overnight.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Prices of existing Manhattan apartments fell nearly 4 percent in the fourth quarter, two reports showed, and analysts warned of much deeper declines in coming months in the wake of turmoil on Wall Street and financial sector layoffs.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Episcopal Church on Monday won a victory in its efforts to hold on to church property claimed by congregations that have left in disputes over theology and the role of homosexuals in the church.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. retail gasoline prices have risen for the first time in 16 weeks as higher crude oil costs were reflected at the pump, the government said on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Social Security Administration, which pays out $600 billion a year in benefits to retirees, may have underestimated how a decline in smoking will increase life expectancy, two experts reported on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than half of Americans admit they never use a helmet while bicycling and more than a quarter skip the sunscreen, even when they are in the sun all day, according to Consumer Reports National Research Center.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - More than half of teenagers mention risky behaviors such as sex and drugs on their MySpace accounts, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The worst financial crisis in more than a half century is going to get even worse, putting further pressure on U.S. home prices and driving the unemployment rate above 11 percent, according to two prominent academic economists.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Citgo Petroleum Corp, the U.S. arm of Venezuela's state oil company, has suspended its program to provide free heating oil to hundreds of thousands of low-income U.S. families, the head of the nonprofit organization that distributed the fuel said on Monday.

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - The abduction of a U.S. anti-kidnap expert in northern Mexico last month remains a mystery with no clues to the man's whereabouts and no ransom demanded by his captors, police said on Monday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Seven U.S. airlines have sued the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, claiming the agency broke its own rules and may have compromised flight safety when it set new standards for pilot rest times last year without input from the carriers.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. first lady Laura Bush has agreed to publish her memoirs with Scribner, the publisher said on Monday, giving the normally soft-spoken former librarian a chance to offer her views on the Bush presidency.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats are considering a major expansion of government-assisted health care insurance and unemployment benefits as part of a two-year economic recovery program, The New York Times reported in its Sunday editions.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Eight people died and one was injured in Sunday's crash in Louisiana of a helicopter carrying oilfield workers, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Even amid the flash and sizzle of the world's premier showcase for consumer electronics, the reality of the economic recession will be hard to ignore.

NASSAU (Reuters) - Actor John Travolta broke a two-day silence over the death of his 16-year-old son Jett on Sunday, saying he and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, were "heartbroken" by their sudden loss.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Soon new battles will wage in primetime: ABC's hit thriller "Lost" against Fox's new crime drama "Lie to Me" on Wednesday. NBC's comedy favorite "The Office" vs. Fox's reality hit "Hell's Kitchen" on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook took a short pass 71 yards for the game-clinching touchdown as the Eagles beat hosts Minnesota 26-14 in their NFC wildcard playoff game on Sunday.

MIAMI (Reuters) - The Baltimore Ravens' much-vaunted defense smothered Miami on Sunday as the Dolphins' Cinderella season ended with a 27-9 defeat in their AFC wildcard clash.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The injury-depleted Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a 80-77 setback to the woeful Washington Wizards on Sunday but did not lose any ground in their bid to claim the best record in the Eastern Conference.

ABOARD A U.S. AIR FORCE JET (Reuters) - Barack Obama is not afraid to admit it -- he got a little emotional before leaving Chicago for Washington where he will soon become the next president of the United States.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Sunday that "legal authority" exists under the Constitution to bar embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pick to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, but added there is also room to negotiate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. drivers need to pay more gas taxes and new user fees to fix crumbling roads and bridges and ease congested highways, a transportation commission is set to recommend to Congress later this month.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kobe Bryant picked up right where he left off the last time he faced the Utah Jazz, scoring a game-high 40 points to pace the surging Los Angeles Lakers in their 113-100 home victory on Friday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chrysler LLC on Friday received an initial $4 billion emergency loan from the U.S. government, two days after the government completed a parallel payout to its larger rival General Motors Corp.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The assets of failed U.S. mortgage lender IndyMac are being bought by a group of private equity and hedge fund firms, including Dune Capital Management and J.C. Flowers & Co, which are putting up $1.3 billion in cash.