Gill: Will Bredesen Alter the Tennessee Political Landscape in 2009

Wall Street surged Thursday, extending its rally into a second session as tumbling energy prices bolstered an already upbeat mood that followed stronger-than-expected quarterly reports from big names like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and United Technologies Corp. The Dow Jones industrial average rose nearly 200 points as oil fell more than $3 and brought its three-day decline to more than $13 a barrel.

Investors got a double dose of good news that helped alleviate weeks of angst about the economy.

Three components of the Dow industrials _ JPMorgan Chase, United Technologies and Coca-Cola Co. _ issued comments that generally indicated that their businesses are holding up despite sometimes difficult economic conditions. Read More...

The Democratic National Committee plans to target Republican John McCain and help Democrat Barack Obama with an independent ad campaign run by veteran Democratic strategist Jonathan Prince, Democrats familiar with the decision said Thursday.

By law, the effort would be prohibited from coordinating with either Obama's presidential campaign or with the DNC. The ads would be financed with party money, however.

The Democrats asked for anonymity because the decision had not yet been formally announced.   Read More...