USA
Vice President Cheney was released from Washington's George Washington Hospital 4-1/2 hours after checking in early Monday morning after experiencing shortness of breath, a spokeswoman said. Although Cheney has a history of heart problems, doctors diagnosed the situation as a possible side effect from medication he was taking for a foot ailment.
The Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that allows federal AmeriCorps grants to be used to pay $4,725 in financial aid to teachers in needy secular and religious schools.
Drought conditions and gusting winds that have fueled wildfires in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico in recent weeks spread to Arkansas and Colorado, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes. Fires near the New Mexico line in southern Colorado burned at least 6,000 acres, and 3,000 acres were charred in Arkansas, where firefighters said they were hoping to gain control Monday.
A Jordanian-born truck driver planned to represent himself during Monday's jury selection in Indianapolis for his trial on charges of being an Iraqi agent. Prosecutors clam that Shaaban Hafiz Ahmad Ali Shaaban tried to sell the names of US intelligence operatives to the government of former dictator Saddam Hussein for $3 million. Shaaban contends he was mistaken for a dead twin brother with alleged CIA ties.
The national average price for self-serve regular unleaded gasoline has risen almost nine cents a gallon in the past three weeks, climbing to $2.3008 as of Jan. 6, according to the Lundberg survey of 7,000 filling stations.
American auto critics selected the Honda Civic and Ridgeline pickup as the most outstanding vehicles of 2006, marking the first time one automaker has swept the car and truck of the year awards. The Civic beat out the Ford Fusion sedan, the Ridgeline the Nissan Xterra.
After leading the University of Texas football team to its first national championship in 35 years, quarterback Vince Young said he'll skip his senior season to enter the National Football Leaue draft in April. In doing so, he joins Southern Cal tailback Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy winner, whose team fell to Texas in the Rose Bowl.
