Authorities had feared the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since last September could produce up to 20 inches of rain in some areas, possibly breaching levees in the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley.

About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to consumers.

The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds a majority of Americans think Barack Obama is a riskier choice for the presidency, but he's still leading Republican John McCain.

Microsoft Corp. says the executive in charge of its Windows and Web operations is leaving the company.

Adoption officials said Wednesday that DNA tests indicate a Guatemalan baby reported stolen from her mother was being adopted by a U.S. couple.

The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

Brad Pitt's lawyers say they will take legal action against anyone publishing photos taken of the actor and his newly enlarged family at their French estate. Severa; Web sites removed the photos.

Syndicated columnist Robert Novak says he has been issued a $50 citation after hitting a pedestrian while driving in downtown Washington.

“Do you really know who people are?” That’s the slogan for pay site People Search's freshly launched (and totally free!) companion site, CriminalSearches.com. Do you want to know? Everybody has something to hide – so the cliché goes. That’s where CriminalSearches.com comes in.

The Coast Guard closed 29 miles of the Mississippi River at New Orleans after a 600-foot tanker and a barge loaded with fuel oil collided, breaking the barge in half.