David Magee

Pop star and actress Miley Cyrus has gotten an equal sign tattoo on her finger in support of gay marriage.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is pushing ahead with a Senate vote on his debt plan, but the GOP votes are not there. Still, Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday negotiators were "very, very close" to a deal.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday negotiators were "very, very close" to a deal to raise the debt ceiling. But Democratic leaders remain cautious. The deal is not done, they say.

Congress is "very, very close" to a debt ceiling deal, according to Senator Mitch McConnell. Negotiators are discussing final details, and the deal is not done yet, but they say its close.

Expedia's stock increased more than 10 percent after the company reported strong second-quarter profits.

McDonald's is adding French-style baguette bread to menus in France to give restaurants more local flavor.

Borders is liquidating, but America's second-largest bookstore says potential buyers are interested in its Web site, brand name, and customer information data. The company has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for permission to auction those assets.

The U.S. economy grew at a slow-crawl pace in the first half of this year, slower than economists had expected. Unemployment remains high also. Until companies stop hoarding cash and start hiring again, the environment isn't likely to change soon.

The U.S. Commerce Department reported Friday that the U. S. economy barely grew at all in revised numbers for the first quarter of this year.

Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks have been in the news this week, with Dunkin's successful IPO and Starbucks' stellar profits. Here's a scorecard comparing the two competitors.

Starbucks had higher-than-expected sales increases at its U.S. stores in the company's fiscal third-quarter, pushing profits beyond the expectations of analysts. The company's stock rose in after-hours trading.

Stiff competition from Apple and other competitors using Google's Android system are dragging on the company's profits. The company forecast today it will likely miss estimates from analysts in the third quarter and for the full fiscal year.

A report says Apple is having discussions with bookseller Barnes & Noble about buying the chain. But don't believe everything you read. It's not going to happen.

JetBlue will offer customers in Boston and Long Beach the option of purchasing unlimited passes for certain markets. Sales for the offer will begin online on August 15.

Amazon has added 1,000 more streaming movies to its lineup for Prime customers. With another deal or two like the one Amazon announced Thursday with Universal Pictures and Amazon could have a streaming video library as big as Netflix's.

Amazon has struck a deal with NBCUniversal to add 1,000 movies to its streaming video services offered to its Prime customers.

An analyst says Apple will push legal claims to protect its iPhone and other mobile technology patents "hard and unrelentingly." He says should Apple win, it could have an impact of $30 billion in additional revenue for the company.

Dunkin' Donuts had a successful IPO launch Wednesday, with shares increasing more than 40 percent on the first day of trading. But something about it smells a lot like Boston Chicken in the 1990s.

Debt talks in Washington are stalled, and leaders Boehner and Obama would be wise to learn a lesson from Bill Clinton and Trent Lott.

Exxon reported second-quarter earnings before the market open Thursday and the company showed an increase due to higher oil prices but the number was below Wall Street's expectations.

Nintendo is dropping the price of its 3DS handheld device by $80 on August 12 in hopes of improving slow sales.

Dunkin' Donuts IPO saw shares increase more than 40 percent Wednesday. Dunkin' is involved in a large-scale growth plan over the next 20 years, seeking to grow from 6,800 stores to more than 15,000.

Restaurant operator P.F. Chang's posted disappointed quarterly results Wednesday, and Wall Street reacted, dropping the company's stock more than 10 percent.

Jeff Bezos and Amazon have unique competitive advantage, some analysts say. They suggest Amazon is succeeding bigger, and faster, than Wal-Mart did, becoming the world's largest retailer. That begs the question: Has Amazon built the most competitive business ever?

Apple's iPhone is the world's bestselling smartphone but a new survey reveals that 35 percent of U.S. consumers still want to by an iPhone 5, not yet released.

Amazon's stock is trading near a 52-week high, up more than five percent Wednesday after the company posted strong second quarter earnings and profits. But Amazon will go higher, say some analysts, because the company has a decided competitive advantage.

McDonald's is cutting fries to a half order and adding apples to Happy Meals, because the company says consumers want more nutritious options. But parents and others ordering for children already have that option. They don't have to buy Happy Meals and other less nutritious food at all.

Amazon posted second quarter revenue and profits that beat Wall Street's estimates. The company's stock advanced in after-hours trading.

The U.S. Post Office says it is considering closing another 3,700 retail outlets throughout the country. It's time to ask the question: Has the Internet doomed the USPS?