Halfway through the first year of his historic administration, President Obama will give himself an early report card this weekend, assembling his Cabinet officials to review their performance and set new goals for the months ahead. All 22 Cabinet-rank officials will meet to discuss "priorities for the administration's agenda moving forward," a White House official said. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will kick off the two-day assessment with a dinner for the Cabinet on Friday evening at Blair House, ...

The government's cash-for-clunkers program appears to be working like a charm, so — time to shut it down. Good old Washington! Offering rebates of up to $4,500 to folks trading in their gas guzzlers for new, more fuel-efficient cars, the program has been everything a stimulus package ought to be: a quick and efficient way to spur private-sector spending in support of a worthwhile civic goal. ...

More than half of children taking antiviral drug Tamiflu suffer side-effects such as nausea, insomnia and nightmares, UK researchers have said. Two studies from experts at the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showed a "high proportion" of British schoolchildren reporting problems after taking the anti-viral drug. Data was collected from children at three schools in London and one in south west England who were given Tamiflu earlier this year after classmates became infected. The studies by HPA experts were carried out ...

A legal battle has put the future of Skype in jeopardy, according to eBay, which owns the online communications system. If Skype loses the right to use a key part of its software and can't create an adequate replacement, "Skype's business as currently conducted would likely not be possible," eBay said in its quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is no sign of Skype disappearing soon -- a relief to the more than 480 million registered ...

A lot of people like Adam Sandler. The box office earnings for many of his films are testament to his drawing power. Sandler's biggest comedic blockbusters include "Big Daddy," "The Waterboy" and "The Longest Yard," each of which has earned well over $150 million domestically. He has seven other titles that have also passed the coveted $100 million mark. The thing all these films have in common is that they are all comedies. So, it's likely safe ...

Many Latinos say they know how Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates felt during a recent arrest because they believe police often racially profile Hispanics, too. The Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan announced it recorded 1,013 civilian deaths in Afghanistan during the first six months of this year. That compares to 818 Afghan civilians who were killed during the same period in 2008, while 684 civilians were killed during the first half of 2007. ...

Civilian casualties resulting from Afghanistan's war have spiked, jumping some 24 percent above figures from last year, the United Nations reported Friday. The Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan announced it recorded 1,013 civilian deaths in Afghanistan during the first six months of this year. That compares to 818 Afghan civilians who were killed during the same period in 2008, while 684 civilians were killed during the first half of 2007. Insurgent roadside bombs and ...

Felipe Massa is to return home to Brazil on Monday just nine days after fracturing his skull in a freak accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Massa is continuing to make a good recovery after having emergency surgery for life-threatening injuries he sustained in the horror crash last Saturday. The Ferrari ace was struck full on the helmet by a suspension spring that had fallen off the Brawn GP of fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello. He was knocked unconscious and ...

It may have been the most famous "happy hour" in modern American history. The U.S. president, a policeman and a professor had beers together this week, after an escalating incident that reminded America race still matters. The police officer is Sgt. James Crowley, a well-regarded white patrolman in the college town of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Was Obama right to become involved in dispute The professor is African-American scholar Henry Louis Gates of Harvard University, who is also one of ...

Amidst all the other tumult, causes and revolutions of the 1960s — race, sex, war, feminism — the fight of the fat is a historical footnote. But America's overweight had their cause too. When hippies started staging "be-ins" to protest the Vietnam War, the first fat activists co-opted the idea: they staged their own event in New York City's Central Park, dubbed it a "Fat-In" and ate ice cream while burning posters of uber-thin model Twiggy. Viva la revolución. ...