Bush: 'Reason for optimism' on economy
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush Saturday said "the American people have reason for optimism" about the country's economic outlook.
In his weekly radio address, the president told listeners the U.S. government has "taken bold action to stabilize our economy" and other nations have taken action to address financial volatility.
"This crisis is global in reach," Bush said, "and addressing it will require further international cooperation."
The president said a summit of international leaders in Washington Nov. 15 will be the first in a series of such meetings.
"The summit will bring together leaders of the G20 nations -- countries that represent both the developed and the developing world," he said.
"During this summit, we will discuss the causes of the problems in our financial systems, review the progress being made to address the current crisis, and begin developing principles of reform for regulatory bodies and institutions related to our financial sectors," Bush said.
The president said the international community must "recommit to the fundamentals of long-term economic growth -- free markets, free enterprise, and free trade."
"Despite the ups and downs that our markets have experienced in recent months, the American people have reason for optimism in our Nation's economic future," he said.
Michelle Obama calls for voter turnout
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama, said Saturday all U.S. citizens should vote in the upcoming election.
Obama said in the weekly Democratic radio address that those who choose not to participate in the electoral process are supporting the current status quo in the United States, The Hill reported.
"Your vote is important because if you don't vote, you are saying that you're fine with the way things are. You cast an equally powerful ballot for four more years that look just like the last eight," she said.
"In 2004, 16 million Americans who could have voted, didn't. Yet, the election was decided by just 59,000 votes in Ohio," Michelle Obama added.
"This time, we can't wake up Nov. 5 only to discover we fell just short and didn't elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden. We can't look back and think about what might have been," she said, referring to her husband and his vice presidential nominee, Sen Joe Biden of Delaware.
Voters say race a complicated issue
ATLANTA, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Seventy percent of those questioned for a CNN poll say the candidates' race will not sway who they choose for U.S. president.
That's an increase of 9 points since the same question was asked in July, said CNN/Opinion Research Corp.
In the poll released Friday, 5 percent of those interviewed said race is the single most important factor in their presidential choice, while 11 percent said it is one of several factors and 13 percent said race is a minor factor.
The poll suggests not everyone who says that race is factor in their votes will vote against Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama -- some are choosing Obama because he is black, said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director.
"And many of those who say that race will influence their votes are Republicans who were highly unlikely to vote for any Democrat this year," Holland said, adding "race is a complicated topic and polls may not reveal each respondent's true feelings."
The telephone poll conducted October 17-19 with 1,058 U.S. adults has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
GOP, Dems each seek U.S. statehouse gains
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Both Republicans and Democrats face challenges in retaining their parties' control of state legislatures around the United States, political analysts say.
Six battleground states may see their state legislatures flip from Republican to Democratic majorities, while in six others the reverse may be true, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Even though Democrats appear to be in line to make the most gains in the U.S. Congress, that may not translate to some statehouses, where voters' concerns are often seen through the lens of such local issues as schools and sales taxes, the newspaper said.
"There are vulnerable Democrats in traditionally Republican seats, and the natural dynamic is that Republicans would win back at least some of these," Lawrence Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, told the Times. "But the name brand for the Republican Party has taken a hit, and these lower-party races could be one of the places that that shows up. It's a mixed-up year."
In Indiana, for instance, Democrats control the House 51 to 49 but Republicans hope to gain the majority by picking up seats that Democrats narrowly won in 2006, the Times said.
48 killed in Yemen flooding
HADRAMOUT, Yemen, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- At least 48 people have been killed and 22,000 more have fled their homes in flash flooding in Yemen, local media reported Saturday.
Quoting Saba, the Yemen News Agency, CNN said 48 people had been reported killed or missing while the Yemen Post said about 3,500 families, or roughly 22,000 people, have fled the country's Hadramout region.
Only a small percentage of the evacuees have found shelter at schools, leaving the rest exposed to the elements. The government has promised to send tents to be used as emergency shelters, media quoted government officials as saying.
The BBC said it had received reports that flood water was threatening the historic high-rise mud buildings of Shibam, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
