WASHINGTON - The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly shrank in January, reflecting a big drop in imports of oil and foreign cars.

WASHINGTON -- Legislation to give additional months of unemployment benefits to people who have been out of a job for more than half a year cleared a key hurdle Tuesday that guarantees that it will soon pass the Senate.

WASHINGTON -- Millions of Americans have been forced to rely on unemployment payments for extended periods as the nation struggles through its longest high joblessness period in a generation, and critics are taking aim, saying the Depression-era program created as a temporary bridge for laid-off workers is turning into an expensive entitlement.