Top headlines:
Video: McCain: U.S. needs 'steady hand at the tiller': July 24: In an interview with NBC's Kelly O'Donnell, Sen. John McCain reiterated his sentiment that Sen. Barack Obama, despite his recent high-profile tour, does not understand the consequences of failure in Iraq.(Nightly News) ›23:06, 24.07
Congress OKs $48 billion global AIDS bill: Congress has sent to President Bush a bill to triple money to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world, funding a program credited with saving or prolonging millions of lives. ›00:20
Obama speaks in Berlin: Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama stood before an enormous crowd in Berlin on Thursday and summoned Europeans and Americans to work together to defeat terrorism. ›20:20, 24.07
Abandon ice floe, researchers told: Russian scientists are evacuating a research station built on an Arctic ice floe because global warming has melted the ice to a fraction of its original size, a spokesman said. ›14:58, 14.07
Calif. condors pass test by fire: As wildfire whipped toward a remote sanctuary of the endangered California condor last month, the rare birds got their biggest test in survival. ›20:58, 17.07
Microsoft plans big investments in search: Microsoft's CEO defended the software maker's decision to invest heavily in its unprofitable online business, but shed minimal light Thursday on specific steps. ›00:32
Oddball museums around the world: From the Ventriloquist Museum, in Fort Mitchell, Ky., to the Toilet Museum in New Delhi, the world's weirdest museums and collections. ›21:02, 21.07
Foreign travel remains popular, survey shows: The weak U.S. dollar has not dissuaded Americans from planning trips abroad this year, but they may be heading to destinations closer to home, according to a survey released Thursday by Visa Inc. ›16:05, 24.07
Walter: GOP not without hope: The National Republican Congressional Committee's list of troubles sounds like a bad country song: heartache, money troubles and bad luck. ›14:11, 24.07
Victim of fake Facebook profile wins suit: A businessman won damages Thursday against an old friend who put libelous and unauthorised information about him on the social networking Web site Facebook. ›00:35
More colleges make dorms eco-friendly: More colleges are focusing on where students live, creating green residence halls that are becoming a hot destination for eco-minded students. ›18:43, 16.07
Israelis, Palestinians: Mixed about Obama: Both Israelis and Palestinians came away from the Democratic candidate's visit to the Holy Land with the feeling he would do more for Mideast peace than President Bush has. ›17:37, 24.07
Video: Gender gap theory doesn't add up: July 24: A study just published in the journal Science, based on extensive data required by the "No Child Left Behind" law, may disprove the gender gap theory once and for all. NBC's Robert Bazell reports.(Nightly News) ›23:12, 24.07
Calif. requires ships to cut pollution: California air regulators on Thursday approved the nation's toughest rules to reduce harmful emissions from ocean-going ships headed into the state's ports. ›23:01, 24.07
Barrier islands off New Orleans eroding: The nation's second oldest national wildlife refuge, a chain of barrier islands off New Orleans, is in danger of being lost unless the islands are restored, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says. ›14:33, 15.07
See these must-visit spots before it's too late: Isn't it ironic that as it gets easier to travel around the world, there are fewer amazing things to see. The earth's most revered marvels are increasingly falling victim to overcrowding, global warming, and untrammeled development. ›13:47, 22.07
Use of home equity hits a four-year low: The amount of money Americans pulled out of their homes is at a four-year low as homeowners battle falling home values and stricter standards among lenders, Freddie Mac said Thursday. ›22:30, 24.07
EPA sued over water runoff rules: Five environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, claiming the federal government is violating the Clean Water Act by failing to set standards for farm and urban runoff that is polluting Florida's waterways. ›20:35, 17.07
House proposal to tap strategic oil reserves fails: The House of Representatives on Thursday failed to pass legislation intended to cool off gasoline prices by requiring the government to sell 70 million barrels of light sweet crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. ›22:22, 24.07
Designers add green touch to styling: A decade of quantum technological leaps mean today's designers have in their hands a virtually bottomless toy box of new materials and methods. ›20:16, 21.07
Creators of Scrabble knockoff on Facebook sued: T-R-O-U-B-L-E could loom for a Scrabble knockoff that has become one of the most popular activities on Facebook. ›19:32, 24.07
Suspects found asleep on stolen goods: Police say a trail of pillows and backpacks led to two sleeping men who were arrested after a department store break-in. ›07:26, 22.07
GM, utilities join to study electric cars impact: GM has joined with more than 30 U.S. utility companies to help work out electricity issues that will crop up when it rolls out new electric vehicles in a little more than two years. ›19:17, 23.07
ConsumerMan: Capricious credit card rates: Of 22 major financial institutions contacted, 17 (thats 77 percent) said they reserve the right to increase a cardholders interest rates at any time and for any reason. ›16:23, 24.07
