US economy adds 155K jobs, rate stays at 7.8 pct.
Written by CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER,AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in December, a steady gain that shows hiring held up during the tense negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff.
Congress to vote on Superstorm Sandy flood aid
Written by ANDREW MIGA,Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — At last, the storm-racked Northeast is getting a House floor vote on billions in disaster relief aid for victims of October's Superstorm Sandy, but only after a host of East Coast Republican lawmakers threatened a near mutiny against GOP Speaker John Boehner.
Pakistani girl shot by Taliban leaves UK hospital
Written by DANICA KIRKA,Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — A 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for promoting girls' education has been released from a Birmingham hospital to live with her family, doctors said Friday.
Transocean's $1.4B oil spill deal will help Gulf
Written by MICHAEL KUNZELMAN,Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A $1.4 billion settlement between the Justice Department and Deepwater Horizon rig owner Transocean Ltd. will pump hundreds of millions of dollars into projects designed to help the Gulf Coast recover from the nation's largest offshore oil spill.
Venezuela's Chavez fighting severe lung infection
Written by IAN JAMES,Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is being treated for "respiratory deficiency" after complications from a severe lung infection, his government said, pointing to a deepening crisis for the ailing 58-year-old president.
Lawmakers say CIA may have misled filmmakers
Written by KIMBERLY DOZIER,AP Intelligence Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers accused the CIA of misleading the makers of the Osama bin Laden raid film "Zero Dark Thirty" by allegedly telling them that harsh interrogation methods helped track down the terrorist mastermind.
Lunch meat maker Hormel orders up Skippy sandwich
Written by CANDICE CHOI,AP Business Writers MICHELLE CHAPMAN,AP Business Writers
NEW YORK (AP) — Hormel Foods apparently has a hankering for a peanut butter and bacon sandwich. The company primarily known for Spam and other cured, smoked and deli meats said Thursday that it's buying Skippy, the country's No. 2 peanut butter brand, in its biggest-ever acquisition.
Fiscal-cliff deal no recipe for a robust economy
Written by CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER,AP Economics Writers PAUL WISEMAN,AP Economics Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Housing is rebounding. Families are shrinking debts. Europe has avoided a financial crackup. And the fiscal cliff deal has removed the most urgent threat to the U.S. economy.