PHOTOS OF THE DAY — View all the latest photos in the news from around the nation and across the globe, updated daily by the Associated Press. See today's gallery.

IRAQ — All the latest news from Iraq. Special section.

SUPER BOWL XLIV: SAINTS DEFEAT COLTS — The New Orleans Saints, in their Super Bowl debut, defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday, sending Who Dat Nation into fits of euphoria and lighting up the French Quarter and all of Louisiana. Interactive.

CENTRALIA FIRE — Standing before the wreckage of his bulldozed home, John Lokitis Jr. felt sick to his stomach, certain that a terrible mistake had been made. He’d fought for years to stay in the house. It was one of the few left standing in the moonscape of Centralia, Pa., a once-proud coal town whose population fled an underground mine fire that began in 1962 and continues to burn. Interactive.

HIGH TECH AUTO SAFETY — Your most expensive piece of electronics probably is not your flat panel TV or your computer. More likely, it's your car, which can pack 50 microprocessors to control everything from the fuel mix to the rearview mirrors. Interactive.

TOYOTA RECALL — Toyota’s president apologized Friday for the massive global recalls over sticking gas pedals as the automaker scrambles to repair a damaged reputation and sliding sales. But Akio Toyoda, appointed to the top job at Toyota Motor Corp. last June, said the company is still deciding what steps to take to fix brake problems in the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid. About the recalled cars | Locating the faulty parts.

DEFICIT-INCREASING BUDGET — President Barack Obama unveiled a multitrillion-dollar spending plan Monday, pledging an intensified effort to combat high unemployment and asking Congress to quickly approve new job-creation efforts that would boost the deficit to a record-breaking $1.56 trillion. Interactive.

OSCAR NOMINATIONS — The science-fiction eco-sensation “Avatar” and the war-on-terror thriller “The Hurt Locker” lead the Academy Awards with nine nominations each, including best picture and director for former spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. For the first time since 1943 the Oscars feature 10 best-picture contenders instead of the usual five. Interactive.

LEAKING NUKES — Radioactive tritium, a carcinogen discovered in potentially dangerous levels in groundwater at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, now taints at least 27 of the nation’s 104 nuclear reactors — raising concerns about how it is escaping from the aging nuclear plants. Interactive map, and info on tritium.

STATE OF THE UNION — Declaring "I don't quit," President Barack Obama fought to recharge his embattled presidency with a State of the Union vow to get jobless millions back to work and stand on the side of Americans angry at Wall Street greed and Washington bickering. Defiant despite stinging setbacks, he said he would fight on for ambitious overhauls of health care, energy and education. Interactive.

ROEDER TRIAL — A man who says he killed prominent Kansas abortion provider Dr. George Tiller to protect unborn children has been convicted of murdering the doctor. A jury deliberated for 37 minutes before finding Scott Roeder guilty of premeditated, first-degree murder. Timeline.

HAITI DIGS OUT AFTER EARTHQUAKE — The U.S. military has resumed urgent medical evacuation flights for Haitian quake victims, an official announced Monday, and life for survivors took a step toward normalcy as many schools reopened for the first time since an earthquake devastated the nation. Interactive map, timeline, and gallery | Aerial view | Causes and consequences of arthquakes.

HEALTH CARE — After insisting for a year that failure was not an option, President Barack Obama is now acknowledging his health care overhaul may die in Congress. His tone at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Thursday night verged at times on defeatist. Even while saying he still wanted to get the job done, Obama bowed to new political realities. Health costs by state | Health insurers by state.

SWINE FLU — The World Health Organization has rejected as “irresponsible” allegations that swine flu is a fake pandemic. WHO also dismissed claims it colluded with drug companies to bring economic benefit to the industry by playing up the danger of the new H1N1 influenza strain.
     • The Web site of the Calcasieu Parish School Board, where daily tallies of the number of affected students are kept.
     • An interactive timeline showing the history of the current outbreak, where cases have been confirmed in the U.S. and more.
     • A slideshow of the types of swine flu-related surgical masks.
     • A PDF copy of a CDC notice to travelers about swine flu.
     • A full-page PDF of questions and answers regarding the swine flu.

ACTRESS BRITTANY MURPHY DIES — Brittany Murphy was ill with flu-like symptoms in the days before her death, and prescription medications were taken from her home, the Los Angeles coroner’s office said Monday. The 32-year-old star of films such as “Clueless” and “8 Mile” died Sunday morning after collapsing at her Hollywood Hills home. Paramedics tried to revive her, but she was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Police said there was no evidence of foul play. Slideshow.

HISPANIC APPOINTMENTS — President Barack Obama is on track to name more Hispanics to top posts than any of his predecessors, drawing appointees from a wide range of the nation’s Latino communities, including Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Colombians. That won’t necessarily give the president a free pass on issues such as immigration, but it may ease Hispanics’ worries about whether Obama will continue reaching out to a group that was key to his winning the White House. Interactive.

AFGHANISTAN: THE BEST AND WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE — What is it like to be in the middle of one of the most intense battlefields of the Afghan war? Three marines tell their stories of fighting the Taliban in Helmand province. Interactive.

STRIKE OF THE SWORD: A MARINE'S DIARY — A video interactive on the U.S. Marines that launched their largest air assault since the Vietnam war. Operation "Strike of the Sword" dropped the Marines behind enemy lines in Helmand province, Afghanistan. U.S. Marine Cpl. Jack Hausmann documented the experience in his diary. Interactive with video.

HOLIDAY LED LIGHTS — While more people make the switch to energy-efficient lights for their holiday decorations, the two-inch, 9-watt incandescent bulb remain a nostalgic staple for many families. Calculate your electrical use for holiday lights, incandescent vs. LED. Interactive.

OBAMA'S JOB APPROVAL POLL — Budget deficits are in the stratosphere. Unemployment has hit 10 percent. The health care overhaul is incomplete. Still, Americans appear to like Barack Obama. Some 56 percent of those polled approve of the way the president is taking care of the country's business. Interactive.

BOY SCOUTS CELEBRATE 100 YEARS — Old-fashioned fun is part of the Scout heritage. So is doing one’s duty to God and country. And so too is controversy. As the Boy Scouts of America heads toward its 100th anniversary in February, its first century adds up to a remarkable saga, full of achievement and complexity. Interactive.

KIDNEY DOMINOES — It’s two weeks before a huge domino kidney exchange, and a worried patient is calling Georgetown University Hospital. Is it really OK that she’s lined up to get a kidney from someone two decades older? Interactive.

POLICE GUN DEATHS — A police officer is gunned down in his patrol car in Penn Hills, Pa., while waiting for backup. Near Seattle, four officers starting their day at a coffee shop are ambushed by an ex-con with a handgun. Another four officers are shot to death in Oakland, Calif., after a traffic stop gone awry. Across the nation, 2009 was a particularly perilous year for officers involved in gun disputes. Interactive, sortable map.

GUN LAWS — A nationwide review found that over the last two years, 24 states, mostly in the South and West, have passed 47 new laws loosening gun restrictions. Among other things, legislatures have allowed firearms to be carried in cars, made it illegal to ask job candidates whether they own a gun, and expanded agreements that make permits to carry handguns in one state valid in another. Recent changes in state gun laws.

DECADE IN REVIEW — Here are 400 historic and memorable events from the past decade in national and international news, business, entertainment, sports, science, health and technology. Defining events, Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, are highlighted with photos and audio galleries. Interactive timeline.

PHOTOS OF THE DECADE — Here is a slideshow of the Associated Press photos that distilled historic events of the last decade. Slideshow.