A meagre session for Congress
Congress has sent only 54 bills to President Obama so far this year, including 14 to rename post offices, nine to approve real estate transactions, and six to simply renew existing laws. That record puts the current Congress on track to be one of the least productive sessions in recent times.
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College students stay home
The average amount families spent on college declined by 5 percent in 2012, to $20,902—the second consecutive annual decline. The chief reason is that more and more students, even those from wealthier households, are living at home to cut education costs.
The New York Times
Leaving Afghanistan by 2014?
In order for the U.S. and its NATO allies to meet their target of pulling out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, a standard shipping container carrying military equipment would have to leave the country every seven minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the next two years.
ForeignAffairs.com
Defense Department okays gay parade
For the first time ever, U.S. service members were authorized to march in a gay pride event in uniform, after a recent memorandum from the Defense Department made an allowance for a parade last week in San Diego.
Associated Press
Tax havens hide trillions
The world’s tax havens currently keep between $21 trillion and $32 trillion out of reach of the world’s governments, or more than the combined gross national products of the U.S. and Japan.
Mother Jones
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Libya's 'curious' football cup, played in Italy to empty stadiumsUnder The Radar 'Curious collaboration' saw Al-Ahli Tripoli crowned league champions in Milan before a handful of spectators
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What taxes do you pay on a home sale?The Explainer Some people — though not many — will need to pay capital gains taxes upon selling their home
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Schools: The return of a dreaded fitness testFeature Donald Trump is bringing the Presidential Fitness Test back to classrooms nationwide
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Will insurance cover damage in Boston?, and morefeature Companies that suffered property damage or lost income due to the Boston bombings may not get insurance payouts.
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The cost of Occupy Wall Street, and more
feature The movement has cost municipalities at least $13 million in police overtime and other services.
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A linguistic success for Occupy Wall Street, and more
feature
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The oil lobby's shared profession, and more
feature Three out of four lobbyists who represent oil and gas companies previously worked for the federal government.
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Big Oil's big subsidies, and more
feature Oil production is among the most heavily subsidized businesses. BP, for example, was getting a tax deduction of $225,000 a day for renting the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.
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Landfills receive 30% less trash, and more
feature Due to the sputtering economy, landfills are getting up to 30 percent less trash.
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A “pole tax” for the adult-entertainment business?, and more
feature With the adult-entertainment business one of the few bright spots in the economy, states and municipalities are thinking of raising taxes on dirty magazines, sex toys, and strip clubs.