Philippines: The government lowered its estimate of storm dead to about 2,500, down from an original figure of 10,000. About 660,000 people are homeless. Most reports are coming out of the city of Tacloban but there’s little information about conditions further out in the Philippine islands hit by the storm. In Tacloban, aid has been slow arriving and residents are desperate for food and water. There’s a mile-long line of people at the airport hoping to fly out.

Period: Former President Clinton raised pressure on the White House when he told an interviewer President Obama should keep his promise that people can keep the healthcare plans they have. “I personally believe, even if it takes a change to the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got.” The White House said the President agrees. On the computer front, the Washington Post reports that a source tells them the Healthcare.gov website is unlikely to be able to handle high volumes of usage by the Dec. 1 deadline. 

What They Do Best: The government has approved a merger between US Airways and Americans Airlines to form the largest American airline. The Justice Department said the merger will increase competition, but travel advocates say it will increase fares for some travellers and reduce flights that serve smaller cities. Air executives have argued for years that consolidation is the only way to reduce costs and keep flying.

Heart of the Matter: Heart scientists have re-written the rules for cholesterol-reducing drugs, possibly doubling the number of people advised to take statin drugs. A quarter of Americans over 40 already take a cholesterol-lowering drug. Candidates under the new guidelines include people who’ve had a heart attack or stroke, adults 40 to 75 with Type 2 diabetes.

Size Matters: New York’s new World Trade Center has been designated the tallest building in the country, surpassing Chicago’s Willis Tower, originally known as the Sears Tower. The Height Committee … yes, they have one … of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ruled that the mast on top of One World Trade Center counts as part of the building and is not just an antenna, making the Trade Center 1,776 feet. The Willis is 1,451. A miffed Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, “If it looks like an antenna, acts like an antenna, then guess what, it is an antenna.”

You Gotta Have: A 1969 triptych painted by Francis Bacon of his friend Lucian Freud sitting on a wooden chair sold for $142.4 million at Christie’s Tuesday night. It’s a record price for an artwork sold at auction. Exactly why the work titled “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” is so valued is somewhat of a mystery. But it’s a painting of one famous painter by another famous painter and art collectors seem to think that’s just fantastic. 

-30-