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Detroit: White House wants 56 mpg cars; Commodities: Rare-earth metals aren’t so rare; Treasury: Is Geithner heading for the exit?; Cyberwars: Computer outlaws do some self-policing; Life insurance: Are benefits going unclaimed?

Detroit: White House wants 56 mpg cars

The Obama administration is asking the auto industry to double fuel efficiency for cars in the U.S. by 2025, said Juliet Eilperin in The Washington Post. Its proposal to raise the mileage standard to 56.2 miles per gallon, up from 30.2 mpg today, would “cut the nation’s oil consumption and carbon output significantly.” But the proposal has sparked resistance from U.S. automakers, who are pressing for a fuel efficiency of between 42.6 and 46.7 mpg. While the White House and Detroit continue to negotiate, environmentalists are lobbying hard for the higher figure, arguing that the federal government’s $89 billion bailout of the industry required it to build fuel-efficient cars.

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