Business

The plan gains support as pressure mounts on both political parties.

The superhero saga may have sturdy enough legs to outpace 'Speed Racer,' which could be the summer's first major misfire.

Some L.A. residents are relying more on bicycles, trains, buses, scooters and carpooling - or just walking.

After a closed-door meeting including building owners, the union agrees to go back to the bargaining table after having staged walkouts across the county.

Since it withdrew its bid, the software giant has said it would not launch a proxy fight. Google presses on with an ad-search deal.

Shoppers pushed retail sales up last month, but the numbers didn't impress economists who are focused on rising oil prices and the struggling housing market.

Wall Street closed a quiet session with a moderate advance Thursday, with energy and other commodities companies leading the market as oil prices extended their record-breaking run.

Rep. Gary G. Miller of Diamond Bar has long been a stalwart Republican, voting the party line 96% of the time last year.

The Japanese automaker predicts its first sales decrease in nine years.

'Guitar Hero' helps the video game maker post a profit of $44.2 million in the quarter, triple analysts' forecasts.

A proliferation of real estate scams prompts measure that would allow counties to raise fees to fund inquiries.

Hey, Daddy Warbucks, you already bought her the diamond earrings -- that "push present" to thank her for nine months of pregnancy and hours of labor -- but now Mother's Day is approaching. So for the new moms out there, we consulted Bel Bambini, a luxe baby shop in West Hollywood. If it's good enough for Jessica Alba, who is registered there, why not your Baby Mama?

The media company also reports a 16% drop in operating cash flow for the first quarter. It turns a profit thanks to a one-time tax adjustment.

The utility owner reports higher sales but lower earnings compared with the year-earlier period, when results were lifted by a tax-related gain.

Struggling with record diesel prices, the trucking industry's main trade group introduced a plan Thursday to reduce fuel consumption and emissions over the next decade mainly by having its members slow down.

The social networking website follows MySpace in acting on safety concerns. Protections will include controls on age and minors' contact with unknown adults.

What the bill would do

Key provisions of the housing rescue plan approved Thursday by the House:

Walt Disney Co. has signed its hard-charging top television programmer to a new contract.

Apple Inc. agreed to pay refunds of $25 to $79 to as many as 2.3 million Macintosh computer owners to resolve claims that some of its power adapters were prone to spark.

Best Buy Co., the largest U.S. consumer electronics chain, has moved into Europe with a $2.1-billion investment in the continent's largest cellphone retailer, the companies announced Thursday.

Expensive rollout

$150 million

estimated production cost before a $14-million German tax rebate

Social networking site MySpace said Thursday that it would soon enable users to quickly share profile data with websites operated by Yahoo Inc., EBay Inc. and others.