Monday, October 6 Relief on Wall Street over the hard-won passage of a $700 billion bailout package for the financial system apparently hasn't yet trickled down to the pubs, storefronts, car lots and malls of Main Street. Many Americans spent an uneasy weekend wondering whether the rescue would help in time — or at all — and trying to figure out where next to cut back as the   Full Story

Monday, October 6 BAGHDAD (AP) — Egypt sent its foreign minister to Iraq Sunday for the first time in nearly two decades in a sign of growing Arab acceptance of the country's Shiite-led government. In the north, 11 people including women and children died during a U.S. raid on a house in Mosul, where an extremist detonated a suicide vest — a stark reminder that Iraq still faces   Full Story

Saturday, October 4 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Sarah Palin questioned Republican presidential candidate John McCain's decision to abandon efforts to win Michigan, a campaign move she only learned about Friday morning when she read it in the newspapers. In an interview with Fox News Channel Friday, the Alaska governor said she was disappointed that the McCain campaign decided to stop competing   Full Story

Saturday, October 4 NEW YORK (AP) — Who's running for president, anyway? More than 70 million people watched Thursday's vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin on television, far more than the audience for the first contest featuring the top of the tickets. That would make it the second most-watched political debate ever, behind only the 80.   Full Story

Saturday, October 4 ABINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama used word of the nation's worst monthly job loss in over five years Friday to argue the policies of his Republican opponents "are killing jobs in America every single day." Republican John McCain retorted that Obama's tax and spending plans won't solve the problem.   Full Story

Saturday, October 4 BAGHDAD (AP) — As violence in Iraq recedes, neighboring states are pondering how to deal with an unwieldy country that could re-emerge as a key player along with Saudi Arabia and Iran in one of the world's most strategic regions. The role of regional power broker may seem far-fetched for Iraq — a devastated land best known for car bombs, death squads and   Full Story

Friday, October 3 WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major concession, Republican John McCain has abandoned efforts to win Michigan, a Democratic-leaning battleground state the GOP presidential candidate had hoped to capture. Republican officials with knowledge of the strategy said the GOP nominee is removing staff, curtailing advertising and canceling visits to the Midwestern state, which offers   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. (AP) — Preston Morrow was having a little adventure, wandering off-trail alone to look for a remote mine. He was scrambling down a rugged embankment Monday when he noticed some brittle, weathered identification cards scattered among the decomposing pine needles.   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 WASILLA, Alaska (AP) — Sarah Palin and her husband have pieced together a uniquely Alaskan income that reached comfortably into six figures even before she became governor, capitalizing on valuable fishing rights, a series of land deals and a patchwork of other ventures to build an above-average lifestyle.   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 NEW YORK (AP) — In order to seek a third term, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has to circumvent a term-limits law, convince a previously wary public that such limits are negotiable and then win what could be a three-way race. But the about-face may not prove as difficult as it sounds for the mayor, who has billions of dollars in the bank and the support of former foes, and   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — An industrial chemical blamed for sickening thousands of infants in China was found in candy in four Connecticut stores this week, a state official said Wednesday. Days after contaminated White Rabbit Creamy Candy was found in California, Connecticut Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr.   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In this city long associated with the peace movement, some teens are taking an unlikely stance — campaigning to keep the armed forces' Junior ROTC program in public schools. If a school board decision stands, San Francisco would become the first city to remove a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran is two years to five years away from being able to produce a nuclear weapon, the former head of the U.S. weapons-hunting team in Iraq said Wednesday. But David Kay said the U.S. should not consider bombing Iranian nuclear facilities unless the weapon was about to be transferred to a terrorist group.   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 NEW YORK (AP) — Sarah Palin is heading into her debate with Joe Biden, easily the most-anticipated vice presidential faceoff ever, weighed down by fresh evidence that voters are developing serious doubts about her readiness for the job. A new AP-Gfk poll released Wednesday found that just 25 percent of likely voters believe Palin has the right experience to be   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama has surged to a seven-point lead over John McCain one month before the presidential election, lifted by voters who think the Democrat is better suited to lead the nation through its sudden financial crisis, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that underscores the mounting concerns of some McCain backers.   Full Story