AP - Stoic and publicly silent through months of a sex scandal, the woman whose relationship with former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick led to his downfall broke her silence Monday, shedding tears as she pleaded guilty.

AP - A litany of bad economic news has snuffed out Wall Street's five-day rally, sending stocks falling sharply as investors realized anew how troubled the U.S. economy really is. Confirmation that the nation is in a recession followed reports of only a modest gain in holiday shopping sales, and that prompted investors to begin unloading stocks. Downbeat data on manufacturing and construction spending added to the market's gloom.

AP - An armored truck guard was shot to death at a suburban Miami mall Monday, and police were searching for two gunmen.

AP - The U.S. economy has been in a recession since December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama picked a national security team headed by former campaign rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bush administration holdover Robert Gates on Monday, and said he wants to consult with military commanders before settling on a firm timetable to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq.