News

As travelers take to the road, air and rail Thursday, they should keep one thing in mind: It could be worse. 

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• Obama hoping for low-profile Hawaiian vacation
• Study questions seniority-based teacher layoffs
• Nation

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. led the successful lobbying campaign to persuade federal regulators writing natural-gas safety rules seven years ago to endorse a pipe inspection method many experts see as deficient -- the technique used on the pipeline that later failed catastrophically in San Bruno. Eric Nalder

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• Mayor Newsom puts swearing-in off a while
• S.F.'s Doyle Drive deal blocked by court
• Bay Area & State

This is the story of a "lame duck" Congress that wasn't. Shaken by a historic election in which angry voters canceled Democratic control of the House, lawmakers of both parties and President Barack Obama tried something new: They consulted each other. They cooperated. And finally, they compromised.

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• It's official: 'Don't ask, don't tell' repealed
• 9/11 responders' $4.2B aid package called miracle
• Politics

By 2015, your mobile phone will project a 3-D image of anyone who calls and your laptop will be powered by kinetic energy. At least that's what IBM Corp. sees in its crystal ball.

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• Asia air cargo signals slower electronics sales
• Cherokee, Apple partner to put language on iPhone
• Technology

Rome's police chief says all embassies have been informed about a pair of package bombs that exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies, injuring two people who opened them.

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• N.Korea threatens 'sacred' nuclear war if attacked
• World