Top headlines:
Wildlife smuggling ring busted in Africa: An undercover operation in five African nations led to the seizure of about a ton of ivory along with hippo teeth and cheetah, leopard and python skins, the Kenya Wildlife Service said Monday. ›17:37 17 Nov, Mon
Broken butterfly gets mended, andride south: A monarch butterfly has a chance at completing its species' famed migration to central Mexico thanks to some tiny cardboard splints, a bit of contact cement and a trucker from Alabama. ›23:11 20 Nov, Thu
Surgeon who did first U.S. heart transplant dies: Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz, a cardiac surgeon who performed the nations first human heart transplant and who also developed lifesaving medical implants, has died. He was 90. ›22:21 19 Nov, Wed
Video: Video: A green national electricity grid?: Nov. 17: With today's supercharged lifestyles using 13 times more electricity than just 60 years ago, some argue that a national electricity grid could drastically reduce carbon emissions and prevent massive blackouts. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.(Nightly News) ›00:23 18 Nov, Tue
Retirement dreams give way to despair, anger: A rising number of people have seen their retirement plans evaporate. As 401(k)s dwindle, their dreams of golden years are being replaced by feelings of hopelessness and anger. ›14:51 20 Nov, Thu
Escaped inmate returns on his own: Chad Toy's escape from jail wasn't what shocked his jailers; it was his plea to be let back in. ›17:22 18 Nov, Tue
Obamas to green the White House?: While hanging new drapes isn't high on the Obamas' list of priorities as they prepare to move into the White House, design experts wonder if the next first family will use the nation's most famous house as a way to back a serious agenda: going green. ›23:14 19 Nov, Wed
NYT: Daschle poses conflict-of-interest test: The choice of Tom Daschle for secretary of health and human services poses questions about how broadly Barack Obama will apply campaign promises to limit conflicts of interest among appointees. ›15:55 20 Nov, Thu
Newsweek: Working in a flu vaccine factory: When you work in a vaccine factory, getting dressed is half the job. Inside one of the two American labs that produce millions of flu shots every year. ›21:48 19 Nov, Wed
Over 1,000 melamine babies still in hospitals: Over a thousand Chinese infants are still in hospital receiving treatment for kidney damage caused by tainted milk, China's Health Ministry said. ›14:40 20 Nov, Thu
Video: Foreign auto industry empowering New South: Nov. 20: As Detroit's troubled automakers seek a government bailout, the resilience of their foreign rivals could put the American South to the forefront of the U.S. car industry. NBC's Ron Mott reports.(Nightly News) ›23:49 20 Nov, Thu
Senate leader calls off vote on auto bailout: The Senate's top Democrat has called off a planned vote this week on a $25 billion auto industry bailout. ›01:22 20 Nov, Thu
Conjoined twins die aboard plane: Conjoined twin baby girls from Liberia who were traveling to New York for medical treatment died aboard a plane that was diverted to Halifax on Thursday. ›02:34
Organ policy leaves some with subpar livers: An organ allocation policy that puts the sickest patients first in line to receive available donor livers has created unintended consequences for those low on the organ wait list. ›22:54 20 Nov, Thu
Japanese whalers leave for annual hunt: The mother ship in Japan's whaling fleet left Monday for the country's annual hunt in the Antarctic, as anti-whaling activists vowed to disrupt the expedition once again. ›21:30 17 Nov, Mon
Officer in Oswald photo can't escape history: Retired Dallas police detective Jim Leavelle still gets letters from strangers because of that 1963 photo of him standing next to Lee Harvey Oswald. ›00:34
Study: Fast-food ad ban may cut obesity in kids: Banning fast-food advertising on television in the United States could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18 percent, researchers said on Wednesday. ›23:32 19 Nov, Wed
Patience, politeness training for airport workers: Employees at Newark Liberty International Airport are getting training in patience and politeness to help them handle the crush of stressed-out holiday travelers. ›22:41 19 Nov, Wed
Insurance may soon cover maggot therapy: Maggot therapy has received a boost from the medical establishment that could make it easier for patients and doctors to get insurance reimbursement for this treatment. ›22:43 19 Nov, Wed
Water resourcesat risk in a warming world: Both the beauty and the fragility of the planet were on spectacular display Monday as TODAY reported on climate change live from four very diverse regions around the globe. ›15:44 17 Nov, Mon
Video: Congress drives hard bargain for Big Three: Nov. 20: Congress gave the big three automakers a December deadline to deliver a plan proving their viability before any bailout is considered. CNBC Phil LeBeau reports.(Nightly News) ›23:46 20 Nov, Thu
New penguin found, 500 years after extinction: Researchers studying a rare and endangered species of penguin have uncovered a previously unknown species that disappeared about 500 years ago. ›14:32 19 Nov, Wed
NYT: Obama fund-raiser quells Cabinet rumors: NYT: The business holdings and connections that made Penny Pritzker a key to the Obama presidential campaigns fundraising may have kept her from a job as commerce secretary. ›03:14
Inmates break out of cells for sex: Three male and three female inmates at a southern Indiana jail face charges that they devised a way to sneak between cell blocks to help pass their time behind bars by having sex. ›12:10 20 Nov, Thu