JPMorgan Chase Settles Madoff Case For $1.7 Billion
JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay $1.7 billion to settle criminal charges accusing the bank of ignoring obvious warning signs of Bernard Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme.
National
Health Care Costs Grew More Slowly Than The Economy In 2012
Health care costs grew at 3.7 percent in 2012, the fourth year of a trend of smaller annual increases. The Obama administration says that the Affordable Care Act is a factor. But the actuaries who wrote the report beg to differ, saying the recession is a more likely cause.
Tighter Access To 'Death Master File' Has Researchers Worried
The Social Security Administration has long kept track of deaths so it can stop checks when recipients die. And while researchers have used the file for years, fraudsters have, too. So Congress is limiting access to the data — and that has everyone from bankers to genealogists concerned.
Forest Service May Try To Recoup Rim Fire Costs With Logging
The U.S. Forest Service has proposed a large salvage logging operation in the area affected by last year's historic Rim Fire, which burned 410-square miles of California's Sierra Nevada. The proposal is meeting stiff opposition from environmental groups who say the land is better left untouched.
Dangerously Cold Weather Felt Across Much Of U.S.
Historically cold weather is moving through the Midwest. In some areas, forecasters predict the coldest temperatures since 1996.
Calif. Toxin Law Warns Consumers, But Can Burden Businesses
Proposition 65 requires businesses to post public announcements about toxic chemicals in in their products. The law has been on the books for more than 20 years, and though it protects consumers, some say lawsuits over compliance disproportionately affect small businesses.
Phil Everly: Harmony To His Brother's Melody
The Everly Brothers influenced an entire generation of popular musicians. Don's voice usually handled the melody, but Phil gave the higher accompanying harmony to that melody, which defined the brothers' sound. Phil Everly died Friday from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 74.
California County Pushes Drugmakers To Pay For Pill Waste
An Alameda County ordinance puts the responsibility for drug disposal squarely on the companies that made the medicines. States and the federal government have considered similar measures, but none has passed.
The NSA's Quantum Code-Breaking Research Is No Secret
So the world's most clandestine spy agency is working on something called a quantum computer. It's based on rules Einstein himself described as "spooky," and it can crack almost any code. That's got to be top-secret stuff, right? Guess again.
Big Cities See Violent Crime Rates Fall In 2013
Cities across the country saw sharp drops in violent crime rates in 2013. For some big cities, murder rates reached historic lows. The numbers reflect a decades-long decline, which shows that plenty of neighborhoods in urban areas are safe while some remain troubled by violent crime.