BARACK OBAMA

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday Greece's international bailout must be accelerated for the sake of the entire euro zone, as the far bigger Spanish economy suffered a credit rating downgrade.

If the unemployment rate remains high, it is received political wisdom that President Barack Obama's ruling Democrats will be punished by the voters in congressional elections in November.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a sweeping overhaul of banking rules for a second straight day as they sought to extract more concessions from Democrats eager to crack down on Wall Street.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday floated their first counterproposal to rewrite financial regulations after blocking a more sweeping Democratic plan for a second straight day.

For a second time in as many days, U.S. Senate Republicans mustered enough votes on Tuesday to block debate of a Democratic bill that would bring the biggest overhaul of financial regulation since the 1930s.

A sweeping overhaul of banking rules appeared to be headed toward another roadblock in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, although an influential Republican predicted it ultimately will pass the chamber.

Influential Republican Senator Judd Gregg said on Tuesday he expects the Senate to eventually pass a financial reform bill as Democrats moved to force a series of votes to try to open debate on the measure.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a bipartisan budget commission on Tuesday the country's deficits are on an unsustainable path, and will require remedial action from policymakers.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday the country's budget deficit is on an unsustainable path and requires near-term action from policymakers to avoid dangerous outcomes.

The most sweeping overhaul of U.S. banking rules since the Great Depression stumbled in the Senate on Monday as Republicans united to prevent action on the bill.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc will want a judgment based on 'merits and facts' in the fraud case against it rather than popular opinion that it is an 'evil empire', a senior lawyer from the firm that represents it said on Monday.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein were hit with a shareholder lawsuit claiming they hid key details about a risky transaction that resulted in civil fraud charges and a plummet in its stock price.

The most sweeping overhaul of financial regulation since the Great Depression was on track to fail its first procedural test on Monday in the Senate, where Republicans vowed to block the Democratic bill.

President Barack Obama launches a new effort on Monday to build business and social ties to the Muslim world, but analysts say the need for progress on big issues like Middle East peace will overshadow the initiative.

Senators negotiating financial regulatory reform legislation said on Sunday they were close to a bipartisan agreement, but conceded they may not get a deal before a crucial Senate vote on Monday.

President Barack Obama said on Saturday taxpayer-funded bailouts of the auto industry that he approved had paid off, in what amounted to a rejection of conservative arguments against such government help.

Senate Republicans vow to oppose a Democratic effort to begin debate next week on a proposed crackdown on Wall Street unless a bipartisan accord is reached, senior Republican aides said on Friday.

World finance leaders will seek to assure markets on Friday that the global economy is recovering despite the cloud cast by debt-troubled Greece and its request for a huge bailout.

World finance leaders gather in Washington on Friday hoping to plot a course beyond the financial crisis, but Greece's worsening debt woes served as a stark reminder the global economy remains vulnerable.

President Barack Obama scolded Wall Street on Thursday for its furious efforts to fight tighter regulation, saying the United States was doomed to another financial crisis if reforms were not implemented

Boeing Co's chief executive said government subsidies received by archrival Airbus give the European aircraft builder a significant advantage in their rematch for a potential $50 billon U.S. Air Force aerial-refueling fleet contract.