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In December, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which oversees how investments are sold, proposed what it calls Cards, an electronic system that would regularly collect data on balances and transactions in brokerage accounts. But some critics think it could endanger the privacy and security of investors’ confidential data. Under Cards (which stands for Comprehensive Automated Risk Data System), Finra would collect—probably weekly—a record of activity at all of the more than 4,100 brokerage firms nationwide.

Avarice: Many people, it seems, can't get over how well investors are doing these days — as if they shouldn't be able to do OK if others aren't. Instead of taking offense, maybe the others ought to be taking notes. Let's see if we have this right: Some people work to exhaustion, earning money for their security and that of their families. And instead of spending it on stuff they don't need, they set it aside. The latest idea — coming from a French economist — is that eight of every 10 of their dollars should be taken away and...

A new Obama administration privacy policy released Friday explains how the government will gather the user data of online visitors to WhiteHouse.gov, mobile apps and social media sites, and it clarifies that online comments, whether tirades or tributes, are in the open domain. "Information you choose to share with the White House (directly and via third party sites) may be treated as public information," the new policy says. The Obama administration also promises not to sell the data of online visitors. But it cannot make the same assurances for users who go to third-party White House sites on Facebook, Twitter...

People who are vegetative for a year are thought to have little or no chance of recovering, and the condition can become grounds for withdrawing medical treatment. Terri Schiavo, in a vegetative state for 15 years, died in 2005 in Florida after courts allowed the removal of her feeding tube. Researchers say the findings support the idea that some patients who appear vegetative have some level of consciousness that they cannot show — perhaps low, but real — and the potential to recover.

Why are all these challengers bombing? A better question is, why did the D.C.-based right-wing groups and politicians like Rand Paul think these people were credible candidates? Perhaps it is the self-appointed protectors of conservative orthodoxy who are badly out of touch and entirely incompetent in vetting candidates. The good news for the GOP: Nearly all of these flaky figures will wipe out before the general election. They must do so if the GOP is to hold or grow the House majority and take back the Senate.

The American Physical Society (APS) has signalled a dramatic turnabout in its position on "climate change" by appointing three notorious climate skeptics to its panel on public affairs (POPA). If that list looks impressive, perhaps it's worth reminding ourselves of Hal Lewis's theory as to why so many scientific institutions have fallen for the scam. There are indeed trillions of dollars involved, to say nothing of the fame and glory (and frequent trips to exotic islands) that go with being a member of the club. Your own Physics Department (of which you are chairman) would lose millions a year if...

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the British Heart Foundation have found there is actually no evidence that confirms changing the type of fat you eat from "bad" saturated to "healthier" polyunsaturated cuts heart risk. The researchers analysed data from 72 unique studies with over 600,000 participants from 18 nations and found total saturated fatty acid, whether measured in the diet or in the bloodstream as a biomarker, was not associated with coronary disease risk in the observational studies.

As part of its campaign to step up efforts to address climate change, the White House on Wednesday announced the creation of a new website to serve as a one-stop location for the enormous amount of climate data housed at different federal agencies. In the administration’s most high-profile effort, the Environmental Protection Agency in September proposed rules to cut greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. The president also plans to ask Congress for $1 billion in his 2015 budget to establish a “climate resiliency fund” that would finance research, preparation and infrastructure to adapt to extreme weather driven by...

Investigators have said someone on board the plane first disabled one of its communications systems — the Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS — about 40 minutes after takeoff. Around 14 minutes later, the transponder that identifies the plane to commercial radar systems was also shut down. The fact that both systems went dark separately offered strong evidence that the plane's disappearance was deliberate. On Sunday, Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said at a news conference that that the final, reassuring words from the cockpit — "All right, good night" — were spoken to air traffic controllers...

