A man distraught because he could not find work shot and killed his mother-in-law, his wife and three sons and then killed himself inside a home in an upscale Southern California neighborhood, police said. Authorities said the man had an MBA in finance but appeared to have been unemployed for several months. Inside the house, police found three letters apparently written by the suspect.

Barack Obama has widened his lead over John McCain to 8 points in the race for the White House, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research poll. The survey suggests that the country's financial crisis, record low approval ratings for President Bush and a drop in the public's perception of McCain's running mate could be contributing to Obama's gains.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband has agreed to answer written questions in the state Legislature's investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner, campaign officials said Monday.

Prosecutors trying to persuade a judge not to throw out the criminal case against Sen. Ted Stevens expect the Justice Department to investigate them for their failure to disclose evidence that might help clear the 84-year-old GOP lawmaker.

With four weeks to go till Election Day, the road ahead for John McCain is straight up the side of an ice-covered mountain.

The women line the mountainside, locked hand in hand in their green battle fatigues, and begin dancing. It's a victory dance, they say, that is routine after raids across the border on Turkish troops.

Taliban leaders are holding Saudi-brokered talks with the Afghan government to end the country's bloody conflict -- and are severing their ties with al Qaeda, sources close to the historic discussions have told CNN.

A meteor, or shooting star, is usually the size of a pebble, or even a grain of sand, burning up in the atmosphere.

Picture this: you're sat down for the Football World Cup final, or a long-awaited sequel to the Sex and the City movie and you're watching all the action unfold in 3D on your coffee table.