TIME.com: Top Nation and US stories

Marja: Operation Moshtarak Tests Obama's Afghan War Plan

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

The looming battle for the small town of Marja could prove to be an important indicator of the prospects for U.S. forces in Afghanistan

Jim Frederick, Black Hearts in Iraq's Triangle of Death

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

The second and final excerpt of TIME contributing editor Jim Frederick's new book highlights how Private First Class Steven Green and his co-conspirators masterminded their crime in Iraq

California Tree Carving Hints at Early Chumash Astronomy

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Hidden behind property signs, a California tree carving has become an eloquent clue to the science of the Chumash people, whose descendants still live in the state

'Black Hearts': On Green, Iraq's 'Triangle of Death'

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

The first of two excerpts from TIME contributing editor Jim Frederick's new book, Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death

Tea-Party Convention: Lessons on Palin and the Movement

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Rather than form a new party, the movement will remain leaderless and campaign for approved conservatives. And they all love Sarah Palin

How to Tame the Budget Deficit

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

With our economy on the brink, Americans need to cut spending and raise taxes. Sound impossible? Here's a way to forge a grand compromise between two warring parties

U.S. Girds for a Fight for Internet Freedom

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Programs enabling online activists living under authoritarian systems to disseminate their views amount to a direct challenge to those regimes

Has the New Naturalism Gone Too Far in Cooking?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Chefs everywhere have gone gaga over Mother Nature, but the movement has nowhere to go

The Great Recession: Will Construction Workers Survive?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

While the national unemployment figure improved slightly to 9.7% in January, that of the construction industry jumped to 24.7%

The Mastermind of Carly Fiorina's Demon-Sheep Ad

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Fred Davis III is the viral video mastermind of Carly Fiorina's demon sheep ad. And he believes the future of political communication lies in special effects

How Scott Brown's Social-Media Campaign Won Massachusetts

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

With a little help from YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts staged the political upset of the year

The Survivor

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

A trusted aide to six Presidents, Robert Gates is the most powerful Defense Secretary in a generation. But what is the Republican at the head of Obama's war room fighting for?

Top 10 Political Sequels

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

As Viktor Yanukovych once again prepares to become Ukraine's President, TIME takes a look at other politicians who have made comebacks at the polls

9/11 Terror-Suspect Trial: Dispute Grows on Court Venue

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

As Democrats count the political cost of an unpopular decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to try 9/11 terrorist suspects in a New York federal court, the Obama Administration is scrambling for alternatives

U.S. Pentagon Cyberwar Strategy: Secret Cyberweapons

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Offense is the best form of defense in cyberspace, but some fear that U.S. capabilities are developing faster than the doctrine governing their use

A Brief History of Gays in the Military

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

As Congress opens its first hearings into "Don't ask, don't tell" in 17 years, TIME takes a look a the history of the love that dare not speak its name on the battlefield

Why Did Federal Agents in Detroit Shoot an Imam?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

An investigation has begun into the way Dearborn, Mich., imam Luqman Ameen Abdullahdied during a raid by federal agents

Miami-Dade Sex-Offender Law Aims to Ease Housing Problem

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Tough ordinances have kept convicted sex offenders from living almost anywhere in Florida -- forcing many underground. Legal reform hopes to change that

The Secessionist Campaign for the Republic of Vermont

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Claiming as much as 13% popular support, the Second Vermont Republic is sponsoring nine candidates for statewide office.

America's Passion for Pizza Seen in Domino's Revamp

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

The pizza chain's reboot isn't a big improvement. But it had to do something in a country where pizza has a special place

Can Obama's Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process Be Saved?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Struggling to get Israeli-Palestinian talks restarted, the President's special envoy gets advice from a discreet group of veterans of previous failed attempts

Getting (Detroit) Back on Track

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Divorcing While Dying

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Why some people opt to go through two awful things at once