AP - The government put itself four-square into the country's banking business Tuesday, resorting to what President Bush conceded was the unwelcome choice of buying into the system to loosen paralyzed channels of credit.

AP - Wall Street traded lower Tuesday as investors were pleased with the government's plans to spend $250 billion to buy stock in private banks but still collected profits from the previous day's massive advance. The Dow Jones industrial average fell less than 100 points a day after its record 936-point jump.

AP - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton puts the chances of her running for president again at near zero ? slightly higher than the chances she gives for becoming Senate majority leader or a Supreme Court justice.

AP - Ferocious desert winds pushed one of three major wildfires burning across Southern California to nearly double its size overnight, firefighters said Tuesday, the third day of the blazes that have destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands to flee.

AP - Ohio executed a 5-foot-7, 267-pound double murderer Tuesday who argued his obesity made death by lethal injection inhumane.

AP - Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Tuesday proposed a $52.5 billion economic plan that would eliminate taxes on unemployment benefits and cut the capital gains tax while warning voters about taking a chance on Democratic rival Barack Obama.

AP - Alicia Keys and Coldplay lead the nominees for the 2008 American Music Awards. Keys has five nominations and Coldplay has four.

AP - Apple Inc. touched up its line of laptop computers Tuesday with a minimal nod to the economic turmoil that might push consumers to be more frugal this holiday shopping season.

AP - Ringo Starr doesn't want to hear from you. If you do write, your letter will end up in the trash. After 45 years of stardom, he doesn't want to spend any more time answering mail or sending signed photos back to fans.

AP - Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

Reuters - The United States ushered in a new era in banking on Tuesday with plans to take equity stakes worth up to $250 billion in financial institutions, an incursion into the private sector that U.S. officials called a regrettable last resort.

Reuters - Trying to revive his campaign, Republican presidential nominee John McCain offered proposals on Tuesday to help investors rebound from the stock market crash while Democrat Barack Obama prepared for their final debate.

Reuters - Stocks slid on Tuesday as fears the global economy may not avert recession slammed shares of technology and consumer companies, eclipsing a government rescue plan for banks.

Reuters - Firefighters made gains on Tuesday against two deadly brush fires threatening homes on the fringes of Los Angeles for a third day, as dry, desert-borne winds that had been stoking the flames diminished.

Reuters - New York City's economy could lose 165,000 jobs in the next 24 months, almost double the estimate made in July, Comptroller William Thompson said on Tuesday.

Reuters - The Pentagon on Tuesday said it was confident the U.S. and Iraqi governments would agree to keep U.S. troops in Iraq after December 31, but did not say a deal would necessarily fall under a formal long-term framework.

Reuters - Canadians voted on Tuesday in an election that was likely to produce the third minority government in four years and give Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper a renewed mandate.

Reuters - Iceland drew on Nordic help to get foreign currency on Tuesday and held talks with Russia over a possible loan to stave off a crisis that has left its economy near collapse.

AFP - The United States will buy up to 250 billion dollars worth of bank shares as it battles to halt the financial crisis, officials said Tuesday, as forecasters warned two key European economies were falling into recession.

AFP - Republican John McCain battled to retake the election initiative on Tuesday with his latest economic plan but new polls showed the heavy odds now favoring his Democratic rival Barack Obama.