AP - Strapped homeowners could get government help renegotiating their mortgages as part of the $700 billion financial bailout legislation taking shape in Congress.

Politico - With just four days until the first presidential debate and just 42 days until the November 4 election, Senator John McCain is still feeling for his footing on the financial crisis that seems likely to consume the rest of the presidential campaign.

AP - The corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens could provide a parade of powerful witnesses, from former Secretary of State Colin Powell to Sens. Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy.

AP - Judges could rewrite mortgages to lower bankrupt homeowners' monthly payments as part of congressional Democrats' proposal for a $700 billion financial system bailout.

Reuters - Supporters of deposed South African President Thabo Mbeki may split from the ruling African National Congress and contest elections as a breakaway party in 2009, South Africa's Sunday Times said.

AP - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama undergoes three days of preparation this week for a crucial foreign policy clash with John McCain in the first debate of the general election campaign.

Reuters - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that the Bush administration's $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street lacks "necessary safeguards" in several areas.

AP - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, in the midst of a tough re-election fight back at home, begins another fight with legal and political implications as his trial on corruption charges begins only steps from the U.S. Capitol.

AP - President Bush and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe renewed their push on Saturday for Congress to approve a free-trade deal before lawmakers leave town to campaign for re-election.

Reuters - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Saturday that Democrats want to deal swiftly with the Bush administration's $700 billion financial market rescue plan, but also want more oversight, taxpayer protections and regulatory reform.

AP - Experts at an early August international AIDS conference in Mexico City were full of praise for the United States for having reversed a 15-year-old law banning HIV-positive people from entering the country.

AP - President Bush and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe renewed their push on Saturday for Congress to approve a free-trade deal before lawmakers leave town to campaign for re-election.