POLITICS-US: Rebalance Security Budgets, Say Experts

As the United States struggles to deal with what some analysts say is its most serious financial crisis in decades, a group of experts called Monday for major changes in the way Washington spends money to protect its national security.

POLITICS-US: Anti-Islam Film Targets “Swing State” Voters

Millions of voters in U.S. states crucial to this fall's presidential election received DVD copies of a controversial documentary film as advertising inserts in their morning newspapers over the past week, with more expected to be sent out over the upcoming weekend.

POLITICS-US: Labour Stakes Hopes on Obama Presidency

After losing over a million jobs in the manufacturing industry in the last eight years, U.S. labour leaders are saying no more to another Republican administration.

ECONOMY-US: Only Real Fix Is Regulatory, Analysts Say

The blood flowing this week from Wall Street, spilling over into the homes of most citizens and the economies of other countries, raised urgent calls for stricter regulation of major players in the U.S. economy.

CANADA: Energy Politics Could Make or Break Liberals

While U.S. media pundits dub the race for the White House as a battle between the "warrior" and the "orator", Canada's current election campaign might be characterised as "the meanie" versus "the weenie".

POLITICS-US: The Most Secretive Govt Ever?

The administration of President George W. Bush continues to expand government secrecy across a broad array of agencies and actions - and at greatly increased cost to taxpayers, according to a coalition of groups that promote greater transparency.

ENVIRONMENT: Big Donors Shifting Green Agenda

"Philanthro-capitalists" and more traditional foundations are addressing global problems like climate change with unprecedented zeal. But are their money and efforts being put to the best use?

RIGHTS-US: Abolitionists Hope for Swing to Democrats in States

The two U.S. presidential candidates have both expressed support for the death penalty, but abolitionist activists are hoping that pragmatism and a swing to the Democrats in the state elections in November will inevitably edge the country along the road to total abolition whoever wins the presidency.

POLITICS-US: Red, White and Blue… But Mostly White

Don't adjust your television set. There is no problem with your signal; it's just that all the colour was missing from the Republican National Convention, which concluded last night with Sen. John McCain's speech accepting the party nomination.

POLITICS-US: Aerospace Lobby Wages Its Own Election Campaign

"In about the time it takes you to drive into a gas station, insert your credit card in the pump, fill the tank, take your receipt, and get back on the road, a foreign power can use a missile to disable the U.S. communications satellite that made your transaction possible."

Q&A: "I Appreciate This Unique Moment"

Whether he wins or loses in the November election, Barack Obama will have made U.S. history as the first African American to lead a major political party.

RIGHTS-US: Death Row Activist Prepares New Appeal

Mumia Abu-Jamal rallied thousands of protesters in the U.S. city of Denver last week who were calling for the release of U.S. political prisoners.

POLITICS-US: Christian Right Summit Still Wields Clout

If the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, survives the slings and arrows of intense media coverage, her next major appearance could be before an adoring crowd of conservatives and Christian evangelicals at the Sep. 12-14 Values Voter Summit in Washington.

POLITICS-US: McCain’s Palin Choice – Bold or Reckless?

Four days after picking a little known Alaskan governor as his vice presidential candidate, the big question in the minds of voters and media is whether Sen. John McCain is bold or reckless.

POLITICS-US: Canada’s Tar Sands Lobbyists Focus on Democrats

As the U.S. election campaign kicks into overdrive, Canadian politicians and oil executives are stepping up lobbying efforts to make sure whoever controls the White House keeps purchasing notoriously dirty oil from the Alberta tar sands.

Q&A: "The U.S. Election Is Going to Be Won at the Margins"

Michigan is a key state either presidential nominee needs to win the White House on Nov. 4. Unlike Democratic nominee Barack Obama, John McCain has carried Michigan before when he ran against President George Bush.

POLITICS-US: The Reinterpretation of Dreams

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington and gave a speech that went down as one of the greatest in U.S. history.

POLITICS-US: McCain's VP Pick Seen as High-Stakes Gamble

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain stunned the political establishment Friday by choosing as his running-mate the little-known Alaska governor with virtually no national, let alone international, experience.

POLITICS-US: Democrats Vow to Unite and Conquer

With Sen. Barack Obama's formal anointing as the first African American presidential nominee of a major political party in U.S. history, delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver say Obama can win in November on universal issues like the economy and health care.

POLITICS-US: Women Take the Platform at Dem Convention

From the party platform ratified by delegates between speeches Monday, to primetime, headlining speeches by two heavy hitters in the election - Sen. Hillary Clinton and first-lady hopeful Michelle Obama - the initial two days of the Democratic National Convention were dominated by women.

POLITICS-US: Housing Fund Seen as Grassroots Victory

Advocates are calling a new national trust fund to preserve, rehabilitate and build affordable housing, including public housing, a major grassroots victory and key step in addressing the needs of low-income people in the United States.