Fed survey sees slower growth in East and Midwest (AP)

AP - The economy lost strength in late summer as factory production weakened in areas of the East Coast and Midwest.

Summary Box: More places see slower growth (AP)

AP - ECONOMY LOSES SPEED: A Federal Reserve survey found "widespread signs" that economic growth had slowed in the late summer.

Obama seeks to mend frayed bond with voters (AFP)

AFP - US President Barack Obama Wednesday admitted some of his policies were unpopular and had not revived the economy quickly enough, but sought to rekindle his frayed bond with American voters.

Highlights from the Fed's latest economic survey (AP)

AP - Highlights from the Federal Reserve's survey of economic conditions nationwide. The survey, released Wednesday and known as the Beige Book, is based on information collected from the Fed's 12 regional bank districts.

More stimulus needed for "savage" recession: Geithner (Reuters)

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday the United States needed more incentives to stimulate job growth and bolster a slow recovery from a "savage" recession.

Consumers cut back on credit card use once again (AP)

AP - Consumer borrowing fell again in July as households cut back on their credit card use for a 23rd consecutive month, adding more drag on an economy struggling to mount a sustained rebound.

Fed sees 'widespread' signs US economy is slowing (AFP)

AFP - The US economic recovery is showing "widespread" signs of slowing, the US Federal Reserve warned Wednesday, as it gears up for a key policy meeting later this month.

Shanda Games 2Q net income drops 16 percent (AP)

AP - Shanda Games Ltd., a Shanghai-based online game company, said Thursday its second-quarter net income fell 16 percent as revenue from both casual and multiplayer games declined.

Wall Street climbs in low-volume session (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks rose on Wednesday as investors latched onto positive news out of Europe in the latest in a string of low-volume sessions suggesting little confidence in market direction.

Pakistan official: Flooding will hurt terror fight (AP)

AP - Pakistan's ambassador to the United States says the massive flooding that has submerged vast swaths of his country has stretched thin the Pakistani military and will hamper its fight against terrorists.

Coffee hits 13-year high; retail prices also up (AP)

AP - Coffee prices hit a 13-year high Wednesday, extending a rally that has sent prices up about 43 percent in the past three months.

Remnants of Hermine flood Texas, buffet Oklahoma (AP)

AP - The remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine caused widespread flooding in northern Texas and began buffeting southern Oklahoma on Wednesday, killing at least two people and submerging low-lying pockets of Arlington under several feet of water.

Obama firm: won't yield on tax hike for wealthiest (AP)

AP - Politically weakened but refusing to bend, President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that Bush-era tax cuts be cut off for the wealthiest Americans, joining battle with Republicans — and some fellow Democrats — just two months before bruising midterm elections.

Obama firm: won't yield on tax hike for wealthiest (AP)

AP - Politically weakened but refusing to bend, President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that Bush-era tax cuts be cut off for the wealthiest Americans, joining battle with Republicans — and some fellow Democrats — just two months before bruising midterm elections.

Windy City mayor race may trigger Obama shake-up (AFP)

AFP - Speculation swirled Wednesday that US President Barack Obama may shake up his White House staff if his top political enforcer Rahm Emanuel decides to run for Chicago mayor.

Obama: U.S. can't afford to extend tax cuts for rich (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama, fighting to keep Democrats in charge of Congress, said on Wednesday the United States could not afford to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the rich and accused Republicans of being fiscally irresponsible.

Obama: U.S. can't afford to extend tax cuts for rich (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama, fighting to keep Democrats in charge of Congress, said on Wednesday the United States could not afford to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the rich and accused Republicans of being fiscally irresponsible.

AP Source: New GM CEO wants automaker to beat BMW (AP)

AP - General Motors' new CEO told employees that the automaker needs to make cars and trucks that are better than those of competitors such as BMW.

Crisis CEOs Sullivan and Peek find new jobs (Reuters)

Reuters - Two former chief executives who were criticized during the financial crisis for driving their firms to the brink have found new homes.

Chicago mayor race wide open as Daley steps aside (AP)

AP - Months of political jockeying began in earnest Wednesday as speculation grew about who would try to succeed Mayor Richard M. Daley as leader of the nation's third-largest city, including one-time aide and current White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

Chicago mayor race wide open as Daley steps aside (AP)

AP - Months of political jockeying began in earnest Wednesday as speculation grew about who would try to succeed Mayor Richard M. Daley as leader of the nation's third-largest city, including one-time aide and current White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

Fla. pastor on fringe of US Christian life (AP)

AP - The Florida pastor who plans to burn the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11 is rooted in Pentecostal tradition that believes Christians are engaged in a modern-day spiritual battle with evil.

Appeals court dismisses Boeing-CIA lawsuit (AP)

AP - A sharply divided federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit challenging Boeing Co.'s role flying terrorism suspects to secret prisons around the world as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program.

Hack attack hits home for AP writer (AP)

AP - The Twitterverse is full of far more mysterious forces than indecipherable trending topics and Lady Gaga.

Tropical Storm Igor strengthens in the Atlantic (AP)

AP - Tropical Storm Igor is growing a bit stronger in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands.

Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn (AP)

AP - The leader of a small Florida church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy said Wednesday he was determined to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, despite pressure from the White House, religious leaders and others to call it off.

Governor Rendell: Natural Gas Severance Tax Needed to Continue Protecting Environment, Aid Impacted Communities (PR Newswire)

PR Newswire - CHESTER COUNTY, Pa., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A proposed severance tax on the natural gas industry could help to continue Pennsylvania's investments in important environmental projects well into the future and help affected communities deal with the impacts of drilling, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today while addressing a coalition of organizations dedicated to protecting the state's natural resources.

A look at economic developments around the globe (AP)

AP - TOKYO — Japan's machinery orders, a key gauge of future business investment, rose the most in seven months, a sign that companies are more confident in the economic recovery.

Bankers urge government to pull plug on Fannie, Freddie (Reuters)

Reuters - The federal government should take mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac off life support sooner rather than later, the Mortgage Bankers Association urged on Wednesday.

BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)

AP - BP took some of the blame for the Gulf oil disaster in an internal report issued Wednesday, acknowledging among other things that it misinterpreted a key pressure test of the well. But in a possible preview of its legal strategy, it also pointed the finger at its partners on the doomed rig.

Official: 2nd killed in flooding swamping Texas (AP)

AP - Authorities say flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine has killed a second person who was swept away from his pickup truck.

Geithner: U.S. scarred by "savage" recession (Reuters)

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday the United States is recovering slowly from a "savage" recession that has caused deep job cuts and a loss of confidence.

Obama must not let Taliban rule over Afghan women again (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - In mid-August in the northern Afghanistan province of Kunduz, the Taliban carried out a horrific sentence against two young Afghan lovers who had eloped against their familiesâ wishes. The punishment was death by stoning. Deemed by Islamic extremists to be justified under sharia law, the process involves partially burying the accused, after which a male crowd hurls stones at the victimsâ exposed heads until they die.

Turtle egg rescue at space center billed success (AP)

AP - The unprecedented turtle rescue effort at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is winding down.

Study: Tweaking 14th Amendment would increase illegal immigration (Politico)

Politico - Repealing birthright citizenship wouldn't decrease illegal immigration, a nonpartisan report says.

Detroit mayor calls fires 'natural disaster' (AP)

AP - Detroit Mayor Dave Bing defended a stretched fire department Wednesday and its response to what he termed "a natural disaster," after wind-whipped flames destroyed dozens of occupied and abandoned homes across the city.

Panel examining recession's causes meets in Vegas (AP)

AP - Nevada had unrealistic growth expectations before the nation's financial meltdown battered the state's tourism industry and erased billions of dollars in real estate equity, an economist told a federal commission examining the causes of the Great Recession.

Fed report shows widespread signs growth easing (Reuters)

Reuters - The economy has shown "widespread signs" of slowing over recent weeks, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a report suggesting that while the recovery has been faltering, the economy may skirt a second recession.

8 people missing in Colo. wildfire (AP)

AP - Firefighters encountered a tangle of rattlesnakes, downed power lines and combustible propane tanks Wednesday as authorities looked for eight people missing in a wildfire that has destroyed dozens of homes.

Obama tells Ohio audience of own family struggles (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama is getting a little personal about the sluggish economy, telling a Cleveland audience about his own family's struggles and hardships.

BP and partners trade blame for oil spill (Reuters)

Reuters - A BP Plc investigation of the Gulf of Mexico disaster played down its own role in the world's worst offshore oil spill and pointed the finger at what it said were failures by contractors.

(AP)

AP - Consumer borrowing falls again in July as credit card use falls for 23rd straight month.

(AP)

AP - Consumer borrowing falls again in July as credit card use falls for 23rd straight month.

Fewer Democratic candidates seeking Obama's help (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama doesn't go there anymore.

Alaska's Murkowski weighing write-in bid (CQPolitics.com)

CQPolitics.com - Sen. Lisa Murkowski is strongly considering a mounting a November write-in campaign to keep her seat and could make an announcement as soon as tomorrow, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Google seeks to speed up Web searches (Reuters)

Reuters - Google Inc unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine on Wednesday that predict search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online and to generate more searches on the website.

Mitt: 'Burning the Quran is wrong' (Politico)

Politico - The presumed GOP presidential candidate says it would endanger American troops.

Summary Box: Ireland to split Anglo Irish Bank (AP)

AP - SPLIT: Ireland plans to split its most troubled financial institution, Anglo Irish Bank, into a "good" deposit bank and a "bad" toxic-debt bank. The move comes as the nation seeks to reassure international lenders that it is dealing with the Irish debt crisis.

22 states receive $10 million from US Department of Labor to enhance their unemployment insurance integrity systems ...

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $10 million in grant funds to 22 states to make technology improvements leading to more accurate unemployment insurance benefit payments.

Fidel Castro says Cuban model no longer works (Reuters)

Reuters - Fidel Castro said Cuba's economic model no longer works, a U.S.-based journalist reported on Wednesday following interviews with the former president last week.