Even though a budget measure that governs farm subsidies expires along with 2013, top lawmakers negotiating a new farm bill say they're close to finishing a deal that would avert price spikes in milk and other commodities.

An exterior of a new McDonald's fast-food restaurant is seen June 8, 2005 in Oak Brook, Illinois.

A U.S. government contractor kidnapped by al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan in 2011 has recorded a video message calling on the Obama administration to negotiate with his captors, saying he feels “totally abandoned and forgotten.”

U.S. President Barack Obama and wife Michelle thanked U.S. troops for their service on Wednesday during a Christmas Day visit to Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kanoehe Bay.