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Repaying the loans given them under the Troubled Asset Relief Program will free them from close regulatory scrutiny. The announcements marked the latest step toward recovery for the U.S. financial system.

Senate Democrats may abandon a proposed expansion of Medicare from health care legislation. Lawmakers say the move is probably necessary to pass the bill.

The bank's announcement Monday comes hours after Citigroup said it would repay $20 billion worth of taxpayer funds. The move will extricate Wells Fargo from the pay restrictions and close oversight that came with the bailout program.

New figures show that the number of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli communities has decreased by 90 percent since the end of Israel's Gaza offensive almost a year ago. Yet Israelis with homes close to Gaza say they are still living in fear and suffering the traumatic aftereffects of the bombardment.

Two groups made the announcement as they settled lawsuits filed against the Executive Office of the President over the failure of the Bush White House to install an electronic record-keeping system. The e-mails will now go through the National Archives normal process for releasing presidential and agency records.

It appears that 22 million e-mail messages from the Bush administration have been restored, as part of an extensive recovery effort associated with several lawsuits. The Bush White House had blamed a faulty electronic-archiving system for the lost e-mails.

Democrats are split on a proposed amendment to the health care overhaul bill that would allow pharmacies and wholesalers to import lower-cost drugs from overseas. Supporters say it will save consumers billions of dollars. Opponents raise safety concerns — and fears that it could blow up the entire bill.

The city of Los Angeles is home to nearly 1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries. Its desired target is fewer than 100, so the city wants to close hundreds of existing pot storefronts and create tougher guidelines on where other dispensaries can locate.

Exxon Mobil is betting big on natural gas, announcing Monday it is buying XTO Energy for about $30 billion in stock. XTO is a major player in developing so-called unconventional natural gas resources, including gas trapped in shale rock formations.

President Obama met Monday with the nation's biggest bankers, hoping to jawbone them into providing more small-business loans. Previous administration efforts to boost credit have not yet paid off, and cash-starved business owners are growing impatient.

Climate scientists say Colombia's glaciers could disappear within 15 years. Wet highland areas that provide much of the country's fresh water are getting warmer and drier. And each year, flooding becomes more severe. The coastal area of Tumaco has become an example of how environmental and security pressures are undermining previously stable communities.

As rumors of a secret deal to jettison the Kyoto Protocol spread, developing countries threatened to boycott the talks. But some progress is made on a program that would pay countries to not cut down trees.

Connecticut Joe Lieberman's opposition to one part of the health care bill currently before the Senate threatens its passage.

President Obama told top bankers Monday to explore "every responsible way" to increase lending, saying they were obliged to help repair the American economy after being saved by the taxpayer-funded bailout.

With the mayor's backing, a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the nation's capital is expected to be approved on Tuesday. But opponents, who are hoping for a congressional reversal after the vote, haven't stopped lobbying against it.

Spending online this holiday season is expected to break records. Although shopping on the Internet has become more convenient, it can still be tough to determine which businesses to trust. A new Web tool from the Better Business Bureau is designed to help.

Human Rights Watch says a U.N.-backed Congolese military operation to oust rebels from eastern Congo has caused more civilian casualties than damage to rebels, with more than 1,400 people deliberately killed over a nine-month period.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose term has been plagued by corruption charges, sex scandals and nasty divorce proceedings, now faces court evidence from a mobster linking him to the Mafia. And opposition to the longtime political survivor is growing.

Exxon is snapping up Fort Worth-based XTO, which claims about 45 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, in an all-stock deal. The move could signal a new rush to own natural gas assets by big integrated producers, and perhaps the start of significant consolidation in the energy industry.

European officials say the impasse, started by African countries and backed by major developing countries such as China and India, ends after poor nations received assurances that rich nations were not conspiring to soften their commitments to cutting greenhouse gases.

The New York-based bank, among the hardest hit by the credit crisis and rising loan defaults, got one of the largest bailouts of any banks during the financial crisis: $45 billion. It is repaying the money in an effort to reduce government influence.

Iran's foreign minister did not say when proceedings against the Americans would begin or specify the charge. In November, authorities accused the three, jailed since crossing the border from Iraq in July, of spying. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the move was "totally unfounded" and appealed anew to Iranian authorities to release them.

