AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Tuesday that the financial crisis has not only darkened the country's current economic performance but also could prolong the pain.

AP - Wall Street sank further Tuesday, extending its heavy losses as enthusiasm over Federal Reserve efforts to inject confidence into credit markets gave way to concerns about financial companies' balance sheets. Trading remained fractious, with the Dow Jones industrial average losing more than 300 points and all the major indexes falling well over 3 percent.

AP - Leading in the polls, Barack Obama hopes to cement his standing while John McCain is trying to turn his fortunes around in their second presidential debate — with economic turmoil bordering on chaos suddenly serving as the backdrop.