A rift has opened in the 43-member caucus over a menthol provision in legislation that would enable the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco.

Recent cheer in stock markets ended as investors scrambled to sell and take profits, sending the Dow Jones industrials down more than 273 points.

Europe’s Food Safety Authority pulled back from giving milk and meat from cloned animals a clean bill of health, reducing the chances such products will reach stores soon.

Recent cheer in stock markets came to an end as investors scrambled to sell and take profits, sending the Dow Jones industrials down more than 230 points by late afternoon.

National City, a large regional bank, posted $1.76 billion in losses, hurt by soaring losses on mortgage and construction loans and a write-down for acquisitions.

Southwest Airlines, the largest U.S. low-fare airline, saw profits rise and beat Wall Street expectations by relying on hedge arrangements that lowered fuel costs.

The head of the S.E.C. urged Congress to give his agency power to oversee investment banks, even as a top Federal Reserve official said the Fed needed similar powers.

The C.F.T.C. charged Optiver Holding, a global trading fund, with manipulating the oil market on the New York Mercantile Exchange in March 2007.

New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo announced he has sued Swiss banking giant UBS over its conduct in the auction-rate securities market.

The C.F.T.C. charged Optiver Holding, a global trading fund, with manipulating the oil market on the New York Mercantile Exchange in March 2007.