Filed under: Bargain Stocks, Chasing Value, Stock Picks

A swab of saliva was at the center of a legal battle Tuesday over DNA collection of felony suspects and privacy rights.

The federal deficit has topped $1 trillion with three months still to go in the budget year, showing the lasting impact of the recession on the government's finances.

Four former western Pennsylvania prison guards have been ordered to stand trial in an alleged beating of an inmate last summer.

For better or worse, President Obama's health care reform bill is now law. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act represents the most significant transformation of the American health care system since Medicare and Medicaid.

Filed under: Market Matters, Commodities, Currency

Last week was unusual when you compare the traditional relationship between gold and the U.S. dollar. Out of left field came a stunning rally in the euro to the $1.25 level, after being beaten down to $1.18 The U.S. dollar moved in tandem on the downside, to the 85.00 level vs. a basket of currencies.

Normally, gold wil...

Filed under: Columns, NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE), Under Armour'A' (UA), Business of Sports

The President believes that often the best ideas come from outside Washington and from those who work day in and day out on the frontlines. That was the thinking behind the SAVE Award we launched last year – a way to get ideas directly from federal workers all over the world about how to cut waste and save taxpayer dollars.

In just three weeks, federal employees submitted more than 38,000 ideas identifying opportunities to save money and improve performance. After these were winnowed to a final four, the top idea was voted on by tens of thousands of Americans, and the winner – Nancy Fichtner from Loma, Colorado – came to the Whit...

Energy investors and entrepreneurs often refer to the period between technologies being developed in the lab and making their way to the marketplace as a "valley of death" due to the multitude of factors that can prevent those advancements from reaching the consumer. Today, just miles from the real Death Valley in Nevada, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and I announced a venture that will help promising solar technologies make that journey to the market. The Nevada Test site, which was once used to test nuclear weapons, will now be dedicated to testing new solar technologies that will help put America on a sustain...

Blue Cross Blue Shield's nonprofit health plans raised insurance premiums even as they set aside millions of dollars in surpluses over the past decade, according to a report published Thursday.

Reuters - Apple Inc will give iPhone 4 users a free phone case to address a slew of complaints about reception problems that have hurt the company's image and shares.

AP - President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats have settled on an agenda for the final weeks before Congress' summe...

The Consumerism Commentary Podcast is in full swing with new episodes every Sunday. Listen and subscribe now!

Discover® More® Card $75 Cash Back Bonus

According to a recent Chronicle article ("Experts Debate Fairness of Criminal-Background Checks on Students") more that 60% of colleges review applicants' criminal records in admissions decisions, but only 38% of those actually have training on how to interpret criminal records.

Some schools take criminal background checks more seriously than others. The University of North Carolina is one such school that, after an on-campus murder in 2008 decided it needed to step up its student safety screenings. Last year, UNC asked 10% of it...

In this June 30, 2010 file photo, a pharmacist holds a bottle of Avandia pills at Maximart Pharmacy in Palo Alto, Calif.

The Obama Administration is intensely focused on creating jobs and growing the economy so that Americans have more and better pathways to reach their goals.

At home, our efforts are centered on expanding exports, supporting small businesses, and promoting entrepreneurship and private innovation to spur growth.

Abroad, we are also working with our partners to aid the poor and generate private sector opportunities because we know that a more stable and prosperous global economy will benefit Americans while also lifting lives.

The Consumerism Commentary Podcast is in full swing with new episodes every Sunday. Listen and subscribe now!

SmartMoney’s Top 10 Discount Brokers

Federal health advisers said Friday a government proposal to curb misuse of powerful painkillers does not go far enough to fix a problem linked to hundreds of fatal overdoses annually.

This UNC Kenan Flagler 2011 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts providing MBA application and essay advice for applicants to top MBA programs around the world. You can access the entire series at http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/tag/2011-mba-application-tips. My tips for answering Kenan Flagler's essay questions are in blue below.

...

