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Stocks end worst week mixed after wild session (AP)

AP - Wall Street capped its worst week ever with a wild session Friday that saw the Dow Jones industrials rocket within a 1,000 point range before closing with a relatively mild loss and the Nasdaq composite index actually end with a modest advance. Investors were still agonizing over frozen credit markets, but seven days of massive losses made many stocks tempting for traders looking for bargains.

McCain, Obama offer dueling ideas to save economy (AP)

AP - John McCain and Barack Obama outlined steps to counter the faltering economy and plummeting stock market on Friday, fresh evidence of the dominant role of pocketbook issues in their race for the White House.

Palin says supporters want tougher attacks on Obama (AP)

AP - Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said more than one person has whispered in her ear in Ohio that John McCain needs "to take the gloves off" in his campaign against Democrat Barack Obama. Before a friendly crowd of Republican fundraisers Friday, the Alaska governor did that herself.

Conn. high court rules gay couples can marry (AP)

AP - Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions. The ruling comes just weeks before Californians go to the polls on a historic gay-marriage ballot question, the first time the issue will be put before voters in a state where same-sex couples are legally wed.

Colin Powell calls Sen. Stevens' word 'sterling' (AP)

AP - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday praised Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens' sense of honor at his trial on corruption charges, calling his reputation for honesty and integrity "sterling" in the quarter-century they've known each other. "As we say in the infantry, this is a guy you take on a long patrol," said the retired four-star Army general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Man dies after balloon crashes in flames in N.M. (AP)

AP - A hot air balloon crashed into power lines and burst into flames Friday during Albuquerque's annual balloon fiesta, throwing both men on board to the ground and killing one of them. Witnesses said that winds had picked up a bit and that many of the balloons were flying low right before the Wings of Wind balloon crashed in Bernalillo, just north of Albuquerque.

Mom of missing Fla. girl can access evidence (AP)

AP - The mother of a missing 3-year-old Florida girl will have access to her car and forensic tests completed by authorities trying to figure out what happened to the child, a judge ruled Friday. But she'll have to wait to find out whether she can leave her home while on house arrest to help explain her version of events to her attorneys, because Ninth Circuit Judge Stan Strickland delayed ruling on that request.

Jolie says Pitt changed her mind about pregnancy (AP)

AP - Angelina Jolie, an advocate of adoption, credits partner Brad Pitt with her decision to have biological children. In an interview with W magazine, Jolie says: "One of the life-changing things that he did, one of many, is that I was absolutely never going to get pregnant. I never felt that it was the right thing to do."

NY election mix-up: 'Osama' on the ballot (AP)

AP - Who is running for president? In an upstate New York county, hundreds of voters have been sent absentee ballots in which they could vote for "Barack Osama."

Station regrets remarks on Magic Johnson, AIDS (AP)

AP - A Minneapolis radio station said Friday it would air public service announcements on HIV/AIDS after a pair of talk hosts accused Magic Johnson of faking AIDS. KTLK's Chris Baker and Langdon Perry made the remarks during Baker's conservative talk show on Wednesday. After Johnson condemned the statements, the station said on Friday it regretted "some off-hand remarks" by the pair.

Wall St crawls back as G7 meets to tackle crisis (Reuters)

Reuters - Wall Street titans buckled under the weight of a global stock market panic on Friday as the finance chiefs of the world's major economies gathered in Washington to confront the inescapable financial crisis.

G7 pledges united crisis response but rifts emerge (Reuters)

Reuters - Finance leaders from the world's rich nations struggled on Friday to agree on a unified approach to cure a credit crisis that threatens to trigger a deep global recession.

Obama and McCain exchange blows over economy (Reuters)

Reuters - On a day of fresh economic turmoil, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama accused Republican John McCain on Friday of trying to divide Americans and McCain said Obama was dodging legitimate issues.

Wall St. woes spur new patterns on Main St. (Reuters)

Reuters - At one intersection of Wall Street and Main Street, retailers and shoppers say America's economic woes are spurring new patterns in consumer behavior.

Connecticut court allows gay marriage (Reuters)

Reuters - Connecticut's highest court on Friday unexpectedly struck down a ban on gay and lesbian marriage, making the New England state the third in the nation to allow full-fledged marriage for same-sex couples.