House grills IRS officials

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding hearings into accusations that the Internal Revenue Service singled out conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny. Lois Lerner, the IRS official at the center of the scandal, is expected to decline to answer questions.  Live Coverage 

Existing home sales highest in almost three-and-a-half years 10:44am EDT

WASHINGTON - Home resales rose in April to the highest level in nearly 3-1/2 years, which should support the housing sector and the overall economic recovery.

A man carries his belongings through debris after the suburb of Moore, Oklahoma was left devastated by a tornado, on May 21, 2013.REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Twisters return, but Oklahoma short on shelters

The people of central Oklahoma know all too well the destructive power of a tornado, but residents had few basements and storm shelters to run to when the alarm sounded, officials said.  Full Article 

Men are silhouetted against a video screen with an Apple logo as they pose with an Apple iPhone 4 smartphone in this photo illustration taken in the central Bosnian town of Zenica, May 17, 2013. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

EU leaders shine spotlight on Apple tax policy

BRUSSELS - European leaders plan to discuss how to combat aggressive tax avoidance by major companies such as Apple, Amazon and Google and cut the estimated 1 trillion euros a year the EU loses to tax evasion or avoidance.  Full Article 

Firefighters extinguish a burning car, following riots in the Stockholm suburb of Kista late May 21, 2013, in this picture provided by Scanpix. REUTERS/Fredrik Sandberg/Scanpix

Sweden's capital hit by worst riots in years

STOCKHOLM - Hundreds of youths have set fire to cars and attacked police and rescue services in poor immigrant suburbs in three nights of rioting in Stockholm, Sweden's worst disorder in years.  Full Article 

Rosa Ayala carries a Resident Alien placard during the International Workers Day and Immigration Reform March on May Day in Los Angeles, California May 1, 2013. REUTERS/David McNew

Senate panel passes immigration bill

WASHINGTON - A Senate panel approved legislation to give millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, setting up a spirited debate next month in the full Senate over the biggest changes in immigration policy in a generation.  Full Article 

Pedestrians walk past a Raiffeisen Bank branch in Moscow May 19, 2013.  REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

No easy pickings in Russia's banking market

MOSCOW - Foreign banks that once treated Russia as virgin land where easy money could be made are now finding it a cut-throat market tougher than some bargained for.  Full Article | Factbox 

Market Pulse: UK recovery? Investors not buying it (or cable)

May 22 - The pound's down and bonds bounce, as the latest data and BoE minutes cast doubt over the UK recovery. Expect cable near $1.48 and gilt yields at 1.70%, says ICAP. Plus, euro/Swiss hits a 2-year high.

Bethany McLean

How much does Jamie Dimon matter?

To his supporters, he’s the personification of everything that’s best about the financial system. But to detractors, he’s the personification of all that’s wrong with modern banking — the arrogance, the resistance to new regulation, the astronomical pay in the face of obvious mistakes.  Commentary 

Gary Regenstreif

What Hollande can learn from Queen of Hearts

So far there has been little to show for his economic policies. Some actions have backfired and others have not gone far enough.  Commentary 

Glenn Hubbard and Tim Kane

U.S. power: Down but still unrivaled

Beijing does not threaten to counterbalance U.S. power as gravely as America’s economy threatens to become imbalanced on its own.  Commentary 

John Lloyd

The European Union's unending quandary

As recession deepens in the euro zone, the political questions about what comes next are resurfacing.  Commentary 

Bill Schneider

Party opinion usurps public opinion

We are witnessing the slow death of public opinion in this country. It’s being displaced by party opinion. Elections today are less and less about persuasion and more and more about mobilization: You rally your supporters in order to beat back your opponents.  Commentary 

Jack Shafer

What was James Rosen thinking?

While I join the chorus of rage aimed at the excesses of a Department of Justice leak investigation that has criminalized the reporting of Fox News Channel’s James Rosen, I also wonder how much of Rosen’s trouble is of his own making.   Commentary