AP - Four days after three British troops were slain at their base in the middle of the night, it remains unclear what motivated a rogue Afghan soldier to commit the crim...

By GILLIAN FLACCUS and JOHN ANTCZAK, Associated Press Writers 1 hr 45 mins ago LOS ANGELES Old-fashioned undercover work and a slice of pizza delivered the key genetic evidence that helped police nab the man wanted in the decades-long "Grim Sleeper" serial killings case as they put to use a provocative new DNA technique.

Gift Tax from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

AFP - Canada relinquished command ...

Today, President Obama spoke with workers at Smith Electric’s new factory in Kansas City. Missouri. With a $32 million grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act coupled with $36 million in private capital, the electric vehicle company is building up to 500 all-electric trucks. 

While he was there, the President also had the pleasure of announcing the company was hiring its 50th worker at the plant. By September, that number is expected to grow to 70, and at the project’s peak, Smith tells us the project will create ...

AFP - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates named General James Mattis on Thursday ...

Earlier today, the First Lady sent an email announcing the new LetMove.gov and some of its features. To kick things off, Mrs. Obama will be answering your questions about the Let’s Move! initiative in a live video chat tomorrow at 10:00 AM EDT. Watch the live event right here on WhiteHouse.gov/Live and read a message from the First Lady:

As a mother, I know there is nothing more important than a child's health. But today, obesity threatens the health of one out of three American children. That's why we launched Let's Move! -- a nationwide effort to solve the challen...

By PAUL ELIAS and GREG RISLING, Associated Press Writers 2 hrs 53 mins ago SAN FRANCISCO The involuntary manslaughter conviction of a white former transit officer in the death of an unarmed black man set the stage for a sentencing that could be just as explosive as the trial depending on how the judge interprets the verdict.

A federal judge will hold the first major court hearing in one of the seven legal challenges to Arizona's new immigration law.

<...

• Top European b-schools continue making the same mistake: First, in 2008 London Business School ousted their new dean, Robin Buchanan, for being too much of a businessman and not enough of an academic dean. Now IMD's president, John Wells, is stepping down due to similar criticism. Finally, Frank Brown, Insead's current dean, also plans to step down in 2011 because of similar accusations. Each of these three b-school leaders will have held their posts for just a few years. According to a

The Toledo veterinarian who is overseeing the treatment of the family dog that was allegedly shot by his owners' neighbor said Friday he expects the animal to recover.

Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped a felony burglary charge against actor Rip Torn, clearing the way for him to seek special probation that might settle charges that he broke into a bank while drunk and armed in January.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - A Connecticut man filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing a Roman Catholic pastor of sexually abusing him when he was a boy and trying to buy his silence with bribes-including appliances and a car-and threats to report his mother to welfare authorities.

On Tuesday, July 13th, Mrs. Obama is answering your questions in her first-ever web chat, as part of the launch of a new Let’s Move! website. The First Lady will answer your questions on the Let's Move! initiative to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity during a live event that is moderated by AOL Health. You can participate by submitting questions now or during the chat. Then tune in to the live event at 10:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, July 13 here on WhiteHouse.gov...

It's true that as a rule college graduates earn more than high school graduates? But how much more? And at what cost?

According to recent data released by PayScale for the Businessweek rankings, students can expect to make $1.2 million more than high school graduates over the course of 30 years (after recouping the cost of their education) at only 17 of the 554 institutions included in the study. According to Al Lee at PayScale, "College is not the million-dollar slam dunk people talk about."

Elite private schools dominate the top of time B...

No Law Requires Acceptance of US Currency from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Here's some advice: When the associate director of MBA admissions from your target school offers pointed, clear essay tips, MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THEM!

So for those of you applying to Stanford GSB, listen up as Allison Davis shares the top 8 mistakes applicants make on their essays:

1. Not making Essay B specific to the GSB.
2. Choosing a topic for Essay 3A, B, C, or D that is NOT within 3 years.
3. Combining your 2 essay C's into 1 essay.
4. Cutting and pasting your essays from essays you've written f...

