AP - Barack Obama, launching his historic fall campaign for the White House with an outdoor Democratic National Convention extravaganza, pledged Thursday to "fix the broken politics in Washington" after he defeats Republican John McCain in the fall.

AP - Residents, tourists and oil workers fled as Gustav swamped Jamaica on Thursday, leaving 59 people dead in its wake. Louisiana and Texas put their national guards on standby, and New Orleans said a mandatory evacuation might be necessary.

Reuters - Strong exports and consumer spending supported by government stimulus checks drove the U.S. economy up at a solid 3.3 percent annual rate in the second quarter, much faster than first thought, but growth is expected to flag as those factors fade.

Reuters - Dell Inc posted a surprisingly steep drop in quarterly earnings and said companies around the world are cutting back on technology spending, sending its shares tumbling and sparking fears of weakness in the whole tech sector.