Former Goldman Sachs trader Fabrice Tourre (C) arrives at the Manhattan Federal Court in New York July 26, 2013. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

SEC prevails, Goldman's Tourre found liable for fraud

NEW YORK - A jury found former Goldman Sachs Group vice president Fabrice Tourre liable for fraud for his role in a failed mortgage deal that cost investors $1 billion, giving the Securities and Exchange Commission a big victory.  Full Article 

Dow, S&P 500 end at new highs after data, stimulus in place 4:36pm EDT

NEW YORK - The Dow and S&P 500 ended at record highs on Thursday, with the S&P 500 rising above 1,700 after strong data on service-sector growth and as central banks said they would keep monetary stimulus in place. | Video

Fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden's new refugee documents granted by Russia is seen during a news conference in Moscow August 1, 2013.  REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Russia grants Snowden a year's asylum

MOSCOW - Russia granted American fugitive Edward Snowden a year's asylum, allowing the former U.S. spy agency contractor to slip quietly out of Moscow's Sheremetyevo.  Full Article 

A visitor uses his cell phone to take a picture of the 'Self Portrait' painting by painter Vincent van Gogh at the Detroit Institute of Arts museum in Detroit, Michigan in this file photo taken July 21, 2013. REUTERS/ Rebecca Cook/Files

Auction may be death knell for Detroit museum

A top officer at the Detroit Institute of Arts predicts near-certain closure for the museum if Detroit sells major pieces from the 60,000 works in the institute's art collection as a way to address the city's dire financial situation.  Full Article 

A supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi hangs a poster of him on a wall during a march from the Al-Fath Mosque to the defense ministry, in Cairo July 30, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Rulers urge pro-Mursi protesters to quit camps

CAIRO - Egypt's army-backed government urged supporters of deposed president Mohamed Mursi to abandon their Cairo protest camps, promising them a safe exit if they gave up without a fight.  Full Article | Related: Egypt solution hinges on dignified exit for Mursi 

Corporate recruiters (R) gesture and shake hands as they talk with job seekers at a Hire Our Heroes job fair targeting unemployed military veterans and sponsored by the Cable Show, a cable television industry trade show in Washington, June 11, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. joblessness drops to 5-1/2 year low

WASHINGTON - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell unexpectedly last week, touching a five-and-a-half year low, suggesting a steadily improving labor market.  Full Article 

Fatima, a baby whom Pakistani television talk show host Aamir Liaquat Hussain gave to a childless couple on his show, is held by her adoptive parents at the Chhipa Welfare Association office in Karachi August 1, 2013. REUTERS/Athar Hussain

Babies given away on Pakistani talk show

ISLAMABAD - A popular Pakistani talk show, known for its giveaway prizes including mobile phones and motorbikes, has shocked audiences with a controversial new stunt: awarding babies to childless families live on air.  Full Article 

U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning is escorted into court for the second day of the sentencing phase in his military trial at Fort Meade, Maryland August 1, 2013. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan

Iraq logs in Manning case hit army hard: officer

FORT MEADE, Maryland - The U.S. Army was overwhelmed when WikiLeaks published more than 700,000 secret diplomatic and war documents, a retired officer testified in the sentencing phase of the convicted private's court-martial.  Full Article | Slideshow 

'I am not a monster,' Cleveland abductor Ariel Castro tells court

Aug. 1 - Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro admitted at a court hearing on Thursday that he was a sick man, but said he is not the monster described by prosecutors. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

Robert Hiltonsmith

The real student loan crisis

A new study estimates the economic impact of the existing student debt burden, finding that it may cost the country more than $4 trillion in lost economic activity.  Commentary 

Ian Bremmer

Israeli-Palestinian talks won’t fix the Middle East’s problems

The White House's new round of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is unlikely to succeed, and, even if it did, it would have little impact on other more immediately pressing Middle East conflicts.  Commentary 

Edward Hadas

Detroit, decay and solidarity

Who is my neighbor? That question is as relevant to the bankruptcy of Motown as the decline of the American car industry or incompetent city governments. If the suburbs lived up to their neighborly responsibilities, Detroit would not be such a mess.   Commentary 

Ellen Sigal

Sequestration as government malpractice

Breakthrough' medicines, which can save lives, require increased FDA resources at a time when the sequester is taking money away from an already underfunded agency.  Commentary 

Steven Brill

The cushy world of academia

Staffing-to-studio ratios at many colleges suggest pretty light workloads and low productivity, especially given the size of so many of the classes faculty members typically teach. And, at least in terms of reputation, the ratios don’t seem to correlate to quality.  Commentary 

Elizabeth B. Wydra

The framers on campaign finance law -- via Tumblr

The court could take Citizens United one step further in a new case, casting aside a key limit on direct contributions to candidates and allowing high-dollar donors to play an extraordinarily outsized role in elections.   Commentary