AP - Hurricane Ike's winds and massive storm surge ripped apart houses and toppled trees Monday as the deadly storm roared across Cuba toward Havana and its historic but decaying old buildings.

Reuters - The government on Sunday seized control of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , launching what could be its biggest bailout ever to support the U.S. housing market and ward off more global financial market turbulence.

AP - When reports circulated over the weekend of a last-minute deal to keep Coney Island's historic Astroland amusement park open for another year, owner Carol Hill Albert was not amused.

AP - Serena Williams flung her racket straight up and jumped for joy, hopping and skipping and screaming and generally looking like someone who had just won her first U.S. Open title or earned her debut at No. 1.

AP - It took a year, but Britney Spears got the comeback she was seeking from the MTV Video Music Awards — and she didn't even have to sing or dance.