President Bush Friday called Cuba a "dungeon" and vowed Washington would not lift its economic embargo until Havana released political prisoners and allowed free expression. Read more »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department plans to start directly injecting capital in U.S. banks as soon as the end of October in exchange for passive investment stakes, according to a financial policy source familiar with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's thinking. Read more »

WAUKESHA, Wis. (Reuters) - Republican presidential nominee John McCain questioned whether Democrat Barack Obama is "telling the truth" about his ties to a former left-wing radical Thursday as he tried to raise doubts about Obama's character. Read more »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House Wednesday said it hoped globally coordinated central bank interest rate cuts would start to stem the financial crisis that has hit markets worldwide. Read more »

(Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain has proposed a $300 billion plan for the government to buy up troubled loans from homeowners who have seen values fall below their debt and restructure them into more affordable mortgages. Read more »

Attorneys for Sen. Ted Stevens say the FBI recorded more than 100 of the Republican lawmaker's phone conversations. Jurors could hear those calls later this month when Stevens stands trial on charges of lying about hundreds of thousands of dollars in home renovations and other gifts he received from an oil contractor. Read more »

Some Alaskans may find their $1,200 energy rebate whittled down to nothing. The one-time cash payout is being combined with the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend in a single payment and, like the dividend, it's subject to federal taxes and garnishments. Read more »