Reuters
U.S. National - Reuters

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg attends a meeting with Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit in Berlin, October 5, 2008. (Tobias Schwarz/Reuters)

NYC lawmakers mull bill to raise term limits

Tue Oct 7, 3:46 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced a bill on Tuesday that would change the city's term-limits law and allow him to seek four more years in office to help New York cope with the sweeping economic crisis.

  • Retiree John Abel works on a piece of furniture in his garage in the western Chicago suburb of St Charles, September 30, 2008. (Nick Carey/Reuters)
    Retirees flee stocks to save shrinking nest eggs Tue Oct 7, 3:32 PM ET

    ST. CHARLES, Ill (Reuters) - This time around John Abel was ready for the stock market crash.

  • A pair of shoes designed by A. Testoni from the Ruby Slipper collection are displayed during New York Fashion Week in this September 5, 2008 file photo. (Brendan McDermid/files/Reuters)
    Financial crisis scuffs well-heeled shoppers 2 hours, 17 minutes ago

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Susan Coyne had her heart set on a new pair of earrings at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, a purchase she would not have thought twice about even a few weeks ago.

  • Immigration agents nab 300 in factory swoop 2 hours, 3 minutes ago

    PHOENIX (Reuters) - U.S. immigration agents arrested about 300 workers at a South Carolina poultry plant on Tuesday, the latest in a series of workplace raids targeting illegal immigrants and employers across the United States.

  • Jury selection begins in army base attack trial 2 hours, 56 minutes ago

    CAMDEN, New Jersey (Reuters) - Jury selection began on Tuesday for five Muslim men accused of plotting to attack a New Jersey army base out of a large pool of 1,500 people in the hopes of finding 18 unbiased jurors.

  • General Motors employee Michael Johnston refuels a General Motors Equinox Fuel-Cell vehicle with hydrogen in Burbank, California June 11, 2008. (Fred Prouser/Reuters)
    GM looking to refinance Detroit headquarters Tue Oct 7, 2:51 PM ET

    DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp is looking for support from Detroit city pension officials to refinance its Detroit headquarters and could possibly sell it, but has no plans to move from the iconic building.

  • California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs memorandums of understanding with private businesses that officially make them key partners in the state's disaster response system in San Diego October 3, 2008. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
    Bush to answer California aid request soon Tue Oct 7, 3:27 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration will respond soon to a letter from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that said his state could need the federal government to buy $7 billion in notes because of a frozen municipal debt market, a White House official said on Tuesday.

  • Discussing death is good for patients: study Tue Oct 7, 4:03 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talking about death may be upsetting but a doctor's frank discussion with a terminally ill person does no harm and provides numerous benefits for patients and those close to them, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

  • Mad-cow ban cost U.S. $11 billion in beef exports Tue Oct 7, 5:02 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. ranchers and processors lost almost $11 billion in revenue between 2004 and 2007 after major importers barred U.S. beef following the discovery of mad cow disease in the United States, according to a government report issued on Tuesday.

  • FDA cites Bayer for misleading birth control ads 2 hours, 30 minutes ago

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two television commercials for Bayer AG's birth control pill Yaz give a misleading impression of its benefits, U.S. health regulators warned the company in a letter released on Tuesday.

  • A furnace which burns a mixture of biofuel and low sulfur heating oil is shown in Westwood, Massachusetts November 12, 2007. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
    Heating costs to jump 15 percent this winter: government Tue Oct 7, 2:42 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. household heating fuel costs will rise 15 percent this winter from last year, the government's top energy forecasting agency said on Tuesday, citing more expensive fuel and the likelihood of much colder weather than last winter.

  • Nonprescription cough and cold products are shown in a Washington drug store October 11, 2007. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
    Don't use cold drugs in kids under 4: manufacturers Tue Oct 7, 3:47 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Oral cough and cold medicines sold over the counter should not be used in children younger than 4 years old because of the risk of rare complications linked to inappropriate use, manufacturers said on Tuesday.

  • Ex-UBS senior lawyer settles insider trading case Tue Oct 7, 3:19 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former top lawyer at UBS AG has agreed to pay $6.5 million to settle accusations he sold his personal holdings of auction-rate securities after getting insider information about the collapsing market for the debt.

  • Gasoline demand down on economic woes: MasterCard Tue Oct 7, 2:07 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. retail gasoline demand dropped to its lowest level since September 2005 as gasoline demand dwindled due to the wider U.S. economic slowdown, MasterCard Advisors said Tuesday.

  • TV's "Mr Clean" dies at age 92 Tue Oct 7, 3:52 PM ET

    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The actor who played muscular "Mr. Clean" in hundreds of dirt-busting television commercials in the late 1950s and early 1960s, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 92, his family said.

