National Digest

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Obama administration is considering a criminal trial in Washington for the Guantanamo Bay detainee suspected of masterminding the bombing of a Bali nightclub that killed 202 people, a plan that would bring one of the world's most notorious terrorism suspects just steps from the U.S. Capitol, The Associated Press has learned.

Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, was allegedly Osama bin Laden's point man in Indonesia and, until his capture in August 2003, was believed to be the main link between al-Qaida and Jemaah Islamiyah, the terror group blamed for the 2002 bombing on the island of Bali.

Other terrorism trials also may occur in Washington and New York City under a proposal being discussed within the Obama administration, according to U.S. officials briefed on the plan, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private planning meetings.

Inflation tame in 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Consumer inflation was tame in 2009, with prices rising 2.7 percent. Yet families felt squeezed as their spending power sank in the face of falling wages, job losses and higher prices for energy, medical care and education.

A surge in energy prices last year offset the biggest drop in food costs in nearly a half century.

The Labor Department said today its Consumer Price Index rose a modest 0.1 percent in December. Excluding food and energy, prices were also up just 0.1 percent last month.

A separate department report showed inflation-adjusted weekly wages for the 12 months ending in December were down 1.6 percent - the sharpest decline since 1990. Slack wages and scarce job creation have slowed consumer spending, hindering the economy's ability to mount a strong recovery.

Industrial production rises

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Industrial production rose 0.6 percent in December as unusually cold weather helped energy utilities helped offset a small drop in manufacturing. It is the sixth straight monthly gain.

The mixed picture shows that economic recovery remains uncertain, as consumers and businesses did not spend enough to spur the production of more factory goods. The report from the Federal Reserve today is in line with economists' expectations.

GOP gaining in Mass. Senate poll

BOSTON - A new poll in the Massachusetts Senate race shows a shift in favor of the Republican Party and a potential disaster for President Barack Obama and his Democratic political agenda in Tuesday's special election.

The Suffolk University survey released late Thursday showed Scott Brown, a Republican state senator, with 50 percent of the vote in the race to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in this overwhelmingly Democratic state. Democrat Martha Coakley had 46 percent. That was a statistical tie since it was within the poll's 4.4 percentage point margin of error, but far different from a 15-point lead the Massachusetts attorney general enjoyed in a Boston Globe survey released over the weekend.

Tylenol recall expanded

NEW YORK - Johnson & Johnson expanded a recall of over-the-counter medications today, the second time it has done so in less than a month because of a moldy smell that has made users sick.

The broadening recall now includes some batches of Tylenol caplets, geltabs, arthritis treatments, rapid release, and extended relief Tylenol, as well as Motrin IB, chewable extra strength Rolaids, Benadryl allergy tablets, and St. Joseph aspirin.

Almost three weeks ago, the company's McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products broadened its recall to include Tylenol Arthritis Caplets. A full list of the recalled products is online at www.mcneilproductrecall.com. McNeil said the larger recall includes product lots that could be affected by the same problems of nausea even though it has not received any reports from consumers.

The latest recall applies to products sold in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates, and Fiji.

Johnson & Johnson says the smell is caused by small amounts of a chemical associated with the treatment of wooden pallets.