With Labor Day marking the traditional starting point of the campaign season, Republicans have a nine-point edge among likely voters, according to a new NBC News/WSJ poll. Republican - Labor Day - United States - Politics - Democratic
Government agencies are seeking broad new authority to ramp up killings and removals of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes, despite two recent court actions. Gray Wolf - Great Lakes - United States - Environment - Yellowstone National Park
Private employers hired more workers than expected in August, lifting hopes for the weak U.S. economy, but the nation’s unemployment rate rose for the first time in four months. Employment - Unemployment - United States - Recreation - Picture Ratings
Gunman told NBC News in brief phone conversation from building in Silver Spring, Md., that he had several bombs strapped to his body. Discovery Communications - Television - Discovery Channel - Arts - Networks
Hurricane Earl, now a powerful Category 4 storm, barreled toward the U.S. coast Tuesday after battering islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and winds. National Hurricane Center - Tropical cyclone - Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale - Meteorology - Hurricanes
President Barack Obama rejected criticism of his response to the Gulf oil spill Sunday, saying in an interview on “NBC Nightly News” that his administration jumped on the crisis immediately. Barack Obama - Oilspill - President - Gulf Oil - NBC Nightly News
The Justice Department says it has closed its investigation into the proposed merger of UAL Corp. and Continental Airlines Inc. Continental Airlines - UAL Corporation - United States - Justice Department - Airline
A Republican civil war is raging, with righter-than-thou conservatives dominating ever more primaries in a fight for the party's soul. And the Democrats hope to benefit. Republican - Democratic - United States - American Civil War - Civil War
From John McCain's Arizona showdown to Florida, here's the skinny on stories behind today's votes. Republican - Democratic Party - Primary care - Medicine - Charlie Crist
BP was working to remove the failed blowout preventer from its ruptured well — a key step towards killing the well and salvaging evidence that could help in the inquiry into the disaster. BP - Blowout preventer - Gulf of Mexico - Relief well - Macondo Prospect
Escaped inmate John McCluskey and his fiancee-cousin Casslyn Welch were captured Thursday in Arizona. They are suspects in the slaying of an Oklahoma couple, whose burned bodies were found in New Mexico. New Mexico - Oklahoma - United States - Arizona - Prison
The last full U.S. combat brigade crossed the border into Kuwait on Thursday morning, bringing to a close the active combat phase of the 7½-year war. Kuwait - Iraq - United States - Iraq War - Middle East
