Forget balancing the budget

Commentator Robert Reich says all the politicking over balancing the federal budget is an exercise in accounting futility that doesn't necessarily lead to smarter spending or borrowing.

Fair trade is getting sweeter

Divine Chocolate is part-owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana, it's Fair Trade Certified — and now just in time for Valentine's Day, it's available in the States.

Risky home loans off the market

A major lender has announced it's going to stop making risky loans that help financially-stretched homebuyers pull together a down payment. That's likely to further weaken demand in the slumping housing market.

DaimlerChrysler is downsizing

The U.S. automaker announces a restructuring plan today that's expected to include plant closings and more than 10,000 job cuts. And they might even have to learn how to share.

Fresh as a chemically-treated flower

Lovers will exchange some 175 million roses today. Many of these flowers are shipped from Latin America and inspected for bugs before they're let into the U.S., so growers cut their risks with pesticides.

Fighting to keep Burberry British

Demonstrators in six cities around the world today will protest the closing of a Burberry factory in Wales as the outsourcing of those 300 jobs to China has grown into a bit of a cause célèbre.

Porsche ready to take the wheel at VW

An E.U. court official has labeled Germany's "Volkswagen law" — which protects the carmaker from hostile takeovers — illegal. And that's opened the door for Porsche.

California muscles its way into primary season

Lawmakers are working to move California's presidential primary from June to February to up its influence on the race. The move would have a major impact on the campaign — politically and financially.

Getting Wal-Mart into India

The U.S. wants India to change a law that bars foreign companies from selling directly to its consumers. Wal-Mart is halfway there, so the government is trying to help push the retail giant through the door.