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Since slipping behind in the polls, Republican hopeful John McCain has been intensifying his attacks on Democrat Barack Obama. Mindful that the economy is uppermost in voters' minds, McCain repeated Wednesday the proposal he floated in Tuesday's debate: having the government come directly to the aid of people whose homes have lost value and who can't meet their monthly payments.

In New Orleans, there is a sense of relief that Hurricane Gustav didn't roar ashore as hard as it could have. The city avoided a direct hit, and its improved levee system has held.

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to nominate Hilda Solis as labor secretary. The Democratic congresswoman was just elected to her fifth term representing heavily Hispanic portions of eastern Los Angeles County and east L.A. She is the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants.

Grace Go, a 17-year-old rising senior at Mercer Island High School outside Seattle, is the winner of the first-ever Best Mental Health Podcast Prize from NPR's Student Podcast Challenge.

Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday for her confirmation hearing. The New York senator, and former first lady, got a generally warm reception from her colleagues. Some were a bit cooler, though, about foreign donations to her famous husband's foundation.

Caroline Kennedy has asked Gov. David Paterson to withdraw her name from consideration for the New York Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. A source familiar with the matter says she is no longer pursuing the seat for personal reasons. Robert Siegel speaks with New York Post reporter Fred Dicker about the story.

Caroline Kennedy has ended her bid to win appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton and once held by her late uncle, Bobby Kennedy. In a statement released early Thursday, Kennedy says she told New York Gov. David Patterson she is withdrawing for personal reasons. She was considered a favorite for the New York Senate seat, though she has never held elective office.

The conflict in Gaza presents a challenge for the incoming Obama administration, which already was facing a packed Middle East agenda. Leslie Gelb tells Steve Inskeep that the question now is whether the situation in Gaza will make it harder for President-elect Barack Obama to keep his campaign promises of active peacemaking between the Israelis and Palestinians. Gelb is a former state and defense department official and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Attorney General-designate Eric Holder says "waterboarding is torture." He spoke about it at his confirmation hearing Thursday. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to hear from other witnesses Friday.

Israel and Hamas have ignored a U.N. Security Council call for an immediate cease-fire. Israel continued attacks in Gaza and Hamas kept up with its rocketing of Israel. Meanwhile, U.N. officials said they plan to resume aid to Gaza as soon as practical.