Voters' concerns over the U.S. economic crisis have helped lift Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to a clear lead over Republican rival John McCain, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Governments around the world tried to contain the fast-spreading credit crisis, but stock, bond and commodity markets saw investors bet on a sharp downturn.

The McCain and Obama presidential campaigns traded accusations of mudslinging Monday in the wake of new ads dredging up infamous events from 20, 30, even 40 years ago.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin enters her debate Thursday night with Democratic rival Joe Biden as many voters harbor serious doubts about her readiness for the nation's highest office.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin portrayed herself Tuesday as a champion of everyday people while noting her family's stock portfolio took a $20,000 hit last week.

With just hours to go, Americans waited for word on whether John McCain would show up for Friday's scheduled debate against Barack Obama, a widely anticipated showdown that has been cast in doubt by U.S. financial chaos and extraordinary political maneuvering.

The financial crisis roiling markets in the U.S. and around the world underscores the importance of taking a global perspective, former President Clinton said at the start of his summit of world leaders and celebrities.

Not surprisingly, Americans are still down on the economy, according to the latest CNBC survey, with 93 percent of respondents describing it as poor or fair. But, in light of the Wall Street problems on the front page, there are signs that sentiment has bottomed. Nowhere is that more apparent than the huge jump in expectations that the economy will get on track in the next year.

Americans are split on supporting the Bush administration's rescue plan for Wall Street, according to a new NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll.

The economic crisis and raw politics threatened to derail the first presidential debate as John McCain challenged Barack Obama to delay the Friday forum and join forces to help Washington fix the financial mess. Obama rebuffed his GOP rival, saying the next president needs to "deal with more than one thing at once."

The financial crisis roiling markets in the U.S. and around the world underscores the importance of taking a global perspective, former President Clinton said at the start of his summit of world leaders and celebrities.

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Political passions aside, what are the chances Gov. Palin will become the next president of the US? Portfolio.com checks the odds.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Tuesday called for a high-level commission to study the current economic crisis and claimed that a corrupt and excessive Wall Street had betrayed American workers.