The housing bill Congress is preparing to send President Bush would: Give the Federal Housing Administration $300 billion in new lending authority and relax standards to provide affordable, fixed-rate mortgages to debt-ridden homeowners. Any losses would be covered by an affordable-housing fund financed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored companies that finance mortgages.
FOOTWEAR
You can take a nice walk or a nice run to stay in shape, but you'll need the proper shoes. From Consumer Reports magazine, here are some tips for buying the right pair:
VIDEO GAMES
At the video-game industry's largest event of the year, many of the A-list heroes were no-shows: Halo's Master Chief. Legend of Zelda's Zelda. Grand Theft Auto IV's Niko Bellic.
INVESTING
Reid Hoffman is a big man in Silicon Valley, and his stature just keeps growing. It all began in the bleak aftermath of the dot-com bust, when despondent entrepreneurs and investors were throwing in the towel. Hoffman, never one to shrink from a challenge, rolled up his sleeves.
TECH Q&A
Q: Ubuntu might be something that I may be interested in using, but I have Windows XP SPII, and I was wondering if I would need to remove that from my computer to gain an advantage from Ubuntu, or if I could keep Windows on my computer.
INTERNET
Yahoo is relinquishing three seats on its board of directors to activist investor Carl Icahn, ending a battle for control of the Internet company while still leaving the door open for a possible sale to Microsoft.
The idea: GM is developing a high-tech windshield that makes road hazards easier to see. For example, during a foggy drive, it could project a blue line onto the windshield that follows the edge of the road.
The red ink is mounting for airlines amid soaring fuel costs, leaving them little choice but to further hike ticket prices. As Delta Air Lines and American Airlines reported big second-quarter losses Wednesday, they signaled customers should expect more hits to their checkbooks.
AIRLINES
The red ink is mounting for airlines amid soaring fuel costs, leaving them little choice but to further hike ticket prices. As Delta Air Lines and American Airlines reported big second-quarter losses Wednesday, they signaled customers should expect more hits to their checkbooks.
AUTOMOBILES
Short on cash and facing bankruptcy rumors, General Motors said Tuesday that it would suspend its dividend, sell assets worth as much as $4 billion, borrow an additional $2 billion to $3 billion and lay off salaried workers, among other steps to reduce costs.