AFP - F-16 fighter planes intercepted two small single-engine aircraft Friday t...

Filed under: Research in Motion (RIMM), Amer Intl Group (AIG)

Filed under: Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM), Stocks to Buy

Filed under: Freep't McMoRan Copper (FCX)

Coverdell Education Savings Account Tax Break Expiring from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Dick Morris, the former political adviser to President Bill Clinton who turned his back on Democrats and embraced conservatives, is raising money to help Republican Sharron Angle's Senate bid.

It might not be the Greatest Show on Earth but the legal circus in the $7 billion fraud case against jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford is possibly making it the greatest show in court.

States can reduce their Medicaid programs' healthcare expenditures by changing laws to enable generic drugs to be substituted for branded medications more easily and quickly, according to a new study conducted by CVS Caremark, a large pharmacy healthcare provider.

The U.S. Justice Department is filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona's new law targeting illegal immigrants , setting the stage for a clash between the federal government and state over the nation's toughest immigration crackdown.

Click here to see the video.

Yesterday, the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy – a comprehensive plan for fighting HIV in our country.

In his

Filed under: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, American Eagle Outfitters (AEO)

I wrote an article

Filed under: Earnings Reports, General Electric (GE)

Filed under: Coca-Cola (KO), Stocks to Buy

The shares of Coca-Cola (KO), first discussed here on February 20, 2009, at a price of $42.68, have misbehaved in the last three months, falling from $55 to about $51, but the calculation is to stick with the trade. Here's why:

Look...

AP - President Barack Obama says the men and women fighting abroad for the United States have earned their place among "the greatest of generation...

AFP - US President Barack Obama said Friday his policies had pulled America out of the most vicious economic d...

How to Recover A Stolen Identity from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

AP - Republican Marco Rubio's campaign said Monday it raised $4.5 million in the second quarter this year — the best fundraising quarter ever for any...

Gov. Deval Patrick has enacted a $27.6 billion budget that will cut state aid to cities, towns and schools for the new fiscal year that begins Thursday, at the same time vetoing $457 million in spending, much of it anticipated federal dollars that Congress has yet to approve.

On Tuesday, July 13th, Mrs. Obama is answering your questions in her first-ever web chat, as part of the launch of a new Let’s Move! website. The First Lady will answer your questions on the Let's Move! initiative to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity during a live event that is moderated by AOL Health. You can participate by submitting questions now or during the chat. Then tune in to the live event at 10:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, July 13 here on WhiteHouse.gov...

[Ed. Note. In case you missed it, watch First Lady Michelle Obama’s video message about supporting our military families on Independence Day and read a blog post by Dr. Jill Biden who is celebrating the Fourth of July with our troops in Iraq.]

Today, the President and First Lady are hosting more than 1,200 military heroes and their families for an Independence Day celebration at the White House. The event includes performances by The Killers, Cedric “The Entert...

Filed under: Good news, Options, Technical Analysis

AFP - South Korea's top mobile phone carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it would allow subscribers to make Internet calls over its cellular network.

Prison officers sent police a written warning that Raoul Moat was threatening to kill on his release from jail, it has been claimed.

Filed under: Forecasts, Consumer Experience, Market Matters, Economic Data

After ticking up for nearly two-and-a-half years, consumer confidence took a dramatic plunge, falling to an eleventh month low. The preliminary Jul...

Thanks for checking out the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, walk step by step with the President as he speaks up for unemployed Americans, congratulates this year's WNBA champs, talks with astronaut John Glenn about space exploration, meets with British Prime Minister Cameron, signs the historic Wall Street Reform bill into law and much more.

The Consumerism Commentary Podcast is in full swing with new episodes every Sunday. Listen and subscribe now!

Which Wine Do I Want to Buy?

Ben Patterson - Somehow, I had a ...

Filed under: Major Movement, Good news, Options, Technical Analysis, S and P 500

Filed under: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Options, Technical Analysis