  • Participants take part in the 'Summer Solstice in Times Square Yoga-thon' in New York June 21, 2007. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
    Get 2 1/2 hours of exercise per week, U.S. says Tue Oct 7, 2:17 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Adults should aim to get in 2 1/2 hours of exercise a week and children should run and play for at least an hour a day, according to new exercise guidelines issued by the U.S. government on Tuesday.

  • Mint halts some American Eagle coin production Tue Oct 7, 10:16 AM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Unprecedented demand for precious metals and volatile markets forced the U.S. Mint to cease production for the half-ounce and quarter-ounce popular American Eagle gold coins for the rest of this year and to supply other bullion coins on an allocation basis.

  • A home under construction July 19, 2008 in Temecula, California, using a solar technology developed by SunPower Corp that allows thinner solar wafers to be designed into the shingles. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
    California seeks energy savings as economy sours Tue Oct 7, 12:37 PM ET

    SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Economic turmoil won't stop investments that help the environment, but the focus will be on saving energy and money rather than massive change, a top California environment official said on Monday.

  • BAE unit to pay $30 million over defective body armor Tue Oct 7, 12:09 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Armor Holdings unit of BAE Systems has agreed to pay $30 million to resolve charges that it knowingly made and sold defective bullet-proof vests used by U.S. police and emergency workers, the Justice Department said on Tuesday.

  • The Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after defeating the Chicago White Sox to win their MLB American League Divisional Series in Chicago October 6, 2008. (Jeff Haynes/Reuters)
    Upton blasts help Rays advance to ALCS Mon Oct 6, 10:17 PM ET

    CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Tampa Bay Rays roared into the American League Championship Series with a 6-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday, sealing their division series by a 3-1 margin with a win highlighted by two B.J. Upton homers.

  • No recession call likely soon, NBER member says Tue Oct 7, 1:44 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The arbiter of U.S. recessions is not ready to declare that one has begun and probably won't decide until well after the November presidential election, a prominent member of the recession-dating committee said on Tuesday.

  • Signs marking the entrance to Wall Street are seen in New York October 6, 2008. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
    Economic crisis hits New York dining out: Zagat Tue Oct 7, 12:47 AM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's vaunted restaurant scene is in for some lean times, according to the newest Zagat survey released on Tuesday, with price hikes coming at a time when diners say they are eating out less often and spending less in the face of dire economic conditions.

  • Fed's Stern sees more job losses Tue Oct 7, 11:35 AM ET

    CHICAGO (Reuters) - The United States economy is in for further job losses and soft consumer spending in the short run, which should help pull down inflation, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Gary Stern said on Tuesday.

  • Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) walks in Capitol Hill in Washington September 27, 2008. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
    Sen. Stevens on tape: "might serve time in jail" Mon Oct 6, 9:56 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Ted Stevens told an oil-executive friend, in recordings played on Monday at the Alaska Republican's corruption trial, they both risked going to jail -- but he didn't think it would come to that.

  • U.S. Drug Czar John Walters in a file photo. (Jeff Zelevansky/Handout/Reuters)
    U.S. official says online drug videos threaten teens Tue Oct 7, 12:20 AM ET

    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The director of the White House war on drugs said on Monday that Internet videos that show people getting high pose a dangerous threat to teenagers by encouraging them to use drugs and alcohol.

  • From left, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke,Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Christopher Cox, and Federal Housing Authority Director James Lockhart, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008, before the Senate Banking Committee for a hearing on the credit market turmoil. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
    Report questions impartiality of SEC: report Tue Oct 7, 12:46 AM ET

    (Reuters) - A federal inquiry has concluded that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should consider disciplining its director of enforcement and two supervisors for their role in handling an insider trading investigation, The New York Times said citing an obtained report.

  • Report criticizes agency on post-storm trailers Mon Oct 6, 5:46 PM ET

    CHICAGO (Reuters) - A sister agency to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention botched a report on formaldehyde in trailers used to house survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, leaving thousands of people at risk, a report from a House of Representatives subcommittee said on Monday.

  • U.S. expands eligibility for Purple Heart medal Mon Oct 6, 6:08 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. soldiers who died in prisoner of war camps as long ago as World War Two can now receive Purple Heart medals once reserved for troops killed or wounded in combat, the Defense Department said on Monday.

  • Jury clears way for New York Plaza in Las Vegas: report Tue Oct 7, 3:41 AM ET

    (Reuters) - A jury ruled on Monday that the owners of New York's Plaza Hotel could use the Plaza name on a proposed $5 billion resort-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, despite the existence nearby of another Plaza Hotel and Casino, the New York Times said in a report on its Web site.