Google seeks to speed up Web searches (Reuters)

Reuters - Google Inc unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine on Wednesday that predict search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online and to generate more searches on the website.

Jackson Hewitt narrows 1Q loss as expenses fall (AP)

AP - Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. on Wednesday posted a narrower first-quarter loss as its expenses fell, beating Wall Street expectations, but its shares fell after it said it would seek new financing for its refund anticipation loan program.

Obama firm: Don't extend tax breaks for wealthiest (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama strongly defended his opposition to extending Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans on Wednesday and delivered a searing attack on Republicans and their House leader for advocating "the same philosophy that led to this mess in the first place."

Obama firm: Don't extend tax breaks for wealthiest (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama strongly defended his opposition to extending Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans on Wednesday and delivered a searing attack on Republicans and their House leader for advocating "the same philosophy that led to this mess in the first place."

Ill. Senate candidate embraces Obama in new ad (AP)

AP - Illinois' Democratic U.S. Senate candidate is embracing President Barack Obama in a new campaign ad at a time when some Democrats are keeping the president at arm's length.

Obama firm: Don't extend tax breaks for wealthiest (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama strongly defended his opposition to extending Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans on Wednesday and delivered a searing attack on Republicans and their House leader for advocating "the same philosophy that led to this mess in the first place."

Agency promises to beef up presence at races (AP)

AP - The agency charged with monitoring off-road racing on federal lands is promising to increase staffing and crack down on violations of racing permits.

Chicago mayor says he won't recommend a successor (AP)

AP - Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he isn't going to recommend a candidate to succeed him and that it's up to voters to decide who they want to lead them.

Chicago mayor says he won't recommend a successor (AP)

AP - Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he isn't going to recommend a candidate to succeed him and that it's up to voters to decide who they want to lead them.

Fed report shows widespread signs growth easing (Reuters)

Reuters - The economy has shown "widespread signs" of slowing over recent weeks, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a report suggesting the recovery was faltering along the East Coast and in the Midwest.

Fed report shows widespread signs growth easing (Reuters)

Reuters - The economy has shown "widespread signs" of slowing over recent weeks, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a report suggesting the recovery was faltering along the East Coast and in the Midwest.

Hack attack hits home for AP writer (AP)

AP - The Twitterverse is full of far more mysterious forces than indecipherable trending topics and Lady Gaga.

Detroit mayor calls fires 'natural disaster' (AP)

AP - Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has praised the fire department for responding to what he termed "a natural disaster" after wind-whipped flames destroyed dozens of homes across the city.

Summary Box: Ireland to split Anglo Irish Bank (AP)

AP - SPLIT: Ireland plans to split its most troubled financial institution, Anglo Irish Bank, into a "good" deposit bank and a "bad" toxic-debt bank. The move comes as the nation seeks to reassure international lenders that it is dealing with the Irish debt crisis.

22 states receive $10 million from US Department of Labor to enhance their unemployment insurance integrity systems ...

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $10 million in grant funds to 22 states to make technology improvements leading to more accurate unemployment insurance benefit payments.

Fidel Castro says Cuban model no longer works (Reuters)

Reuters - Fidel Castro said Cuba's economic model no longer works, a U.S.-based journalist reported on Wednesday following interviews with the former president last week.

States receive more than $8 million from US Department of Labor for improvements to unemployment insurance systems [09 ...

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced more than $8 million in grants to 22 states to make automation and technology upgrades within unemployment insurance systems.

Summary Box: Canada ups key interest rate to 1 pct (AP)

AP - BANK OF CANADA UPS KEY RATE: Canada's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 1 percent, after similar moves in June and July.

Appeals court dismisses Boeing-CIA lawsuit (AP)

AP - A sharply divided federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit against Boeing Co. that claimed the company flew terrorism suspects to secret prisons around the world to be tortured as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program.

LA police quell 2nd protest over fatal shooting (AP)

AP - Demonstrators pelted police for a second night in a poor immigrant neighborhood following the fatal shooting of a Guatemalan day laborer who allegedly threatened people with a knife and then turned the weapon on a responding officer.

Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn (AP)

AP - The leader of a small Florida church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy said Wednesday he was determined to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, despite pressure from the White House, religious leaders and others to call it off.

Fed sees 'widespread' signs US economy is slowing (AFP)

AFP - The US economy is showing "widespread" signs of deceleration, the US Federal Reserve warned in its latest Beige Book report published Wednesday.

(AP)

AP - Obama: Republicans who want to cut deficit should understand cost of tax cuts for the wealthy.

Fed survey: Slower growth spreads to more regions (AP)

AP - More regions of the country reported slower growth as the U.S. economy lost momentum in the late summer.

Obama: U.S. cannot afford tax cuts for wealthier Americans (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama on Wednesday ruled out extending Bush-era tax cuts for wealthier Americans, as he sought to draw a sharp distinction between his Democrats and Republicans in this election year.

