Talking tougher by the hour, livid Democrats confronted beleaguered insurance giant AIG with an ultimatum Tuesday: Give back $165 million in post-bailout bonuses or watch Congress tax it away with emergency legislation. ...more

March 17, 2009

President Barack Obama freed billions of dollars to help the nation's small businesses on Monday, hoping to get credit flowing again to Main Street as well as Wall Street and showering praise on the little guys of American industry who have been complaining about being left out of rescue efforts. ...more

March 17, 2009

President Barack Obama freed billions of dollars to help the nation's small businesses on Monday, hoping to get credit flowing again to Main Street, not just Wall Street. He heaped praise on the little guys of American industry, often overshadowed in the blitz of government bailouts. ...more

March 16, 2009

"It's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay," President Obama said ...more

March 16, 2009

Rep. Barney Frank charged Monday that a decision by financially strapped insurance giant AIG to pay millions in executive bonuses amounts to "rewarding incompetence." ...more

March 16, 2009

Divided over the best way to fight the economic downturn, finance officials of the leading industrial nations agreed Saturday to commit more money to help developing countries, step up efforts to revive bank lending and regulate hedge funds. ...more

March 15, 2009

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States: ...more

March 14, 2009

The leaders of the world's most powerful economies are deeply split over how to fight a downturn that is intensifying around the globe, with no nation in a position of strength as finance ministers gather to talk about the crisis. ...more

March 14, 2009

Lawrence Summers, President Barack Obama's closest economic adviser, broke a long public silence Friday, asserting that today's economic problems stem from an unsustainable financial model and defending heavy deficit spending as a necessary evil to restore the economy. ...more

March 14, 2009

The U.S. Senate gave final approval Tuesday to a huge spending bill that also relaxes travel restrictions to Cuba and could usher in more trade with the communist nation after decades of strict embargoes. ...more

March 11, 2009