Topic: U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Mitt Romney running mate search enters public audition phase

As his campaign evaluates potential running mates, Republicans with a possible shot at the No. 2 spot on the presidential ticket are starting to engage in unofficial public tryouts for the traditional vice presidential role of attack dog.

Mitt Romney's voucher-like education overhaul (+video)

Romney, who has been reluctant to stray far from the economic issues at the core of the presidential campaign, was outlining the proposal during a speech Wednesday at the US Chamber of Commerce.

Transportation bill, not yet passed, already blasted by critics

House and Senate negotiators are considering how to mesh two very different transportation bills, but experts and lobbyists say neither bill addresses the fundamental problems.

Innocence abroad for Wal-Mart, Apple, and all Americans

A federal probe of alleged bribery in Mexico by Wal-Mart, along with Apple's lax workplace standards in China, indicate a need for Americans to take their ethical standards with them when operating overseas.

Brazil's President Rousseff meets with Obama: 5 topics for talks

As the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere, Brazil and the US have a lot of shared interests, but there are still areas of contention. Here are 5 possible topics on today's presidential agenda:

US corporate tax rates must come down

Come April 1, America's corporate tax rates will be the highest in the developed world. That's bad policy for the United States.

Senate passes highway bill, but rough road ahead in House

After years of delay, the Senate passes a two-year highway bill to help fix the nation's roads, bridges, rails, and ports. But rifts in the House could delay passage.

Top 10 cities where house prices are rising

House prices continue to fall nationwide, but here and there they’ve begun to turn up as Americans return to the housing market. Which 10 metropolitan areas have seen the biggest increase in the past year? The winners, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), include a state capital, a furniture-making center, and a resort that was once America’s foreclosure capital. Can you guess who they are?  

What we need to fix in the corporate tax code

Our corporate tax system maximizes the degree to which corporate managers have to worry about taxes when making business decisions, but limits the revenue that the government actually collects. 

Corporations don't need tax cuts. Why is Obama proposing them?

The Obama administration is proposing to lower corporate taxes from the current 35 percent to 28 percent for most companies and to 25 percent for manufacturers.  But American companies are booking higher profits than ever.

Nuclear power: NRC approves first new reactors since 1978

The NRC, America's nuclear power regulatory board, has given the go ahead to two new reactors in Georgia. Industry advocates call the decision 'historic,' but it had a prominent critic.

What can be done to create jobs? Six leading ideas.

The job market has shown some very welcome signs of improvement lately, but it still has a long way to go before approaching something Americans would call normal. Here’s a look at some of the proposed solutions out there. 

PIPA and SOPA: What you need to know

As PIPA and SOPA work their way through Congress, the controversial bills have raised many questions. The most common: Wait, what are PIPA and SOPA?

Would SOPA and PIPA bills 'break Internet?' Anti-piracy measure being revised.

On the verge of passage in Congress, the SOPA and PIPA bills targeting online piracy have been bounced back for revision in the face of a public outcry and high-profile Internet protests.

Wikipedia blackout: Why even supporters question anti-SOPA move

The Wikipedia blackout is intended to spotlight the value of open access to information on the Internet, but also underlies how fractious the move is, drawing fire from both critics and supporters.

How five websites are protesting SOPA

Five major websites will go dark on Wednesday protesting two Congressional bills, which critics argue could curtail Internet and free speech.    

If passed, The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act or PIPA, would allow the US government to seek a court order and even shut down websites that contain content or links to unauthorized copyrighted content.  Moreover, advertisers and Internet service providers would be banned from doing business with transgressors.

Proponents of the legislation include companies that are trying to protect their copyrights, such as the Motion Picture Association of America, The NBA, Pfizer, Nike, L'Oreal, as well as the US Chamber of Commerce, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the US Conference of Mayors.

However,  voices of opposition include Internet giants Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Mozilla, and Wikipedia – who say that the proposed laws constitute a First Amendment violation, promote censorship, and harm the democratic flow of information.  Check out how five major websites plan to protest SOPA and PIPA:

Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right

How we got to this grim pass in our political and economic system

US Chamber sees limp economy, high unemployment rate in election year

US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue offered a grim outlook Thursday for cutting the politically sensitive unemployment rate, citing slow economic growth.

Stratfor cyberattack adds an exclamation point to ‘Year of the Hack’

The 'hack and extract' attack on the strategic think tank Stratfor will only contribute to the public and media awareness of cybercrime that has grown throughout 2011.

Is the EPA really a 'jobs killer'?

For Republicans, the EPA ranks up there with the IRS as one of the most-reviled agencies in Washington, calling it a 'jobs killer.' The record of the Obama EPA, though, is more nuanced.

Newt Gingrich pushes back against critics

Faced with growing criticism about his many years as a Washington insider, Newt Gingrich has launched a new website "Answering the Attacks." But some across the political spectrum continue to raise questions about his professional and personal record.

Being a Washington insider has made Newt Gingrich a wealthy man

After 20 years as a member of Congress, including two terms as House speaker, Newt Gingrich did not go back home to Georgia. Instead, he kept his hand in the political game, making lots of money consulting for corporations.

Piece by piece, will Obama's health-care reform law be dismantled?

The administration itself has abandoned a long-term health-care provision for seniors, and the Supreme Court will decide soon whether to take up the law. Critics see beginning of the end for Obama's health-care reforms.

Trade deals: three big winners from America's new free-trade agreements

Trade deals passed by Congress Wednesday could be double-edged, but several economic sectors look set to gain the most from the trade deals with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama.