National

The accusations against HSBC were harsh — that the bank laundered money for Mexican drug cartels and conducted transactions on behalf of Iran and other states tied to terrorism. So, why did federal authorities fine HSBC rather than pursue criminal charges?

Hurricane Sandy delivered a powerful punch to New York's Ellis and Liberty islands. While Lady Liberty sustained no damage, flooding destroyed much of Ellis Island's infrastructure, and the Statue of Liberty National Monument is closed indefinitely.

For punishments to work, they need to be both swift and meaningful. The HSBC settlement may be neither.

Eden Full dropped out of Princeton to found a startup company that brings the solar panel technology she invented to developing countries as part of a fellowship. The unusual program, funded by tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel, gives young people $100,000 to skip college and focus on their work and research instead.

With "classroom flipping," teachers record their classroom lectures online for students to watch at home. Classroom time is then used for problem solving and homework.

In a closed-door meeting Thursday, lawmakers will consider whether to approve the report, which human rights groups are pushing to be made public. It's part of an ongoing fight over whether harsh interrogation methods, which critics compared to torture, were effective.

While the storm did not influence the nation's jobless figures as much as expected, there are still thousands of people who are unemployed in Sandy's wake. Many businesses on the East Coast are still making repairs or have closed entirely, leaving many families in limbo.

A new law provides a path to temporary legal status for some youth in the U.S. illegally, but families must produce a bevy of documentation to qualify. In California, some school districts have devised new systems to help manage the high demand for data and school transcripts.

On Tuesday, a federal bankruptcy judge gave the nod to a Chinese firm to buy a Massachusetts technology company. The company, A123 Systems, makes batteries for electric cars, but some in Congress are fighting to block the deal.

Democrats are worried that cuts to the program will go beyond the impact on the people it serves. It will also affect the Affordable Care Act, which calls for expanding Medicaid to as many as 16 million more people. The states are watching closely because the federal government has promised it will pay most of those additional costs.