Wall Street thud...War spending bill...Mukasey takes over

NEW YORK (AP) Some Wall Street traders may be making the commute home with long faces. The Dow fell nearly 224 points, closing at 13,042. It was down more than 550 points for the week.

The S&P dropped 21 points today and nearly 4 percent for the week, while the Nasdaq has lost more than 6 percent of its value this week after a 68 point loss today.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she's confident lawmakers will pass a new war-spending bill next week that includes a timeline for troop withdrawals. But some rank-and-file Democrats are expressing dismay over the strategy.

Liberals are calling it too soft, while some more conservative Democrats have told Pelosi it goes too far.

Washington (AP) Michael Mukasey (myoo-KAY'-zee) is now in charge of the Justice Department. He was sworn in as attorney general at a private ceremony this afternoon. He fills the vacancy left when Alberto Gonzales resigned amid questions about his credibility.

WASHINGTON (AP) The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it now has nine reports of children being sickened after eating Chinese-made toy beads. The agency ordered the recall of more than 4 million Aqua Dots toys earlier this week. They have a toxic chemical coating that the body changes into the so-called date-rape drug when eaten.

WASHINGTON (AP) The popular allergy drug Zyrtec-D can now be sold without a prescription. The Food and Drug Administration announced the decision today. Zyrtec-D relieves symptoms of hay fever and other respiratory ailments. It will have to be sold from behind store counters, however.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-09-07 1650CST | save this article / add to your favorites list