AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will visit the West Bank next week as part of a swing through the Middle East, a Palestinian official said Monday, giving an important diplomatic boost to the Palestinians at a sensitive time in peace talks.

AP - Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island said Monday he was not interested in being Democrat Barack Obama's running mate.

AP - Barack Obama's campaign says a satirical New Yorker magazine cover showing the Democratic presidential candidate dressed as a Muslim and his wife as a terrorist is "tasteless and offensive."

AP - So how old is John McCain? Six-packs, automatic transmissions and the American Express card were all introduced after he was born — not to mention computers, which McCain admits he doesn't use.

AP - Democrat Barack Obama said Monday that as president he would send at least two more combat brigades to Afghanistan, where U.S. soldiers face rising violence and endured their deadliest attack in three years on Sunday.

AP - Scrambling to bolster eroding investor confidence, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department announced steps to brace slumping mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AP - Barack Obama on Sunday proposed up to a 50-percent tax credit for small businesses providing health insurance to their employees, a program he hopes has special appeal to Hispanics and other minority groups struggling for a toehold in the U.S. economy.

AP - John McCain says he intends to reverse a trend that other politicians from Arizona have faced in running for president.

AP - John McCain says he has earned the trust of Hispanic voters by championing an immigration reform bill that nearly killed his presidential bid.

AP - Barack Obama mourned the death of nine U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan on Sunday, even as he said John McCain's numerous visits to the region don't leave the Republican better equipped to deal with its volatility as president.

AP - So how old is John McCain? Six-packs, automatic transmissions and the American Express card were all introduced after he was born, not to mention computers which McCain admits he doesn't use.

AFP - Britain pledged Saturday to return to the UN Security Council over Zimbabwe if there is no quick end to violence after a bid to pass sanctions against Robert Mugabe was vetoed by Russia and China.

AP - Confronted by record foreclosures, the Federal Reserve is ready to give home buyers more protection from the types of shady lending practices that have contributed to the housing crisis.