Foot-stomping music filled the East Room of the White House on Wednesday as first lady Michelle Obama hosted nearly 200 schoolchildren for a Black History Month celebration featuring Sweet Honey in the Rock, an award-winning female a cappella ensemble.
European and Asian markets rose modestly Thursday following the previous session's gains on Wall Street but optimism remained very thin on the ground despite policy measures by governments around the world.
Between the $75 billion foreclosure plan President Barack Obama revealed on Wednesday and the $787 billion economic stimulus he signed a day earlier, the government is promising a range of programs aimed at getting new help to homeowners
