USA
Nearly 24,000 furloughed state employees in Pennsylvania returned to work Tuesday after Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and Republican lawmakers broke a partisan budget deadlock following a one-day, partial government shutdown.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales received reports of unauthorized FBI surveillance and property searches before urging Congress in 2005 to renew powers granted in the USA Patriot Act, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. The Justice Department said it didn't know if Gonzales had read the reports.
Consumer borrowing rose 6.4 percent in May, the biggest jump in six months, the Federal Reserve reported Monday. Economists cited strong retail sales as a contributing factor.
A gallon of unleaded regular gasoline jumped 2.2 cents during the past week to a national average of $2.98, snapping a six-week price slide, the federal Energy Information Administration said Monday.
In June, for the second month in a row, the US Army missed its active-duty recruiting goal, this time by about 15 percent, according to figures released Tuesday. Overall, however, the Army is slightly ahead of its year-long enlistment target.
Sen. David Vitter (R) of Louisiana submitted a printed apology Monday after his number appeared on the posted phone list of a woman accused of running a Washington, D.C., prostitution ring. Vitter said he'd gained his wife's forgiveness several years ago.
Shareholders for two Chicago financial giants approved a $11.9 billion deal Monday to create one of the world's largest exchanges. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. will take over the Chicago Board of Trade, creating a new firm named CME Group.
California's population is projected to grow from its present 36 million to 60 million by 2050, when Hispanics will comprise 52 percent of the total, according to a state report released Monday.
The former Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion of publisher William Randolph Hearst went on sale Monday for $165 million, which is likely the priciest US residential listing. Attorney Leonard Ross is the seller.
