Prez Candidate Thompson: Let Iraqis Vote on U.S. Presence

Mortgage woes seen holding U.S. growth "below trend":

A credit crunch stemming from turmoil in the subprime mortgage market will trigger further weakness in housing and keep U.S. economic growth "below trend" most of this year, a UCLA Anderson Forecast unit said in a report on Monday.

New schoolhouse for Amish ready in Pa.:

A new school symbolizing a new beginning stands ready for Amish students who survived a shooting that killed five of their classmates six months ago.

Pregnancy weight gain may impact child:

The standard advice for how much weight a woman should gain during pregnancy may need to changed, concludes a rigorous and provocative study suggesting that even accepted weight gains may raise the risk of having an overweight toddler.

South Korea, U.S. reach free trade deal:

The United States and South Korea concluded a landmark free trade agreement Monday, officials said, culminating 10 months of negotiations in a final week of intense haggling that just beat a key U.S. legislative deadline.

Study finds more air delays, lost bags:

Airline hassles are on the rise: More passengers found themselves bumped, their flights delayed or their bags lost last year than in 2005, a study found.

Taliban deploy thousands of suicide bombers: commander:

Thousands of Taliban suicide bombers have been deployed across Afghanistan to attack Western troops and the government, the group's military chief said on Monday.

CLINTON, RUDY ROMP IN POLLS:

Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton both hold double-digit leads in at least a quarter of the "Super Duper Tuesday" states that will hold primaries on Feb. 5 and help determine each party's nominee, an analysis of recent polls shows...

LET IRAQ VOTE ON U.S.: POL:

Former Bush Cabinet member Tommy Thompson, in announcing his presidential candidacy yesterday, said he would urge the Iraqi government to vote on whether U.S. troops should stay. "Nobody has ever asked that government, duly elected, to...