The government estimates 240,000 vehicles have already sputtered off the roads and into dealers' lots as part of the federal government's cash-for-clunkers program, in which consumers receive a subsidy of up to $4,500 when they trade in their older, less efficient cars for new models. The House of Representatives has already moved to keep the program going by expanding its funding, and the Senate is considering a similar measure this week. But while the initiative has proved highly popular ...

Should struggling boat dealers get the same sort of bailout from the federal government that is being doled out to the flailing auto industry? The Small Business Administration thinks so. It has just started a program that offers loans to help boat dealers to finance their inventory. But at least so far, few dealers seem to be interested. The National Marine Manufacturers Association says the U.S. recreational boating industry contributed $33.6 billion to the U.S. Economy ...

"The problem with the French," former U.S. President George W. Bush purportedly once said in a snarl of disgust, "is they have no word for entrepreneur." That quote is probably apocryphal — which is a rather good thing for W. on more than just the linguistic score. French government officials this week reported that the number of new private businesses launched in June set an all-time record. By the end of 2009, they estimate, France will be about ...

The Senate voted Tuesday to block expansion of one of the country's most controversial and expensive defense programs, the F-22 fighter jet program. The vote gave the White House and Pentagon a key victory over congressional supporters of the F-22, many of whom represent states and districts where jobs are tied to the production of the jet. The vote, which stripped $1.75 billion for an additional seven F-22s from the fiscal year 2010 budget, was a reversal of an earlier ...

U.S. authorities have ratcheted up pressure on one of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels, releasing new details about the so-called Gulf Cartel's operations and offering up to a $50 million reward for the arrest of its leaders. Welcoming Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin to the White House, Obama said the lunar landing and subsequent walk on the moon by Armstrong and Aldrin continued to inspire young people to study math and science in hopes of becoming astronauts. "On ...

President Obama on Monday hailed the Apollo 11 astronauts who made it to the moon 40 years ago as "genuine American heroes" and "the touchstone for excellence in exploration and discovery." Welcoming Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin to the White House, Obama said the lunar landing and subsequent walk on the moon by Armstrong and Aldrin continued to inspire young people to study math and science in hopes of becoming astronauts. "On this 40th anniversary, we are, all ...

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is getting a "bum rap" over reports that he ordered the CIA to withhold information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress, two former U.S. intelligence officials told CNN Monday. According to both officials, any intelligence program of "great sensitivity" is first approved by the White House after a series of meetings. In any such situation, once the administration decides to pursue a covert program, there is discussion on whether Congress needs to be briefed, ...

The highly controversial no-warrant surveillance program initiated after the September 11 terrorist attacks relied on a "factually flawed" legal analysis inappropriately provided by a single Justice Department official, according to a report to Congress on Friday. The report was compiled by the inspectors general of the nation's top intelligence agencies, the Pentagon and the Justice Department. The report, mandated by Congress, provides fresh context to information previously leaked in press accounts and buttressed by both congressional testimony and books written ...

The government finally seems to be making progress in its efforts to stem the foreclosure crisis. Housing and Urban Development officials say lenders extended loan-modification offers to 40,000 borrowers who were struggling to pay their mortgage in the second week of June. That is nearly triple the weekly average of about 15,000 workouts that loan servicers had extended in the prior 10 weeks since the government's latest foreclosure-prevention plan was announced. "Foreclosures were becoming a self-reinforcing problem for the housing market," said ...

Jet lag is the bane of the global traveler, but could your laptop hold the cure? Mathematicians in the U.S. are developing software they say could halve the number of days needed to adjust to a new time zone. Travelers would enter their flight details into the program to receive specific advice on when to sleep, to go outside for exposure to daylight, or to take mitigating supplements such as melatonin. The software is being developed by ...