PRESS DIGEST - New York Times business news - April 22

April 22 (Reuters) - The following were the top stories in the New York Times business pages on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

* Senate Republicans and Democrats predicted on Wednesday that Congress would soon pass a far-reaching overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system, indicating a potentially swift resolution of the latest partisan firefight on Capitol Hill.

* U.S. President Barack Obama is likely to sound themes from his presidential campaign in a speech Thursday near Wall Street in a closing argument for regulatory overhaul.

* So strong was the antibusiness sentiment for the first Earth Day in 1970 that organizers took no money from corporations and held teach-ins "to challenge corporate and government leaders." Many groups now accept that they must take money from corporations or become partners with them to change social behavior.

* Without government aid, economists say many formerly middle-class Americans are at risk of slipping into poverty, even as economic conditions improve.

* Sony Corp (6758.T) will announce Thursday that it has signed a deal to bring Major League Baseball's live streaming service to PlayStation3 video game consoles.

* On Tuesday, the Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) trader accused of fraud by federal regulators, Fabrice P. Tourre, and at least three of the bank's top executives will testify before a Senate panel to defend the firm's business activities and reputation.

* Molycorp Minerals is seeking to raise nearly $500 million to reopen a mine near Las Vegas that was once the world leader in rare earth elements, but success is not certain.

* The Federal Reserve transferred $47.4 billion, a record sum, to the Treasury Department last year, a result of the central bank's actions to support the fragile housing market. The transfer to the public coffers rose roughly 50 percent from $31.7 billion in 2008, the central bank said in releasing its annual financial statements.

* A federal panel said Wednesday that it had issued a subpoena to the credit-rating agency Moody's Investors Service after the firm failed to promptly respond to its request for documents and e-mail messages.

* General Motors Co [GM.UL] repaid a government loan and Chrysler posted improved quarterly results on Wednesday -- proof, the companies said, that they were turning their operations around.

* A television segment about angry media commentators created a furor inside MSNBC this week, one that extended outside the cable news channel after the segment's host, Donny Deutsch, found himself dismissed as a guest anchor Wednesday.

* Morgan Stanley (MS.N) reported a $1.8 billion profit on Wednesday, bolstered by trading gains as the company continued to rebuild from its near-death experience during the financial crisis.

* Talks over details of an international aid package for Greece began Wednesday as European leaders worked to reach a framework to help the troubled country.