Financial oversight...Credit card rules..Withdrawal outline

CHICAGO (AP) President-elect Barack Obama says Americans are frustrated the government has been "asleep at the switch" when it comes to overseeing the nation's financial system. He made the comment while announcing appointments to head the nation's regulatory agencies.

Washington (AP) Federal regulators have adopted new rules for the credit card industry to protect consumers from arbitrary increases in interest rates. But the rules won't take effect until July 2010.

WASHINGTON (AP) The top American general in Iraq has laid out a plan to gradually drawdown the nearly 150,000 troops in Iraq by 2012. The timetable lines up with a new three-year deadline in a security agreement signed with Baghdad. But it's slower than the 16-month timetable pledged by President-elect Barack Obama.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Nascar has settled a $225 million lawsuit filed by a former official who says she was subjected to racial discrimination and sexual harassment. The suit was settled during a mediation held in New York between Mauricia Grant and NASCAR.

Settlement terms are confidential.

LAS VEGAS (AP) Lots of spots in the West are covered in white.

Schools and highways are still closed in Las Vegas because of snow.

In Flagstaff, Arizona, there are reports of snow topping 18 inches.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 12-18-08 1750CST | save this article / add to your favorites list