The Russia Thing: A federal grand jury in Washington has brought the first criminal  charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, CNN reported last night. The network said that, according to its sources, the charges are still …

Econ 101: Employment is up and so are wages as the economy claws back ground lost in the Great Recession. The economy added 215,000 new jobs last month, according to the Labor Department, and people who gave up looking are …

Econ 101: The US economy bounced back from a dreary winter to grow at 4 percent in the second quarter, according to the Commerce Department. The numbers make analysts hopeful that the winter shrinkage was an anomaly and the economy …

Ukraine Crisis: Russian parliament leaders are saying they welcome Crimea breaking away from Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation. They are unlikely to have said it without the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin.   A Kiev court ruled that …

Middle East: Syrian representatives are threatening to pull out of peace talks with the rebel opposition as both sides refuse to meet face to face. >A car bomb outside the police headquarters in central Cairo this morning killed four people …

Nation: Even while he considers changes to intelligence practices revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden, President Obama declined to say whether he would consider amnesty for Snowden, who set the whole debate in motion. “As important and as necessary as …

Growth and Income: The economy’s rate of expansion in the third quarter was faster than previously thought. The government revised its estimate to 3.6%, up from 2.8%. It’s the first time growth has exceed 3% since the first quarter of …

Trainwreck: The Metro-North commuter train that derailed Sunday entered a dangerous curve at 82 mph rather than 30, NTSB investigators said. The information came from the train’s black box. Investigators also said the train’s throttle was fully engaged until six …

Tension: The US government yesterday urged its passenger airlines to notify China before passing through its newly claimed airspace over the East China Sea. The State Department said this does not indicate US acceptance of China’s demands, but does acknowledge …

TWTR: Shares of Twitter opened this morning at $45.10, nearly $20 higher than the offering price of $26, or $18.1 billion for the entire company. The 140-character message service has become a player in personal relationships, politics, even war. But, …