NEW YORK – New Yorkers have long been able to keep tabs on the national debt, but they now have a highly visible counter to track greenhouse gas emissions. A 70-foot-high billboard outside Madison Square Garden and Pennsylvania Station, not far from the Empire State Building, features a carbon counter. …

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Soldiers seized the national palace and flew President Manuel Zelaya into exile Sunday, hours before a disputed constitutional referendum. Congress appointed a successor, but Zelaya, a leftist ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said he was the victim of an illegal coup. Hours later, Congress voted to …

LONDON – The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline says it has advised medical staff in Canada to not use one batch of swine flu vaccine for fear it may trigger life-threatening allergies. GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Gwenan White said Tuesday the company issued the advice after reports that one batch of the swine flu …

CLEVELAND – Police say there’s only one way for the families of missing women to know for sure if their loved ones are among the victims found in suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell’s house: Give DNA samples. But relatives with checkered pasts in the hardscrabble neighborhood seem reluctant to come …

A U.S. Army spokesman says Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the suspected Fort Hood gunman, is in critical but stable condition three days after he allegedly opened fire on the military base that killed 13 and left 29 wounded. Hasan, 39, was shot during an exchange of gunfire during Thursday’s attack. …

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Two speeding buses have collided head-on on a highway in central Bangladesh, killing at least nine people and injuring 58 others. Police officer Habibullah Sarker said the accident occurred Monday near Tangail town, 45 miles north of the capital Dhaka. Sarker said five people including an infant …

SEATTLE – Parents who thought their preschoolers were spending time in home-based day cares, taking naps, eating healthy snacks and learning to play nicely with others may be surprised to discover they are sitting as many as two hours a day in front of a TV, according to a study …

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Canada’s defense minister says the country will be able to continue its humanitarian work in Afghanistan after it removes its combat troops. Defense Minister Peter MacKay says he’s been making security arrangements with the U.S. and other countries for Canada’s diplomats and development officers in southern …

Russell Crowe got his own back on an Australian newspaper columnist who mocked him for smoking while trying to keep fit by challenging her to a duel — on a bike. The Oscar-winning star was annoyed by an article teasing him for smoking and eating a fatty meal during a …

This is a rush transcript of “Special Report With Bret Baier” from September 22, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. BRET BAIER, “SPECIAL REPORT” HOST: Earlier today, President Obama met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …