Obama kicks off campaign with $50 billion jobs plan (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama, scrambling to jump-start job creation in a sluggish U.S. economy, announced on Monday a six-year plan to revamp aging roads, railways and airport runways with an initial $50 billion investment.

Colleges buy land they don't know how they'll use (AP)

AP - Colleges and universities are buying up chunks of land at bargain prices, sometimes without a clear idea how they'll be used.

Oil operations in Gulf unaffected by storm (Reuters)

Reuters - BP Plc , the largest oil producer in U.S.-regulated areas of the Gulf of Mexico, and Shell Oil Co (RDSa.L) said Monday that Tropical Storm Hermine was not affecting their offshore operations.

Fiat to name Toyota executive to head sales: report (Reuters)

Reuters - Italian car maker Fiat SpA will hire Toyota Motor Europe's (7203.T) Andrea Formica to head sales at its four-brand automotive group, Automotive News Europe said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Obama assails GOP, promotes new jobs program (AP)

AP - A combative President Barack Obama rolled out a long-term jobs program Monday that will exceed $50 billion to rebuild roads, railways and runways, and coupled it with a blunt campaign-season assault on Republicans for causing Americans' hard economic times.

Counselors monitoring prison officers with PTSD (AP)

AP - John Brownfield Jr. became a corrections officer following deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Colo fire destroys buildings; no injuries reported (AP)

AP - A wildfire in the Colorado foothills has destroyed some structures and triggered evacuations, but no injuries have been reported.

Obama assails GOP, promotes new jobs program (AP)

AP - A combative President Barack Obama rolled out a long-term jobs program Monday that will exceed $50 billion to rebuild roads, railways and runways, and coupled it with a blunt campaign-season assault on Republicans for causing Americans' hard economic times.

Basel committee seeks 9 percent Tier 1 capital: report (Reuters)

Reuters - Global banks will be required to hold Tier 1 capital of nine percent including a 3 percent so-called "conservation buffer," German weekly Die Zeit reported, quoting a draft proposal from the Basel Committee, the body tasked with drawing up global banking rules.

Hurricane watch issued for coasts of Mexico, Texas (AP)

AP - Mexican authorities urged people to move to shelters while officials in Texas distributed sandbags and warned of flash floods as Tropical Storm Hermine headed toward the northwestern Gulf coast on Monday.

Montana plane crash revives 'lap child' debate (AP)

AP - Federal transportation safety officials are using the deadly crash of an overloaded plane in Montana to revive a long-standing debate about whether small children should be allowed to travel on the laps of adults.

Rep. Frank faces town hall foe in Mass. primary (AP)

AP - Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank's retort was an Internet sensation.

Plane crash on NV street kills 1, injures 3 (AP)

AP - A small airplane crashed and burst into flames on a street in a southern Nevada residential neighborhood on Monday, killing one person and badly injuring three others, authorities said.

NY cigarette tax plans raise reservation tensions (AP)

AP - As New York Indian Nation leaders battle in courtrooms to preserve their tax-free cigarette market, tensions are rising on reservations, where the state's renewed efforts to tax sales to non-Native customers is viewed as yet another attack on Native American rights.

Greeting card giant Hallmark heads for 2nd century (AP)

AP - Hallmark Cards Inc., a $4 billion empire built on a demand for printed sentimentality, enters its second century facing a weak economy and what could be an even greater challenge: a generation that has grown up posting its sentiments online.

Greeting card giant Hallmark heads for 2nd century (AP)

AP - Hallmark Cards Inc., a $4 billion empire built on a demand for printed sentimentality, enters its second century facing a weak economy and what could be an even greater challenge: a generation that has grown up posting its sentiments online.

United States advances to quarterfinals with 55-point rout of Angola

ISTANBUL -- Chauncey Billups scored 19 points, Kevin Durant had 17, and the United States powered into the quarterfinals of the world championship with a 121-66 victory over Angola on Monday. With Durant scoring 17 and Billups 16 in the first half, the Americans saved their most impressive performance in...

Little Rock 9 member Jefferson Thomas dies in Ohio (AP)

AP - Jefferson Thomas, who as a teenager was among nine black students to integrate a Little Rock high school in the nation's first major battle over school segregation, has died. He was 68.

US investors seek pay for pre-WWII German bonds (AP)

AP - More than 80 years ago, Germany sold tens of thousands of bonds to American investors in an effort to recover financially from World War I. Later, Adolf Hitler used some of the money raised by those bonds to build the powerful Nazi war machine that would ravage Europe during World War II.

Army: Ex-soldier takes 3 hospital workers hostage (AP)

AP - A former Army soldier demanding behavioral treatment at a Georgia military hospital took three workers hostage at gunpoint Monday before authorities persuaded the gunman to surrender peacefully.

WTO to issue Boeing subsidies verdict Sept. 15: source (AFP)

AFP - The World Trade Organization will issue its long-awaited opinion on Europe's challenge to American subsidies to US aerospace giant Boeing next week, a source close to the matter said Monday.

EU finmins want budget rule offenders rapped swiftly (Reuters)

Reuters - European Union finance ministers sought on Monday to make sanctions for EU budget rule breakers more automatic, but put off potentially difficult talks on a permanent mechanism to resolve euro zone crises.

Obama proposed $50 billion to rebuild road, rails and runways (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama Monday proposes a quick $50 billion boost in federal spending to rebuild roads, railways and runways — a move he says will create jobs and which Democrats hope will improve their election prospects in November.

Oil slips below $74 as U.S. driving season ends (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. oil prices slipped below $74 per barrel on Monday as the end of the U.S. driving season and high levels of unemployment in the world's biggest oil consumer raised concerns over the outlook for demand.

