Russian president scolds ruling party over regional elections, urges it to reform
ST.PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday sharply criticized officials in the ruling Kremlin-backed party for manipulating recent regional votes, saying it must learn to win fairly....

Unified Democrats push health care bill past Senate hurdle, clearing way for full-scale debate
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Invoking the memory of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama. There was not a vote to spare....

Financially troubled LyondellBasell gets nonbinding buyout offer from Reliance Industries
HOUSTON (AP) -- LyondellBasell Industries said Saturday Reliance Industries offered to acquire a controlling interest in the beleaguered chemical company, which is under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection....

Homebuilder D.R. Horton stems loss in fiscal 4th-qtr, but misses Wall Street expectations
Homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc., saw new home orders spike 26 percent from a year ago in the latest quarter as buyers raced to close deals and take advantage of a federal tax credit. But a wider-than-anticipated loss fueled by write-downs sent shares tumbling more than 15 percent Friday....

More Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving after last year's drop; most opt for car
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of Americans traveling away from home for Thanksgiving will be up only slightly this year from 2008, according to a report from the AAA auto club....

CAPITAL CULTURE: Unlike other justices, Sotomayor becomes a celebrity outside the courtroom
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Apparently, no one told Sonia Sotomayor that Supreme Court justices are supposed to be circumspect, emerging from their marble palace mainly to dispense legal wisdom to law schools, judges' conferences and lawyers' meetings....

Stocks slip as investors push into safe-haven investments; Dell weighs on technology stocks
NEW YORK (AP) -- Investors can't shake their fears that the economy isn't keeping up with the stock market....

Ex-Vivendi CEO tells jury in investor lawsuit: I 'did my best,' made mistakes but never misled
NEW YORK (AP) -- Former Vivendi CEO Jean-Marie Messier told a jury Friday he made mistakes in his troubled bid to turn the French water company into a global media giant, but he never misled shareholders about the risks....

Texas Supreme Court grants rehearing in case alleging Exxon Mobil sabotaged abandoned wells
DALLAS (AP) -- The Texas Supreme Court on Friday said it will again hear arguments in the nearly 15-year legal battle over accusations that Exxon Mobil Corp. loaded abandoned wells with junk, sludge and even explosives to keep other companies from drilling there....

As interest rates fall back near zero, there aren't many happy returns
NEW YORK (AP) -- The U.S. is finally becoming a nation of savers. Now if only we could get something for our money....