Between economy and trouble, Obama approval steady
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy is recovering, the White House is dealing with multiple controversies, and President Barack Obama appears generally unaffected either way....

Stocks mixed as investors reassess Fed worries
NEW YORK (AP) -- Investors recovered their poise by midday Thursday after an early sell-off sent stocks sharply lower....

Review: Google music plan solid, serendipitous
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Google's new music service offers a lot of eye candy to go with the tunes. The song selection of around 18 million tracks is comparable to popular services such as Spotify and Rhapsody, and a myriad of playlists curated along different genres provides a big playground for music lovers....

Applications for US unemployment aid fall to 340K
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 23,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, a level consistent with solid job growth....

US new home sales up 2.3 percent in April
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. sales of new homes rose in April and nearly matched the fastest pace in five years, driving the median price to a record high. The gains suggest the housing recovery is strengthening....

US rate on 30-year mortgages rises to 3.59 pct.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Average rates on fixed mortgages rose for the third straight week, hitting their highest levels since mid-March. Still, mortgage rates remained close to historic lows, a trend that should help sustain the housing recovery....

House backs variable rate student loans
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation that links student loan rates to the ups and downs of the financial markets in spite of a veto threat from President Barack Obama....

Ralph Lauren's 4Q profit rises 35 pct
NEW YORK (AP) -- Ralph Lauren Corp. reported a 35 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit as the luxury retailer benefited from lower cotton prices and cost controls....

Stricken Japan nuke plant struggles to keep staff
TOKYO (AP) -- Keeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely decommission it....

Oil falls on concerns for China demand, Fed policy
NEW YORK (AP) -- The price of oil fell Thursday as weak manufacturing data from China raised questions about the strength of oil demand in the world's No. 2 economy....