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Senator Lindsey Graham speaks at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota September 4, 2008. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

McCain and Obama clash on economy

32 minutes ago

CEDARBURG, Wisconsin (Reuters) - Presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama, back on the campaign trail after their party conventions, clashed over the ailing U.S. economy on Friday as unemployment hit its highest monthly rate in nearly five years.

  • Tropical Storm Hanna is seen south-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina in this satellite image taken September 4, 2008. (NOAA/Handout/Reuters)
    Hurricane Ike threatens Gulf 54 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hurricane Ike may be on course toward a potentially dangerous route into the oil-producing Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. emergency official said on Friday.

  • Boeing machinist Jim Anderson prepares strike signs at machinists union headquarters in Seattle, Washington, September 3, 2008. (Robert Sorbo/Reuters)
    Boeing workers prepare to strike as talks go on 37 minutes ago

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co's machinists prepared for a strike on Friday as the plane maker and its largest union tried to hammer out a last-ditch deal on their latest three-year contract.

  • Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (R-AZ) acknowledges the audience after accepting the nomination during the fourth and final day of the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, September 4, 2008. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
    John McCain speech draws record TV ratings 25 minutes ago

    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain beat Democratic rival Barack Obama in the crucial battle to attract U.S. television viewers during their race to the White House, according to figures released on Friday.

  • The U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly shot up to 6.1 percent in August, its highest in more than 4-1/2 years, as employers cut payrolls for an eighth straight month and labor markets showed signs of accelerating decline. (Graphic/Reuters)
    Jobless rate at 5-year high Fri Sep 5, 1:26 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An unexpectedly steep 84,000 U.S. jobs were lost in August and the unemployment rate hit a five-year high of 6.1 percent, fanning worry ahead of November's presidential vote that the economy was near recession.

  • Shoppers walk along Broadway in New York's Soho shopping district August 13, 2008. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
    Voters say economy overshadows political hoopla 56 minutes ago

    CINCINNATI (Reuters) - Trudy Tucker doesn't know if the back-to-back U.S. political conventions addressed the financial worries she has raising four children -- she was too busy to watch.

  • Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) listens during a news conference about ethical questions surrounding his fund raising methods on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 17, 2008. (Jim Young/Reuters)
    Tax chairman Rangel failed to report income Fri Sep 5, 1:22 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - House Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, failed to report $75,000 of income from a villa he owns in the Dominican Republic, his attorney said on Friday.

  • Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice smiles as she arrives at Tbilisi airport July 9, 2008. (David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters)
    Rice meets Gaddafi on historic Libya visit 52 minutes ago

    TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Top U.S. diplomat Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Friday on a historic trip to the north African country she said was proof that Washington had no "permanent enemies."

  • U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (L) meets Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in Kiev, September 5, 2008. REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin (UKRAINE)
    U.S. appeals to Ukraine to unite with West 2 hours, 13 minutes ago

    KIEV (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney appealed to Ukraine's divided leaders on Friday to unite and forge closer links with the West, pledging Washington's support for Kiev to join the NATO military alliance.

  • The F-16, made by Lockheed Martin Corp, in an undated photo. The Iraqi government is seeking to buy 36 advanced F-16 fighters from the U.S., American military officials familiar with the request told the Wall Street Journal. (Lockheed Martin Corp/Handout/Reuters)
    Iraq eyes Lockheed F-16 fighter aircraft purchase Fri Sep 5, 12:16 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Iraqi government has asked for information about buying 36 F-16 fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Martin Corp , the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday.

  • A foreclosed home up for sale in Burbank, California, July 20, 2008. (Fred Prouser/Reuters)
    Home foreclosures reach record high Fri Sep 5, 12:21 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Home foreclosures and the rate of homes entering foreclosure rose to record highs in the second quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Friday.

  • Supporters of Pakistan People's Party hold a poster of their former leader Benazir Bhutto while they gather to celebrate the nomination of Asif Ali Zardari as presidential candidate in Multan, September 5, 2008. (Asim Tanveer/Reuters)
    Pakistan's new president to face crises Fri Sep 5, 9:46 AM ET

    ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's new president, almost certain to be the widower of Benazir Bhutto, will have to contend with a host of critical problems including militant violence and an economy in crisis.

  • U.S. soldiers patrol a road in central Baghdad September 4, 2008. (Mohammed Ameen/Reuters)
    Petraeus says Qaeda still undefeated in Iraq Fri Sep 5, 10:52 AM ET

    BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda remains a dangerous force in Iraq despite a general decline in violence and U.S. troops must continue to confront the militant group, the outgoing top U.S. general in the country said.

  • The cover of Bob Woodward's 'The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008'. (Simon and Schuster/Handout/Reuters)
    New book says U.S. spied on Iraqi leaders: report Fri Sep 5, 7:34 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has spied on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders, according to U.S. journalist Bob Woodward's fourth book on President George W. Bush, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

  • This file picture shows a Pakistani tribesman watching a military operation in Miranshah. At least three children were killed Friday when missiles fired by an unmanned aircraft hit a house in a Pakistani tribal border area, officials said.(AFP/File/Thir Khan)
    Suspected U.S. drone attack kills 5 in Pakistan Fri Sep 5, 7:44 AM ET

    MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least five people were killed on Friday in a missile attack by a suspected U.S. drone in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, in a stepped up campaign against militants near the Afghan border.

  • A suicide bomber named on screen as Kamaal Saleem Atiyyah al-Fudli al-Hadhli, also known as Abu Ghareebal-Makki, speaks in this image taken from internet video footage. Al Qaeda issued new threats against Denmark in an Internet video released on Friday, saying an attack on the Danish Embassy in Pakistan is just the start of its retaliation for perceived insults to the Prophet Mohammad. (Intelcentre/Handout/Reuters)
    Qaeda video vows more Denmark attacks Fri Sep 5, 9:10 AM ET

    DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda issued new threats against Denmark in an Internet video released on Friday, saying an attack on the Danish Embassy in Pakistan is just the start of its retaliation for perceived insults to the Prophet Mohammad.

  • Hurricane Ike heads for Bahamas and Florida: NHC Fri Sep 5, 8:08 AM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hurricane Ike with winds near 125 miles per hour will likely reach the Bahamas early next week and South Florida by mid-week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. EDT report Friday.