Search results for

Congress has extended the COBRA subsidy periods again and again, helping many laid-off workers keep health insurance. Still, sorting through the paperwork to get the government assistance is no easy task. And, the government subsidies expire in March unless the jobs bill passes.

Michael Lewis' new book The Big Short chronicles the 2008 financial collapse through the investors who realized what was happening to the U.S. economy while it was happening — and then made a fortune by betting against the markets.

Violence has exploded in Mexico's northeastern border cities, just across the Rio Grande from South Texas, as two drug mafias engage in a vicious new fight for turf. Gunfights have killed dozens of people, and communities up and down the river fear it's just the beginning.

Automaker Toyota said its preliminary investigation into last week's runaway Toyota Prius in San Diego is at odds with the driver's claims. Federal investigators also say they can't duplicate the acceleration problem blamed for last week's incident.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew into Afghanistan Monday on an unannounced visit. Gates is checking progress on the military campaign around the southern Afghan town of Marjah and laying plans for the next big offensive, in Kandahar.

The latest novel from John Banville throws a handful of Greek gods into the household of a glum human family to explore sex, love, faith and mortality. Reviewer Maureen Corrigan says The Infinities puts Banville's literary gifts on prominent display.

Everyone has his or her own secrets, but what happens when your most intimate ones are shared with loved ones? Family secrets can be the hardest to hide — and the most provocative. Martha Toll suggest three books for when no one knows you better than your family — and that's the problem.

In 2007, journalist and former soldier Kelly Kennedy embedded with Charlie Company in Iraq. In 15 months, the 26th Infantry Regiment had the most casualties of any U.S. battalion since Vietnam. Kennedy details her year with the troops in her new book, They Fought for Each Other.

Gone are the days when actors brought their own lunches to the set in brown paper bags. It's a full-time job feeding the hundreds — sometimes thousands — of men and women working each day on major films. Susan Stamberg spends a day with craft service — the crew responsible for the snacks that keep moviemakers going during long days of filming.

Author Nadine Cohodas has written a new biography of singer Nina Simone. It's called Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone, and it tells the story of the singer's evolution from classical pianist to civil rights icon. Read about Simone's musical beginnings in an excerpt from the book here.