Newsweek | Forget "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" The theme song of this recession might well be "Mother, Can You Write a Check?" The downbeat economy has resulted in increasing numbers of parents and grandparents helping out their strapped adult children and grandkids with home down payments, credit-card bailouts, and spare cash—often at the same time as parents are trying to confront new retirement budgets.

AP | Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent at least $102 million to narrowly win a third term, breaking his previous records for the most expensive self-financed political bid in U.S. history, according to a report released Friday by his campaign.

NaturalNews.com | The New York Times recently unveiled a story about industry lobbyists and the power they have over the United States Congress. Examination of a series of statements made by 42 Congressmen revealed that Genentech, the world's largest biotechnology company, has been ghostwriting industry-favorable speech content for Congressmen to recite during health care reform oratory.

Reuters | The guns are gradually falling silent in Iraq as a fragile stability takes hold, turning the spotlight on a stealthier killer likely to stalk Iraqis for years to come. Incidences of cancer, deformed babies and other health problems have risen sharply, Iraqi officials say, and many suspect contamination from weapons used in years of war and accompanying unchecked pollution as a cause.

NewsWithViews.com | By now, most readers are familiar with the story of how a Virginia couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi crashed the White House State Dinner last Tuesday evening. President and Mrs. Obama were entertaining Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the first official State Dinner of the new administration.

KTNV | Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, along with other protesters stood outside Nellis AFB, chanting in opposition to President Obama's plan to deploy an additional 30 to 35 thousand troops to Afghanistan.

LewRockwell.com | My comment is that, unlike any other time in history, I now have access to unprecedented amounts of information via the internet. I can also check spot gold prices at any moment, and monitor the current fad/trend to buy gold.

AP | After months of debate, President Barack Obama will spell out a costly Afghanistan war expansion to a skeptical public Tuesday night, coupling an infusion of as many as 35,000 more troops with a vow that there will be no endless U.S. commitment. His first orders have already been made: at least one group of Marines who will be in place by Christmas.

RawStory.com | Key components in the USA Patriot Act are set to expire at the end of the year, but President Barack Obama is seeking to extend them, reversing his stark opposition in the past to the same provisions.

AP | General Electric Co.'s agreement to buy out the rest of NBC Universal paves the way for it to sell control of the TV and movie company to Comcast Corp. in a deal that promises to reshape the entertainment industry.