House speaker decries ‘stupid question’ about Amtrak funds
By ALAN FRAM House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that this week’s fatal Amtrak crash wasn’t caused by a lack of federal funds and mocked a reporter for even asking…
Business
Investigators recover black boxes after train wreck kills 6
By GEOFF MULVIHILL Rescue crews searched the mangled wreckage for victims Wednesday as investigators tried to determine why an Amtrak train hurtled off the tracks in a crash that killed…
Bill Clinton’s lucrative speeches got fast approval at State
By LISA LERER and STEPHEN BRAUN State Department officials gave speedy and sometimes only cursory consideration to potential conflicts of interest when approving former President Bill Clinton’s lucrative speeches to…
Mirror, mirror on the wall: Smart mirrors boost sales
By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO Imagine a fitting room with a “smart” mirror that suggests jeans to go with the red shirt you brought in. It snaps a video so you can…
Online Common Core testing lays bare tech divide in schools
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO and SALLY HO Nestled between mountains 60 miles from the nearest city, students at Cuyama Valley High School use Internet connections about one-tenth the minimum speed recommended…
Illinois justices overturn state’s landmark 2013 pension law
By JOHN O’CONNOR and KERRY LESTER The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday struck down a 2013 law that sought to fix the nation’s worst government-employee pension crisis, a ruling that…
Weight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch dies at age 91
By MATT SEDENSKY Jean Nidetch, a New York housewife who tackled her own obesity, then shared her guiding principles with others in meetings that became known as Weight Watchers, the…
Emotions over Obama’s trade agenda roil Senate, delay action
By CHARLES BABINGTON Emotional disagreements over trade erupted in Congress on Wednesday, when a liberal senator delayed a committee’s likely endorsement of a top trade priority for President Barack Obama.…