NEW YORK - December 31, 2008 - Connecticut lawmaker Frank Nicastro sees saving the local newspaper as his duty. But others think he and his colleagues are setting a worrisome precedent for government involvement in the U.S. press.

NEW YORK - December 31, 2008 - The worst annual performance for Wall Street stocks since the Great Depression ended with a modest rally on the final day of trading as the Federal Reserve pushed ahead with its plan to buy mortgage-backed securities.

NEW YORK - December 31, 2008 - New York's police chief warned Wednesday that banks need to beef up security as thieves respond to the recession with a wave of heists.

WASHINGTON - December 30, 2008 - Republican Party officials say they will try next month to pass a resolution accusing President Bush and congressional Republican leaders of embracing "socialism," underscoring deep dissension within the party at the end of Mr. Bush's regime.

NEW YORK - December 29, 2008 – U.S. retailers face a wave of store closings, bankruptcies and takeovers starting next month as holiday sales are shaping up to be the worst in 40 years.

NEW YORK - December 28, 2008 - The Baltic Dry Index is a daily average of prices to ship raw materials. It represents the cost paid by an end user to have a shipping company transport raw materials across seas on the Baltic Exchange.  The global marketplace for brokering shipping contracts has plunged 93% since June of this year.

WASHINGTON - December 24, 2008 - The United States has fallen deeper into recession, data showed on Wednesday, with the number of people filing unemployment claims reaching a 26-year high and consumers cutting spending for the fifth successive month.