POL-Portman-Romney-Prep

Mitt Romney's sparring partner offers glimpse into GOP debate prep.

POL-Poll-Battleground-States

Hours before the first presidential debate here at the base of the Rocky Mountains, new polls indicate that President Barack Obama holds a lead over Republican nominee Mitt Romney in one crucial battleground state, with the race for the White House basically all tied up in two other swing states.

MONEY

MONEY-stocks-markets

U.S. stocks held modest gains Wednesday as investors welcomed improved reports on hiring and the services sector, but gains were tempered by concerns about growth in Europe and Asia.

MONEY-adp-jobs-report

Private sector hiring slowed in September, according to a report released Wednesday by payroll processor ADP. Private employers added 162,000 jobs in the month, ADP said.

MONEY-obama-romney-deficits

Both President Obama and Mitt Romney share a similar goal when it comes to the federal debt: They want to get it under control.

MONEY-tax-avoidance

When big companies offshore profits to dodge taxes, small business owners say they are left footing the bill -- and they're not happy about it. A U.S. Senate panel recently reviewed how Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard shaved billions off their taxes in recent years by moving profits offshore.

MONEY-t-mobile-metropcs-merger

T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS have agreed to merge, joining together two of the nation's largest low-cost wireless carriers.

MONEY-china-luxury

At first blush, it looks like luxury has a China problem. After a blockbuster 2011, two major upscale brands Burberry and Louis Vuitton recently shook up the rarefied world by reporting a slowdown in their China sales momentum.

FEATURES AND COMMENTARY

US-latino-immigrant-voters

Forty years ago, Balbino and Rosario Guevara didn't vote. It had nothing to do with Nixon's landslide or the electoral implosion of the Democratic Party; they were living in El Salvador. And they were simply afraid. "I had two businesses: a restaurant and store. But then, the politics took a turn for the worse. ... People, even teachers, were being kidnapped. It was terrible," Balbino Guevara said. "I told my wife, 'I don't like this. We need to leave.' " The Guevaras watched helplessly as the country hurtled toward a brutal civil war. They fled to the United States in the early '70s, and suddenly, the ballot box became a key part of their identity.

MED-genes-body-image

Blame for a teen's unhealthy body image often falls on the media. The barrage of size-zero supermodels and waif-like celebrities walking the red carpet could push anyone to curse their shape, right? A study published this week in the International Journal of Eating Disorders finds a new culprit may also be partially to blame: Our genes. Researchers wondered why only a small percentage of the population developed an eating disorder when everyone was being exposed to the same images. They hypothesized that certain genes could make a person more or less prone to accepting the "thin ideal."

MED-bullied-lil-jaxe

September 28, 2012, was the most awesome moment that I have ever experienced in my whole entire life. My first reaction was that I was so excited. I could not wait to get to the Air Canada Center and rock the stage. After two weeks of practicing, I was about to go on the same stage as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Elton John and all of my other favorites. So many emotions were running through my head.

TECH-smartphone-zombie-apocalypse-comments