Industry pledge to narrow drug coverage gap contingent on health care overhaul

WASHINGTON — Hailed by President Barack Obama, a multi-billion-dollar promise by drug companies to narrow a Medicare drug coverage gap for seniors is valid only if Congress succeeds in passing a comprehensive health care bill encountering strong opposition from Republicans, an industry spokesman said Monday.

Catholic paper urges Berlusconi to respond to allegations about paid women at his parties

ROME — An influential Catholic newspaper urged Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Friday to respond to allegations that women were paid to attend his parties.

Feds: Disgraced exec and wife divorcing in Conn. to avoid paying $3.2 billion in restitution

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Federal prosecutors in Connecticut say a former executive involved in a major accounting scandal is trying to divorce his wife to get out of paying $3.2 billion in restitution.

Consumers, companies re-evaluate insurance coverage during recession, needs to lower costs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Barry Miller figured he was saving $100 a month when he scaled back his disability insurance. After all, he was healthy.

Like those before him, Obama shrugs off critics of his presidential trips

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is drawing fire for a recent “date night” with his wife in New York City and for a family vacation in Europe. Complainers similarly have harassed previous presidents about the cost to taxpayers of such private outings, and those commanders in chief, like Obama so far, largely ignored them.

AP Poll: In recession, wedding guests still get to the church on time _ gift (usually) in hand

NEW YORK — In Michigan, one of the states hit hardest by the recession, Wendy Higgins has reluctantly told a favorite niece she may not have enough money for her wedding present in August. Higgins’ disability checks have stopped, and her husband was laid off in December. The couple fears they could even lose their home.

Utilities try to detach power usage from power bills in a bid to grow leaner and greener

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Your utility is becoming more efficient, power is becoming greener and you’re taking steps to conserve energy in your home.

AP map shows government jobs shield some towns from recession’s worst

In North Carolina, where one in nine workers can’t find a job, there’s a county where the tough times haven’t been all that bad. In fact, unemployment is well below the state average, relatively few homes are falling into foreclosure and people are still flocking to restaurants and spending money at stores.

Maine study sheds light on costs of ‘hidden homeless’ in rural America

BRUNSWICK, Maine — The old, run-down trailer in the backcountry near Norridgewock wasn’t much to look at, but it was home.

Power lines move into digital age; ’smart grid’ is buzz of electric industry, Obama team

WASHINGTON — Thomas Alva Edison, meet the Internet.

Kennedy committee circulates bill providing universal coverage, requiring employers to pay

WASHINGTON — Employers would be required to offer health care to employees or pay a penalty — and all Americans would be guaranteed health insurance — under a draft bill circulated Friday by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s health committee.

ND regulators seek change in federal rules on wind power cost sharing

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota’s wind development boom may force utility customers to pay higher electric bills unless rules on sharing transmission costs are changed, state regulators say.

Recession makes some small business owners rethink taking vacation; others forge ahead

NEW YORK — Pam Kassner has already canceled two vacations this year. She just didn’t feel comfortable taking time off with business so uncertain.

Growing readership for blogs by frugal moms draws spotlight; retailers, brands respond quickly

NEW YORK — When Melissa Garcia was frustrated by Old Navy’s scanty coupon offerings, she didn’t just complain to the store. She vented on a message board tied to her blog consumerqueen.com, which is read by at least 30,000 people each month and now, increasingly, by corporate America.

Connecticut court rules that Credit Suisse CEO Dougan is trying to renege on divorce deal

HARTFORD, Conn. — The chief executive of Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse is haggling with his ex-wife over nearly $1 million she says he owes her for being 12 days late with a divorce-related payment in 2006.

With rental car prices on the rise, experts advise booking early this summer

NEW YORK — If you’re leaving your own car in the driveway for summer vacation, expect your rental car to take a bigger bite of out of your vacation budget.

Gas is cheaper, but bad economy is cutting vacations short anyway

When gas prices hit $4 a gallon last summer, Joyce and Ricky Eagle of Warrenton, Va., simply padded their travel budget a little before tooling around the Midwest in their motor home.

Michelle Obama calls for more family friendly workplaces, says hers is a ‘blessed situation’

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama says everyone should have what she has: a chief of staff and a personal assistant.

Sara Lee’s 3Q to show weak sales as consumers cut spending

PORTLAND, Ore. — Sara Lee Corp., the maker of Jimmy Dean sausages, Hillshire Farm deli meats and Sara Lee breads, reports earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter on Wednesday before the market opens. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

Drops in consumer spending, incomes reveal fragile economy battling to emerge from recession

WASHINGTON — Americans spent less than expected in March, pulling back after a burst of buying in the first two months of the year. The reversal was tied to a larger-than-anticipated decline in income and is a stark reminder of a fragile economy trying to rise out of a deep recession.

Saving at the last dance: Prom-goers cut costs, while other splurge on high school ritual

This year’s prom kings may swap their tuxedos for suits and some queens will accept their tiaras in secondhand cocktail dresses while they slow-dance in a decorated gymnasium.

Spam, Kool-Aid, other staples in limelight as companies raise ad spending on low-price items

NEW YORK — The frill is gone.