Fed should not set limit on economy aid: Kohn (Reuters)

Reuters - The Federal Reserve should not announce a limit on its actions if it resumes purchases of Treasury securities to stimulate the U.S. economy, the former vice chairman of the central bank said.

Fed should not set limit on economy aid: Kohn (Reuters)

Reuters - The Federal Reserve should not announce a limit on its actions if it resumes purchases of Treasury securities to stimulate the U.S. economy, the former vice chairman of the central bank said.

Growth hopes boost global equities (Reuters)

Reuters - World stocks rose on Monday on hopes the U.S. economy can avoid slipping back into recession, although the International Monetary Fund's chief economist warned of weak growth in both the United States and Europe.

Angle hit with lawsuit (Politico)

Politico - Nevada Senate candidate is accused of violating copyright laws on her campaign website.

Obama unveils new 50-billion-dollar infrastructure plan (AFP)

AFP - US President Barack Obama unveiled plans Monday to spend at least 50 billion dollars to expand and renew US roads, railways and airports, in a fresh bid to fire up sluggish economic growth.

Senate seats that might change hands in November (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - Democratic seats in play:

Parties Launch Battle for Control of Congress (CQPolitics.com)

CQPolitics.com - In many ways, the traditional post-Labor Day start to the fall campaign has become an antiquated notion.

Miller's Upset Win Changes Game in Alaska (CQPolitics.com)

CQPolitics.com - The dynamics in the Alaska Senate race were changed dramatically when Sen. Lisa Murkowski was upset in the Aug. 24 GOP primary by Fairbanks attorney Joe Miller. While we're not convinced that national Democrats will commit the level of resources needed to make the race competitive, CQ Politics is moving the rating of the race from Safe Republican to Likely Republican to reflect the new uncertainty of the open-seat contest.

UK minister jailed for 4 years over sham marriages (AP)

AP - A British judge sentenced a Church of England minister to four years in jail on Monday for his part in a sham-marriage scam which saw hundreds of African men marry European women so they could stay in Britain.

World stocks gain, dollar falls (AFP)

AFP - Global stock markets rose and the dollar fell on Monday as investors further digested better-than-expected US jobs data which reduced prospects of a return to recession.

Labor secretary: Obama doing good job on economy (AP)

AP - Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is defending President Barack Obama's efforts to combat the recession and unemployment, saying his focus has been on helping the jobless and underemployed.

Evaluating Obama's 'Second Stimulus' Proposals (The Atlantic Wire)

The Atlantic Wire - As the job market and housing sector continue to suffer, the White House is seeking initiatives meant to re-stimulate the economy, following the first stimulus efforts of 2009. According to Time magazine, "most nonpartisan economists agree" that the first stimulus was successful in the short-term but did not go far enough. The "second stimulus" proposals are a $100 billion tax credit for businesses and $50 billion on infrastructure spending. Any such measures must still be improved by an increasingly partisan Congress that is expected to shift heavily Republican in November.

Obama to launch political offensive on economy (AFP)

AFP - US President Barack Obama will travel to the Midwestern US state of Wisconsin Monday as part of a broad effort to stem ebbing political support over the slowing economic recovery.

China Inc gets new chairman as state-owned firms' clout grows (Reuters)

Reuters - Wang Yong, a name little heard on the global business stage, has become boss of the world's biggest mobile telecom carrier, the most valuable coal producer and Asia's top oil refiner.

USS Olympia, 2-war naval veteran, battles for survival (AP)

AP - The USS Olympia, a one-of-a-kind steel cruiser that returned home to a hero's welcome after a history-changing victory in the Spanish-American War, is a proud veteran fighting what may be its final battle.

Va. woman devours 181 chicken wings in NY contest (AP)

AP - The Black Widow of eating contests gobbled up nearly 181 chicken wings in 12 minutes, devouring the national championship record in Buffalo on Sunday.

Top 10 what-ifs of the midterm elections (Politico)

Politico - Here’s POLITICO’s look back at the midterm cycle’s most influential roads not taken.

Oil hovers above $74 as traders eye US economy (AP)

AP - Oil prices slipped to near $74 a barrel Monday in Asia as traders weighed whether growing Chinese demand can offset weak U.S. fuel consumption amid high unemployment.

Aftershocks rattle quake-hit NZ city (Reuters)

Reuters - Aftershocks rocked New Zealand's second-biggest city on Monday causing further damage and forcing authorities to extend a state of emergency after the country's most damaging earthquake in 80 years.

Gulf States Toyota center postponed

Plans for the proposed Gulf States Toyota vehicle processing center in Temple have been postponed but not eliminated.

Obama to propose 100 billion tax credit (AFP)

AFP - President Barack Obama will call for a 100-billion-dollar business tax credit this week to boost the sagging US economic recovery, The Washington Post reported.

As election season heats up, Democrats battle grim prospects (Exclusive to Yahoo! News)

Exclusive to Yahoo! News - Just how bad could things get for the Democrats when voters head to the polls in November?

United States Postal Service unveils new stamp honoring humanitarian

SACRAMENTO, CA - On Sunday, Sept. 5 the United States Postal Service unveiled a postage stamp honoring humanitarian, Mother Teresa.

Diverse water sources key to food security: report (Reuters)

Reuters - Increasingly erratic rainfall patterns related to climate change pose a major threat to food security and economic growth, water experts said on Monday, arguing for greater investment in water storage.

Backyard volunteers helping track firefly numbers (AP)

AP - The yellow-green streaks of fireflies that bring a magical air to summer nights, inspire camp songs and often end up in jars in children's bedrooms may be flickering out in the nation's backyards as suburban sprawl encroaches on their habitats.

1 'censored' bar won't stop online prostitution (AP)

AP - Craiglist's "adult services" section has been shut down in the U.S., but prostitution on the Internet is alive and well — even, quite possibly, on Craigslist.