SPB News for Friday.

Federal agents raid Blackwater site.
Federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided Blackwater Worldwide this week, “as part of an investigation into whether the private security company sidestepped federal laws prohibiting the private purchase of automatic assault rifles.”

Obama helps relieve Clinton debt --He meets with top Clinton backers, receives standing ovation for support Barack Obama told Hillary Clinton's top financial backers Thursday that he personally has donated $2,300 to her campaign and more significantly has asked his biggest donors to help pay off her more than $20 million debt. The size of Obama’s donation is the most he can contribute under federal law.

.N.: Opium Trade Soars in Afghanistan Afghan opium cultivation grew 17 percent last year, continuing a six-year [US] expansion of the country's drug trade and increasing its share of global opium production to more than 92 percent, according to the 2008 World Drug Report, released Thursday by the United Nations.

North Korea removed from US 'axis of evil' North Korea and the United States took their biggest steps towards reconciliation since the Korean War yesterday after the reclusive state handed China a long-delayed account of its nuclear activities. President [sic] Bush responded by announcing that he would lift trade sanctions dating back to the 1950-53 conflict and remove North Korea from the US terrorism blacklist.

Dow at Lowest Level of the Year as Bank Fears Push Shares Down There was no relief in sight on Wall Street on Thursday, as a sharp dive in the stock markets only worsened as the afternoon wore on. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 358.41 points, or 3.03 percent, to 11,453.42, its lowest level of the year, after a discouraging report predicted trouble ahead for some of the nation’s biggest brokerage firms.

Oil prices hit new record at $140 Crude futures surged sharply and broke the 140 U.S. dollars level for the first time on Thursday as OPEC predicted oil prices to rise and Libya threatened to cut production. Light, sweet crude for August delivery rose 5.09 dollars to settle at a record 139.64 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Housing bill, FISA delayed until after July recess — The Senate hit impasses over legislation aimed at helping struggling homeowners and a rewrite of spying laws, forcing Democratic leaders to push back consideration of those measures until next month. — Leaders had hoped to finish