Median CEO pay rises to $9.7 million in 2012
CEO pay has been going in one direction for the past three years: up....

HP's 2Q offers hope even as revenue slump deepens
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Hewlett-Packard is still scrambling to meet the growing demand for more versatile and less expensive mobile devices as a slump in its personal computer sales deepens, but the company's cost-cutting measures and focus on more profitable areas of technology appear to be paying off....

Broke no laws, IRS official says _ then takes 5th
WASHINGTON (AP) -- At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers' further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself....

A divided Fed wrestles with when to slow bond buys
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve is torn over when to slow its aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy....

Stocks fall on news Fed weighed cutting stimulus
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Federal Reserve took financial markets for a ride Wednesday, pushing stock prices up in the morning then sending them down in the afternoon....

AP PHOTOS: The 10 highest-paid CEOs of 2012
It pays to be in TV....

College fossil-fuel divestment movement builds
SWARTHMORE, Pa. (AP) -- Student activists at more than 200 colleges are trying a new tactic in hopes of slowing the pace of climate change: They are asking their schools to stop investing in fossil fuel companies....

FDA panel backs experimental Merck insomnia drug
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal panel of medical experts said that an experimental insomnia drug from Merck & Co. Inc. appears safe and effective, despite evidence from company trials that the pill can cause daytime sleepiness and difficulty driving....

House takes up GOP bill to speed pipeline approval
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans pushed a proposal Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport oil from Canada to Texas. Democrats criticized the plan as a blatant attempt to allow a foreign company to avoid environmental review....

Talk of lies, pride as Trump case goes to jury
CHICAGO (AP) -- The attorney for an 87-year-old woman who accuses Donald Trump of cheating her in a skyscraper condo deal told jurors in Chicago on Wednesday that he was personally repulsed by the "Apprentice" star whom he said lied on the witness stand....