Reuters: Top News

U.S. auto execs plead for Congress to fund bailout

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:40:00 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. auto executives warned Congress on Tuesday that their industry was teetering on the brink of disaster as they pleaded for a $25 billion aid package despite political opposition to another multibillion-dollar government bailout.

Lawmakers, Treasury lock horns on foreclosures

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:13:45 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and members of Congress clashed on Tuesday over the best use for the $700-billion financial bailout fund, with lawmakers demanding money to stem a national wave of mortgage foreclosures.

Obama moves closer to key cabinet pick

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:26:16 -0500

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama moved closer to filling a key spot in his cabinet on Tuesday as his transition team plotted a careful course to shaping the next U.S. administration.

Alaska Democrat says beats Republican Sen. Stevens

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:43:46 -0500

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich claimed victory on Tuesday as the first Democrat elected to Congress by Alaska in more than a quarter of a century, unseating powerful Sen. Ted Stevens who was convicted last month of corruption after decades in the U.S. Senate.

Clinton job for Obama may depend on Bill

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:25:52 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If Sen. Hillary Clinton is to be picked by President-elect Barack Obama as his secretary of state, it may well depend on a review of the business activities of her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Suspected U.S. drone attack kills four in Pakistan

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:21:04 -0500

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles at a house in northwestern Pakistan Wednesday, killing at least four suspected foreign militants, intelligence officers and a government official said.

Texas grand jury indicts Cheney, Gonzales of crime

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:27:30 -0500

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A grand jury in South Texas indicted U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and former attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday for "organized criminal activity" related to alleged abuse of inmates in private prisons.

Washington debates bailout

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:03:49 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury defended its handling of the financial bailout on Tuesday as American banking and auto woes reverberated around the globe and the International Monetary Fund said it would need extra funding to help countries through the downturn.

Al Qaeda troubled in Pakistan under leader: expert

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:32:47 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Al Qaeda is struggling to boost its appeal in Pakistan following President Pervez Musharraf's resignation, a U.S. terrorism expert concludes based on comments by the militant network.

U.S. commander in Afghanistan has reconciliation plan

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:37:24 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Tuesday recommended a plan to stem growing violence by empowering local Afghan leaders, including former Taliban members.