Washington – A congressional committee is investigating the circumstances that led to the sex scandal causing the downfall of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and whether the case was politically motivated. The House Financial Services Committee seeks to determine whether federal agents misused their expanded powers under the Patriot Act.read more
We have ‘only one President at a time,’ Barack Obama said in his debut press conference as President-elect. Normally, that would be a safe assumption – but we’re learning not to assume anything as the charcoal-dreary economic winter approaches. By mid-November, with the financial crisis growing worse by the day, it had become obvious that […]
Kabul, Afghanistan – A suicide car bomber targeting an American convoy exploded about 200 yards (meters) outside the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least four Afghan bystanders as people entered the compound for a Thanksgiving Day race. Four Afghans at least 18 more people were wounded in the 8:30 a.m. attack, said Abdullah […]
If you’re buying a home, refinancing a mortgage or seeking an auto or student loan, the new government plans to make borrowing cheaper and easier sound like a gift. One problem, however, is that whole categories of people may be ineligible. If you are refinancing, you could be out of luck if your mortgage balance is […]
A few months ago I found myself at a meeting of economists and finance officials, discussing – what else? – the crisis. There was a lot of soul-searching going on. One senior policy maker asked, ‘Why didn’t we see this coming?’ There was, of course, only one thing to say in reply, so I said it: […]
Few federal agencies are expected to undergo as radical a transformation under President-elect Barack Obama as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department, which have been at the epicenter of many of the Bush administration’s most intense scientific and environmental controversies. The agencies have different mandates – the EPA holds sway over air and water […]
Baghdad – A suicide bomber blew himself up among worshippers waiting to be searched at the entrance to a Shiite mosque south of Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 11 people, Iraqi officials said. The blast occurred a day after Iraqi lawmakers approved a security pact with the United States that will allow U.S.read more
Commandos take position near a building housing a Jewish outreach group, Chabad Lubavitch. (Photo: Saurabh Das / AP)read more
LOS ANGELES — A judge says Mel Gibson must answer questions about planning and filming ‘The Passion of the Christ’ in response to a screenwriter’s lawsuit.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon (al-ahr-KOHN’) on Tuesday ordered Gibson to appear for a deposition by mid-January. Screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald claims he was underpaid for his work on […]
Whenever I discussed the current bailout situation with people, I find they have a hard time comprehending the actual numbers involved. That became a problem while doing the research for the Bailout Nation book. I needed some way to put this into proper historical perspective.If we add in the Citi bailout, the total cost now […]
LOS ANGELES — Brooke Burke waltzed away with the mirror ball trophy on the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ finale.The 37-year-old TV personality and mother of four dominated the seventh season of the popular ABC dancing competition and bested former NFL player Warren Sapp and former ‘NSync member Lance Bass during the Tuesday night finale, in […]