Dubai got a $10 billion lifeline from oil-rich Abu Dhabi on Monday, securing a last-minute cash infusion aimed at preventing a default that risked sparking broader fears about the city-state's shaky finances.

More than 110 heads of state are expected to arrive in Denmark this week, as diplomats try to bridge enormous disagreements over a new climate deal. Developing countries want rich countries to raise their pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Abortion remains one of the key unresolved issues in the ongoing health overhaul debate. Those on both sides of the abortion debate say they want the health bill to retain the status quo. And the status quo they point to is the Hyde amendment, the ban on federal funding of abortion first passed in 1976. However, the Hyde language has changed many times over the years.

President Obama meets with representatives of the nation's biggest banks Monday, and he could have some sharp words for them. Over the weekend, the president expressed exasperation with bankers on Wall Street. In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, Obama called the bankers "fat cats." He also praised the House of Representatives for passing a bill imposing new regulations on financial firms.

Two researchers are urging states that have approved same-sex marriage to offer marriage licenses online. The marriages are currently legal in only four states, and the move could ease a bottleneck for out-of-state applicants. But critics say those states deserve the revenue from actual — not virtual — wedding trips.

A right-wing candidate for president of Chile got more votes than the nominee of the ruling left-wing coalition Sunday. But the conservative billionaire didn't get a majority, so a runoff will be held in January. If the conservative candidate wins, it could end 19 years of rule by a left-of-center coalition that gave Chile prosperity and democracy following a brutal dictatorship.

Use of CT scans in the U.S. has more than tripled in less than two decades. Despite the medical benefits, these scans emit a significant amount of radiation. A new study estimates that 29,000 future cancers could be related to CT scans performed in the U.S. in 2007.

For years, critics accused Brazil of emphasizing development over the environment. Rampant deforestation made Brazil a major producer of greenhouse gases. But in one town, farmers are now replanting native vegetation in a new initiative that could be replicated across the country.

Nearly a year since Israel's winter offensive into Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, Palestinians are still suffering. Thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed in the fighting. One of the coastal enclave's biggest problems, residents say, is overcrowding and the stresses that it is putting on families.

For about one-third of stroke victims, a clot-busting drug can prevent most of the permanent damage if it's taken right away — yet most patients don't get to a hospital that can give it. Beverly Sylvia (left) had a stroke at the age of 49 but made a full recovery after receiving a clot-busting drug.

We've entered a new golden age — for gold. The precious metal's price has skyrocketed almost 400 percent in the past decade. Countries are buying and selling it in large quantities. Money managers are starting up gold funds. And regular folks are flocking to gold parties, to swap their old jewelry — and even gold teeth — for cash. But what accounts for the frenzy? Host Guy Raz searches for answers with Devon Maylie, a commodities reporter for the Dow Jones News Wire, and Jeffrey Post, the curator of minerals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. ...

Global consulting firm Accenture Ltd. has ended its relationship with Tiger Woods, marking the first major sponsor to cut ties altogether with the golfer since his alleged infidelities surfaced and he announced an indefinite leave from the sport to work on his marriage.

Nearly 35 percent of young black males are out of work. The Rev. Jesse Jackson has joined black congressional leaders in a push to have the Obama administration send help directly to African-American and other minority communities. Jackson talks to host Guy Raz about his calls for targeted economic aid, and President Obama's Nobel address last week.

More than half of the spending bill's cost goes to government health care programs. The other roughly $450 billion is for everything from NASA and Amtrak, to public schools and highways.

An attacker hurled a statuette at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, striking the leader in the face at the end of a rally on Sunday and leaving the stunned 73-year-old media mogul with a bloodied mouth, police said.

The murder conviction in Italy of the American student outraged many in the U.S. Some denounced it as a miscarriage of justice. However, much of the coverage on both sides of the Atlantic was distorted by cross-cultural misunderstandings.

There are many players involved in climate talks at Copenhagen, but one country has a vested economic interest in the outcome. For the last three decades, much of Japan's economy has been geared toward inventing energy-saving appliances and machinery — technology that Japan is hoping the rest of the world will want to buy if a deal is reached in Copenhagen.