IBT Staff Reporter

Investigators into the violent and deadly natural gas line explosion in San Bruno, California on Sept. 9, 2010, have discovered that certain pipe segments were welded only from the outside, not from both inside and outside the pipe, the National Transportation Safety Board said today.

Ford Motor Co could reach its target of an investment grade credit rating more quickly than some outside observers might have thought, Executive Chairman Bill Ford said on Tuesday.

A report from In-Stat says phones will be the largest number of 3D mobile devices on the market.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday offered only a cautious nod to the economy's improving prospects as it put a spotlight on lofty unemployment and reaffirmed its commitment to buy $600 billion in bonds.

CNN introduced a free application for Apple Inc's iPad and eliminated its fee for its mobile application.

Fancy new features like 3D screens and Internet connectivity have failed to inspire U.S. television shoppers, dashing a hoped-for recovery in the global consumer electronics industry.

The Department of Energy is looking for new fuel.

The White House has cast a wide net in its search for a replacement for outgoing economic adviser Larry Summers with a list that includes Yale University President Richard Levin.

General Electric Co said its industrial businesses will grow next year and accelerate in 2012, with revenue flat up to 5 percent in 2011.

Nigeria's anti-corruption police said on Tuesday it may drop bribery charges against former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and oil services company Halliburton after the company offered to pay a fine.

The Obama administration's top legal and health officials defended the embattled health care law on Tuesday, saying they believe it will survive the legal challenges it faces.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing for a last-minute bill to legalize Internet poker -- at least for operators of existing brick-and-mortar casinos.

Bank holding companies would not be allowed to dip below the strict capital standards of their federally insured bank units, under a proposal issued by U.S. bank regulators on Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday offered only a cautious nod to the economy's improving prospects as it put a spotlight on lofty unemployment and reaffirmed its commitment to buy $600 billion in bonds.

The court martial of Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin, who disobeyed orders because he believes Barack Obama is not the legal President of the United States, begins today at Fort Meade in Maryland.

Revelations on the WikiLeaks website which have enraged governments around the world should force the traditional media to rely less on official sources, award-winning journalist John Pilger said.

The Federal Reserve said on Tuesday the economic recovery was still too slow to bring down unemployment, reaffirming its commitment to purchase $600 billion in bonds to stimulate growth and create jobs.

Short-term interest rate futures traders kept expectations the Federal Reserve will wait to hike rates until late 2011, after the U.S. central bank reaffirmed its commitment to provide stimulus to the economy.

Award-winning director Michael Moore is coming out in support of WikiLeaks, posting $20,000 in bail money for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to stay in a holding pattern on Tuesday as officials evaluate the recent launch of a huge bond-buying program to boost the U.S. economy and how new fiscal stimulus will help do the job.

Stocks cut gains to end mostly flat after a late-day sell-off on Tuesday as yet another cautious statement from the Federal Reserve on the economy offset strong retail sales data for November.

A weaker-than-expected quarterly profit from electronics bellwether Best Buy Co Inc led to a decline in shares across multiple platforms.

The U.S. Federal Reserve said on Tuesday the economic recovery was still too slow to bring down unemployment, reaffirming its commitment to purchase $600 billion in bonds to stimulate growth and create jobs.

The Obama administration has an ambitious goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next five years and creating two million U.S. jobs in the process.

Richard Holbrooke, a top U.S. diplomat who was a key figure in negotiating peace to end the war in Bosnia 15 years ago, and was the special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, died on Monday.

U.S. investment bank JPMorgan said it does not hold more than 90 percent of copper stock warrants in London Metal Exchange warehouses, but declined on Tuesday to comment on whether it had a smaller position.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday after surprisingly strong November retail sales boosted optimism about consumer spending in the holiday shopping season, even as the Federal Reserve issued yet another cautious statement about the economy.

IBM's supercomputer Watson is due to star in the upcoming Jeopardy episodes in February pitched against the two most successful Jeopardy players, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings.

A British judge granted bail of 200,000 pounds ($317,400) on Tuesday for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, wanted in Sweden for alleged sex crimes and the target of U.S. fury over the release of secret diplomatic cables.