Obamacare will reduce the earnings of its 300,000 members by up to $5 an hour by requiring them to buy health insurance, according to a report by Unite Here, a union which represents chiefly lower-wage workers in service industries. The union said it “threatens the middle class with higher premiums, loss of hours and a shift to part-time work and less comprehensive coverage.” Americans who says they’ve been hurt by Obamacare outnumber those who say they’ve benefited from it by more than 2 to 1, according to recent polls by both Rasmussen and Gallup.

Called “Susie’s Senior Dogs,” the page connects people with older pooches up for adoption. In six weeks of existence, it’s racked up 144,000 followers and used its reach to find homes for 30 senior dogs in overcrowded shelters. Stanton’s girlfriend, Erin O’Sullivan, started the Facebook page in late January. The page got a major boost when Stanton shared it with his Humans of New York Facebook followers, who number more than 3.6 million.

Democrats took to the Senate floor Monday night to talk about global warming and planned not to let up until morning. At least 28 senators were expected to participate in the dusk-to-dawn event, which was led off by the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada. Several Democrats who face tough reelection fights in the fall planned to skip it. Democratic leaders have no plans to bring a climate bill to the Senate floor this year, so the speeches were about little more than theatrics.

Have you seen Obama’s poll numbers? They are among the lowest in history. As of today, Obama’s approval rating is at 38%. That’s just barely above Richard Nixon. That means that among the rest of America, outside of loyal, lifelong, Kool-Aid drinking Democrats, Obama's ratings are nil. Remember that about 47% of Americans get entitlement checks from government. Obama is PAYING for their support and he still only has 38% approval. You know you're unpopular when even bribes don't work anymore! He has virtually zero support among the 53% who aren't getting a check from government. You can't find another...

Arguments were heard Thursday in a case brought by an atheist group against placing what’s known as the World Trade Center cross in the National September 11 Museum.

"John is a friend, and a good man. He's earned considerable respect in the Senate. We have not agreed on everything, but we have agreed on the vast majority of issues. Together, we're a strong and effective team for Texas," Cruz wrote, later adding that he is "proud" to endorse Cornyn.

“We wish Senator Cornyn [the] best of luck in November and urge everyone to vote for, volunteer for and support the whole Texas GOP ticket,” Stockman tweeted just after The Associated Press called the race for Cornyn, with only about 2 percent of precincts reporting.

To protect endangered rodents, a Florida sanctuary will trap cats found on its land. Pets can be retrieved, but feral cats will likely be euthanized. While woodrats and cotton mice fall prey to native predators like snake and owls, Cove says the cats present a unique challenge.

President Obama will propose a series of changes to the tax code in a budget plan Tuesday that would shift benefits from top earners to middle- and lower-income Americans, the White House said. In his 2015 budget plan, Obama will propose expanding or making permanent tax credits aimed at the working poor, families with young children, and college students. Dubbed auto-IRA, the proposal would require small business that don’t offer other retirement benefits to set up individual retirement accounts and sign workers up automatically, unless they opt out.

Russia, flush with new-found wealth from oil exports, expands its military reach and political influence abroad. A war-weary America slashes defense spending and retreats from the world. The president embarks on a massive government-subsidized program to develop alternative energy to replace fossil fuels. Pundits cluck about America in retreat, and point to the rise of an Asian economic superpower. That’s the world circa 1976, but it sounds like quotes ripped from today’s headlines. History has a way of repeating itself, or to quote the great Yogi Bera, it’s déjà vu all over again. The Obama administration is looking a lot...

Ronald Reagan on the importance of political compromise (in his own words) An American Life (his autobiography) | 8/7/03 | Ronald Reagan Posted on ‎8‎/‎7‎/‎2003‎ ‎2‎:‎05‎:‎04‎ ‎PM by Diddle E. Squat "When I began entering into the give and take of legislative bargaining in Sacramento, a lot of the most radical conservatives who had supported me during the election didn't like it. "Compromise" was a dirty word to them and they wouldn't face the fact that we couldn't get all of what we wanted today. They wanted all or nothing and they wanted it all at once. If you don't...