CHICAGO (AP) President-elect Obama is pledging to act urgently to help Americans devastated by job loss, ruined savings and home foreclosure. Obama says his top priority is to get Congress to approve an economic stimulus plan including billions for public works projects.

Washington (AP) The nation's jobless rate has soared to a 14-year high of 6.5 percent. More than 10 million Americans are now out of work, and economists expect it to only get worse.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Alaska Gov. sarah palin is fighting back at McCain campaign critics who've accused her of spending being a spendthrift and not knowing basic geography. Palin says those who deride her without allowing their name to be used are cowards and jerks.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) An Associated Press analysis of votes in the tight Senate race between incumbent Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken finds most ballots lacking a recorded Senate choice were in counties won by Barack Obama. It's headed for a re-count.

NEW YORK (AP) Newly released documents show the FBI tracked the late journalist David Halberstam for more than two decades. The FBI monitored Halberstam's reporting, and at times his personal life, from at least the mid-1960s, when he wrote about the Vietnam war until at least the late '80s.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-07-08 2052CST | save this article / add to your favorites list