By Lynn AdlerNEW YORK (Reuters)- WireNews - Investors’ growing belief in the likelihood of a federal bailout of home-funding giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac triggered a rally in the debt prices of the two companies on Thursday while a steep fall in their shares prices abated.Debt investors bet the securities […]

By John Whitesides, Political CorrespondentWASHINGTON (Reuters)- WireNews - It’s show time for Barack Obama and John McCain, with back-to-back presidential nominating conventions offering them tightly-scripted spectacles designed to polish their images and highlight their messages.The four-day Democratic and Republican conventions over the next two weeks will be a mix of pep […]

By Sean MaguireBEIJING (Reuters)- WireNews - Jamaica’s Usain Bolt could run away with a third gold on Friday to complete the Caribbean island’s dominance of the Olympic athletics track.The dazzling double gold winner and world record holder will race in the 4×100 meters relay. The 22-year-old’s fierce speed has lit up […]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)- WireNews - A federal appeals court on Thursday declined to rule on whether lawsuits seeking to target President George W. Bush’s warrantless wiretapping are covered by secrecy laws or can be challenged in court.Citing the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit […]

By David Alexander and Wisam MohammedBAGHDAD (Reuters)- WireNews - A draft agreement between the United States and Iraq contains no fixed dates for U.S. forces to withdraw, but Iraq would like combat troops out by the end of 2011, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Thursday.The draft does not contain definite […]

By Lynn AdlerNEW YORK (Reuters)- WireNews - Investors’ growing belief in the likelihood of a federal bailout of home-funding giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac triggered a rally in the debt prices of the two companies on Thursday while a steep fall in their shares prices abated.Debt investors bet the securities […]

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science EditorWASHINGTON (Reuters)- WireNews - Health officials released a controversial regulation on Thursday to protect health professionals who do not want to provide abortions or certain other health care services.The regulation could strip federal funding from employers or institutions that fire a doctor, nurse, pharmacist or […]

By Tenzin PemaBANGALORE (Reuters)- WireNews - Wall Street research analysts are projecting yet another tough quarter for U.S. investment banks marked by additional writedowns across a series of fixed-income assets amid an already weak operating environment.Shares of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc fell as much as 9 percent in morning trade Thursday, […]

By Lynn AdlerNEW YORK (Reuters)- WireNews - Heightened expectations for a government bailout of U.S. home-funding giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac drove their debt prices higher on Thursday as investors bet the securities will be guaranteed by the U.S. government even if shareholders are wiped out.Shares in the government-sponsored enterprises […]

NEW YORK (Reuters)- WireNews - Heightened expectations of a government bailout of U.S. home-funding giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac drove the two companies’ shares down more than 14 percent on Thursday, as investors feared such government action would wipe out shareholders.The companies’ stocks have fallen for five straight days, losing […]