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bloomberg.com — New York City will likely benefit more from energy efficiency and conservation than mounting wind turbines on city skyscrapers and bridges. Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked renewable energy developers to propose ideas for generating wind energy and other pollution-free power sources within the city's five boroughs. Along with offshore wind farms, other ideas included tidal and solar power and geothermal energy. Responses are due Sept. 19.

nytimes.com — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit to try to resolve remaining differences over an agreement that would determine how long American troops remain in Iraq. Ms. Rice made the trip because, she said, American and Iraqi negotiators have come close to a final agreement and the remaining differences are now in the hands of political leaders in Washington and Baghdad. The two sticking points remain a timeline for when American troops will withdraw from Iraq and the issue of immunity for American soldiers from Iraqi prosecution.

reuters.com — A growing number of U.S. adults are struggling to pay their medical bills, tapping into savings accounts, home equity and credit cards to cover health care costs, according to a survey released on Wednesday. An estimated 72 million Americans aged 19 to 64, or 41 percent, said they had trouble paying for medical care in 2007, with some slipping far enough behind to face collection agencies. That compared to nearly 58 million, or 34 percent, in 2005, the Commonwealth Fund survey found. The report comes as U.S. consumers face rising financial pressures, including higher energy costs, food bills and mortgage payments.

money.cnn.com — As mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac struggle with continuing credit losses, their ability to raise needed capital is uncertain and, analysts say, is complicated by the possibility of a government bailout of the two companies. Published reports about a possible bailout, continued quarterly losses at Fannie and Freddie and further deterioration in the credit markets have investors concerned about the mortgage companies' solvency. Those worries have sent the companies' prices tumbling, with Fannie falling another 4.49 percent and Freddie sliding 5.01 percent.

iht.com — Iraq is on the verge of reviving an 11-year-old contract with China worth $1.2 billion, its largest oil deal since the invasion in 2003, an Oil Ministry official said. The deal sets new terms for an agreement reached between China and Iraq under Saddam Hussein in 1997. Unlike that agreement, which included production-sharing rights, the new one is a service contract, under which China would be paid for its work at the Ahdab oil field southeast of Baghdad but would not be a partner in the profits.

— Consumers should brace for the biggest increase in food prices in nearly 20 years in 2008 and even more pain next year due to surging meat and produce prices, the Agriculture Department said. Food prices are forecast to rise by 5 percent to 6 percent this year, making it the largest annual increase since 1990. Just last month, USDA forecast food prices would climb between 4.5 percent and 5.5 percent in 2008. Prices are expected to rise by 4% to 5% in 2009, lead by red meat and poultry.

usatoday.com — Federal officials say fresh jalapeno and serrano peppers from Mexico pose a salmonella risk, but the peppers are still selling in the U.S. and for much less than their U.S. rivals. Buyers tend to be small Hispanic grocers and mom and pop restaurants, while big supermarkets and restaurants shun the Mexican supply, distributors say. The Food and Drug Administration warned last month that consumers should avoid fresh jalapeno and serrano peppers from Mexico, after salmonella saintpaul was found on samples. Nationwide, 1,434 people have been sickened in the outbreak, the largest for food in more than a decade. New illnesses peaked in May and have slowed to a trickle. The latest new illness started Aug. 8, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

nytimes.com — Iraqi and American negotiators have agreed to a draft of a long-awaited security agreement to govern the presence of American troops in Iraq, American and Iraqi officials confirmed. The agreement remains subject to approval by the political leaders in each country. Negotiating teams have been working on the agreement for five months. The two sides have come close to an agreement before, only for their optimism to prove premature. The main sticking points, in fact, are also the most delicate: setting a timeline for American troops to leave and declaring whether American forces would be granted immunity from Iraqi prosecution.

usatoday.com — The Interior Department received 423 bids from 47 companies to explore a swath of the Gulf of Mexico off Texas. The bids cover 319 of the 3,412 tracts the federal government put up for lease, or about 10% of the 18 million acres available. The preliminary results of the lease sale underscore the problems politicians face in arguing for more domestic drilling to ease high energy prices: Making more land available does not necessarily mean it will be drilled. Also, most offers — 237 — were for 10-year terms, an extended timetable that will have little impact on gasoline prices now.

cnn.com — The next large-scale military or terrorist attack on the United States, if and when it happens, may not involve airplanes or bombs or even intruders breaching American borders. Instead, such an assault may be carried out in cyberspace by shadowy hackers half a world away. And Internet security experts believe that it could be just as devastating to the U.S.'s economy and infrastructure as a deadly bombing. Experts say last the attack on the former Soviet republic of Georgia, in which a Russian military offensive was preceded by an Internet assault that overwhelmed Georgian government Web sites, signals a new kind of cyberwar, one for which the United States is not fully prepared.