Watching Hanna and Ike...Taking over Fannie and Freddie?..More pink slips

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) Tropical Storm Hanna is heading toward an overnight landfall along the coast of the Carolinas. At 11 p.m.

Eastern time the storm was centered about 140 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina with top sustained winds of close to 70 miles per hour. And Hurricane Ike is still churning in the Atlantic.

Washington (AP) A person briefed on the matter confirms the government is expected to take over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as soon as this weekend. The two companies together hold or guarantee half of the nation's mortgage debt. The deal could cost taxpayers billions.

WASHINGTON (AP) The nation's unemployment rate tops 6 percent for the first time in five years with predictions it could go even higher in the months ahead. The jobless rate climbed for the eighth straight month in August, to 6.1 percent.

UNDATED (AP) John McCain says he knows there are "tough times" all over the country and that it'll take a team of eager reformers like himself and sarah palin to get things on the right track. The new GOP ticket campaigned Friday in Wisconsin and Michigan. Barack Obama looked for votes in Pennsylvania saying the GOP isn't offering much to the struggling middle class.

LOS ANGELES (AP) Three TV networks, cancer research advocates and more than 60 celebrities from music, sports, TV and Film made history Friday night with a live telethon. "Stand Up for Cancer" aired for an hour at the same time on NBC, ABC and CBS.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 09-05-08 2350CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list