David Magee

News that Ford Motor Co. and Toyota will work together jointly to develop a gas-electric hybrid fuel system for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles isn't a big surprise, if one considers the source of how the arrangement came about. Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda crossed paths at an airport. The two company leaders talked, sharing mutual admiration for one another's companies. Talk turned to hybrid vehicles, and plans for the future. Ford is the truck leader, and Toy...

S&P couldn't take back its U.S. debt rating downgrade that rocked global financial markets. Once it was done, it was done. But now we know the agency embroiled in controversy for two weeks since its Aug. 5 downgrade was met with corporate regret. The ratings agency said Tuesday that Deven Sharma, S&P's president since 2007, will sept down. He will be succeeded on Sept. 12 by Citibank Chief Operating Officer Douglas Peterson. The move caps two weeks of controversy that has embroiled the com...

Those upset with the ratings agency Standard & Poor's after the company caused brief havoc in U.S. financial markets by downgrading America's debt rating exacted a measure of revenge Tuesday -- S&P announced its president is stepping down following two weeks of controversy.

As the forecast model matures, Hurricane Irene now appears headed on a path up Florida's east coast, with a possible direct hit on Georgia and the Carolinas. Florida is far from out of the woods, and if the storm stays on track, the state could suffer significant damage from a couple of days of torrential rains and high winds.

Consumers looking for a place to buy HP's discounted, discontinued TouchPad can look at the company's own online store. Once HP slashed the price on its TouchPad to $99, the product has sold out of many retailers and even HP's online store. But more are on the way, the company says. HP spokeswoman Bryna Corcoran said on Twitter Monday that HP will replenish the supply of TouchPads available at its online store.

Pimco's Bill Gross says a new recession in the U.S. is likely. Gross is manager of the world's largest bond fund. He says the decline in U.S. Treasury yields to 60-year lows reflects a high probability of a new recession, or a double-dip, in America.

As the forecast model matures, Hurricane Irene now appears headed on a path up Florida's east coast with a possible direct hit on Georgia and the Carolinas. Florida is far from out of the woods, and if the storm stays on track, the state could suffer significant damage from a couple of days of torrential rains and high winds

News that Ford and Toyota will work together jointly to develop a gas-electric hybrid fuel system for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles is not a big surprise if one considers the source of how the arrangement came about. Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda crossed paths at an airport. The two company leaders talked, sharing mutual admiration for each other's companies. Talked turned to hybrid vehicles, and plans for the future.

HP's TouchPad was an OK product according to reviews, but it lived a very short product life because consumers showed a hearty appetite for Apple's tablet-leading iPad. Now, many are asking if Apple's iPad will ever have a worthy competitor. At the moment, however, there's no competitor on the horizon ready to challenge the iPad.

HP rebounded a bit on Wall Street Monday as company executives including CEO Leo Apotheker went on a global mission to explain to major investors why the company is drastically changing its mission. Apotheker flew to London to begin selling his new vision of the company and other company leaders, including CFO Cathie Lesjak and Chairman Ray Lane made dozens of calls to answers questions about HP's new and controversial strategy.

Hurricane Irene is gaining strength and heading toward Florida. The storm could hit the U.S. by week's end, possibly as a Category 2 storm or higher, forecasters say. Irene, the first of the 2011 Atlantic season, could become a Category 3 storm by the time it reaches Florida with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or higher.

The Republican presidential nomination race is starting to take shape as one of the most captivating competitions and reality shows we've seen in years. Think America's Biggest Loser meets Extreme Makeover meets Jon and Kate Plus 8.

Hurricane Irene gained strength Monday morning and is heading toward Florida after pounding Puerto Rico. Heavy rain, flooding and mudslides are possible in the Caribbean before the storm is forecast to track through parts of the Bahamas from late Tuesday night through early Friday morning. Then, the storm is likely to hit Florida, possibly impacting the state with heavy rains and damaging winds for a couple of days.

The Republican presidential nomination race is starting to take shape as one of the most captivating competitions and reality shows we've seen in years. Think America's Biggest Loser meets Extreme Makeover meets Jon and Kate Plus 8. Mitt Romney as a front-runner didn't do much for ratings, but Rick Perry and his Perryisms changed that. Now, Sarah Palin appears set to come on board as a leading cast member, and we already know from previous experience she's rarely a dull momen...

Karl Rove says former Alaska governor and VP presidential candidate Sarah Palin is more likely to run for President than not. In a Fox News interview Sunday, Rove said a video released on Friday by Palin's political action committee looked very pre-presidential. Rove is a former advisor to President George W. Bush and a key Republican activist and fundraiser, and Palin is a Republican as well.

Hurricane Irene has become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, and it's tracking toward a Florida strike as a possible Category 2 storm. Forecast models are always changing, based upon timing, but if Irene stays on its current course, Florida could be in for days of damaging wind and rain. Here is why Hurricane Irene could be one of the worst to strike Florida in years.

Hurricane Irene is only skirting the northern coast of Hispaniola early Monday but the storm is heading toward the U.S. East Coast, where it could strike Florida on Wednesday night and Thursday. Forecast models show the entire state of Florida is at risk of days of heavy damaging winds and rain through Saturday.

The Verizon strike is coming to an end, as 45,000 picketing landline workers end two weeks of holdouts and return to work beginning Monday night. They have not yet agreed to a new contract, but they have agreed to negotiate with the company, and the company says it will focus on the core issues at hand in talks -- which is a good thing, both parties say.

There are many losers in HP's TouchPad fire sale. Here are the biggest losers.

The Verizon strike is coming to an end, as 45,000 picketing landline workers end two weeks of holdouts and return to work beginning Monday night. They have not yet agreed to a new contact, but they've agreed to negotiate with the company, and the company says it will focus on the core issues at hand in talks -- and that's a good thing, both parties say.

A new study that says 13 percent of all mobile phone users fake talking or being busy on their phones to avoid having to interact with people around them isn't such big news. I assumed the number was much higher. But that's what the numbers show, anyway. A report published this week by the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project found that 83 percent of American adults own some kind of cell or mobile phone and that more than one in ten fake using it so they don't hav...

About 27,000 South Koreans who use Apple's iPhone have joined a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer in local court. The lawsuit claims Apple is invading their privacy because the iPhone collects and stores location data without their consent.

A new study that says 13 percent of all mobile phone users fake talking or being busy on their phones to avoid having to interact with people around them isn't such big news. I assumed the number was much higher.

Republican presidential candidate and Texas governor Rick Perry has shown a flair for putting his foot in his mouth -- or someone else's mouth. He suggested Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is treasonous. He once suggested the BP oil spill might have been an act of God instead of corporate errors. Here's 10 things Perry might say if elected President.

HP is killing its TouchPad, intended to compete with Apple's iPad. HP said it will no longer support the TouchPad, focusing in other areas.

Hewlett-Packard no longer likes the PC business, but investors aren't liking HP at the moment on that news. One day after HP said it is considering shedding its PC unit, which currently comprises 30 percent of company sales, investors shed the company's stock, sending HP shares plunging to near six-year lows.

The strike of 45,000 Verizon workers is nearing the end of two weeks. Workers haven't received paychecks and on Aug. 31 they will lose health benefits if they remain on strike.

Here's 10 potential isms from would-be President Rick Perry (in jest, of course).

The iPad 3 is in development, according to a report. Apple's new tablet will likely be released in early 2012, the report said.