NYT: For Obama, a challenge to clarify

For Senator Barack Obama, the theatrics and drama of this one are overwhelming one of his most important tasks here: connecting with the economic anxiety gripping voters and convincing them that he has concrete and achievable solutions.

Mental skills fade earlier than thought
Simple tests of perceptual speed, spatial ability and verbal function showed that some cognitive skills begin rapidly fading nearly 15 years before death, said Valgeir Thorvaldsson, who worked on the study.

Obama fights 'Swift Boat'-style ads
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign and its allies have begun an aggressive attack on an advertisement running in swing states that seeks to link him to former domestic terrorist William Ayers.

Bankruptcy filings near 1 million in 12 months
Nearly 1 million individuals and businesses filed bankruptcy in the 12 months ended June 30, according to U.S. Court data released Wednesday.

U.S. avoids Russia-held port

Western leaders warns Russia to "change course," hoping to keep a conflict that threatens a key nuclear pact and could even raise U.S. chicken prices from blossoming into a new Cold War.

Computer virus hits space station

A virus designed to swipe passwords from online gamers has inexplicably popped up in some laptop computers aboard the international space station.

Iraq: U.S. sought troop presence to '15

The United States asked Iraq for permission to keep its troops there to 2015, but U.S. and Iraqi negotiators agreed to limit their authorization to 2011, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said.

Indicted Stevens wins Alaska primary

Alaska Republicans gave U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, currently facing a federal indictment, a primary victory on Tuesday.

One-horse town to be no-horse town
A one-horse town in Nebraska looks like it's set to become a no-horse town.