Tropical Storm Igor forms in the Atlantic (AP)

AP - Tropical Storm Igor has formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands and has top sustained winds of near 40 mph (65 kph).

Grassley seeks answers to USDA's role at egg farms (AP)

AP - Sen. Charles Grassley has asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to address accusations that federal workers ignored complaints about conditions at an Iowa farm involved in a recall of salmonella-tainted eggs.

BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)

AP - In an internal report released Wednesday, BP blames itself, other companies' workers and a complex series of failures for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the drilling rig explosion that preceded it.

BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)

AP - In an internal report released Wednesday, BP blames itself, other companies' workers and a complex series of failures for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the drilling rig explosion that preceded it.

Kia names new top executive after recalls (AP)

AP - KIA CEO: South Korean automaker Kia Motors named Lee Hyoung-keun to its top executive job Wednesday.

Xbox blocks W.Va. gamer over town's name: Fort Gay (AP)

AP - Microsoft Corp. and the chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizing to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the online gaming service's code of conduct by publicly declaring he's from Fort Gay — a name the company considered offensive.

Freddie Mac to issue new 5-year note due 2015 (AP)

AP - Government sponsored mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday it plans to issue new five-year notes due on Sept. 10, 2015.

Goldman NY proprietary traders consider next move (Reuters)

Reuters - Members of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's New York Principal Strategies team are in talks with several groups, including KKR, Perella Weinberg, BlackRock Inc and Carlyle Group, to possibly join one of the firms, a source familiar with the matter said.

BP blames contractors for U.S. oil spill (Reuters)

Reuters - A BP Plc investigation of the Gulf of Mexico disaster played down the company's role in the world's worst offshore oil spill, seeking to share the blame with its contractors.

Panel examining recession's causes meets in Vegas (AP)

AP - Nevada had unrealistic growth expectations before the nation's financial meltdown battered the state's tourism industry and erased billions of dollars in real estate equity, an economist told a federal commission examining the causes of the Great Recession.

Accused Somali pirate pleads guilty in DC (AP)

AP - An accused Somali pirate has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy from a November 2008 attack in the Gulf of Aden on a Danish ship carrying cargo from a U.S. company.

Obama to challenge Republican foes on economy (AFP)

AFP - US President Barack Obama Wednesday sought to box in his Republican foes on the economy, as the lagging recovery and crippling unemployment threaten Democrats with a mid-term election meltdown.

Hungary won't seek to renew IMF, EU loans (AP)

AP - Hungary will not seek any more loans from the International Monetary Fund or the European Union and will be able to meet its financing needs by selling bonds to international and domestic investors, Economics Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy said Wednesday.

Turtle egg rescue at space center billed success (AP)

AP - The turtle rescue effort at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is winding down.

S&P 500 rises 1 percent (Reuters)

Reuters - The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose more than 1 percent in afternoon trading on Wednesday, while the Dow and Nasdaq added to gains as worries about Europe's banking system decreased, easing risk aversion.

8 people missing in Colo. wildfire (AP)

AP - Authorities are searching for eight people who have not been accounted for as a wildfire tore through their neighborhoods this week.

Bennet bucks Obama's $50B plan (Politico)

Politico - The politically vulnerable Democratic senator won't support the president's infrastructure proposal.

Old Farmer's Almanac: Global cooling to continue (AP)

AP - Most of the country will see a colder-than-usual winter while summer and spring will be relatively cool and dry, according to the time-honored, complex calculations of the "Old Farmer's Almanac."

FBI investigating bomb hoax on LA-bound plane (AP)

AP - The FBI on Wednesday was trying to determine whether a passenger staged a bomb hoax that prompted a search of a Thai Airways jetliner at Los Angeles International Airport.

Ronald Reagan movie planned for 2011 (Reuters)

Reuters - The story of Ronald Reagan's life -- from boyhood to Hollywood actor to leader of the free world -- is about to spill out on the big screen in a way quite different from the miniseries that caused such a stir seven years ago.

Debit rules bigger risk for Visa than MasterCard (AP)

AP - Payment processors Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. face uncertainty as the Federal Reserve begins crafting the new rules for debit card fees called for in the financial reform legislation. But Visa has more debit risk than MasterCard because it dominates the U.S. market, a Citi analyst said Wednesday.

Hermine swamps Texas, prompts search for victims (AP)

AP - Its power spent, what was left of Tropical Storm Hermine made its way north Wednesday, drenching a large swath of Texas and prompting a search for possible flood victims near Austin.

Former Polish leader denies knowledge of CIA site (AP)

AP - A former Polish president who was in office when the CIA is suspected of running a secret prison in his country says he has no knowledge of the facility or of harsh interrogation techniques allegedly used against terror suspects there.

Tea party members back dismissed president (AP)

AP - Several members of a Montana tea party group have resigned after the association's president was dismissed over an exchange on Facebook that appeared to condone violence against gays.

Clinton says NK must give up nuke ambitions (AP)

AP - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. message to North Korea is the same, whoever leads the country: Give up your nuclear ambitions.