DETROIT – Mitt Romney came to one of the nation’s most economically depressed cities Friday and outlined a broad plan to revive the economy and address the federal government’s deficit problems. Romney’s policy address to the Detroit Economic Club was a chance to claim momentum for his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, but the optics of his highly anticipated event may have undercut his message. Read full article > >

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Romney addresses business leaders, talks cars at nearly empty Detroit stadium

MILFORD, Mich. — Mitt Romney attacked Rick Santorum on Thursday for saying that he voted for the federal No Child Left Behind legislation even though it went against his beliefs — seeing in his opponent’s candid acknowledgment a chance to undermine his claim to be the true conservative in the Republican presidential race. Read full article > >

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Mitt Romney attacks Rick Santorum for No Child vote

LAST YEAR, GOOGLE entered into a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegedly deceptive practices involving its Google Buzz social network. Last month — about the time when the European Commission was contemplating stronger protections for personal data on the Web — the Internet behemoth unveiled a new privacy policy. The announcement has not been universally applauded: The European Union has since asked Google to put the new policy on hold , and a group of Internet privacy advocates filed suit to force FTC scrutiny. This week, 36 attorneys general , including those from Maryland and the District of Columbia, raised their voices in complaint, and the Obama administration unfurled a voluntary “consumer bill of rights” that puts Google and others on notice. Read full article > >

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Editorial Board: Google’s new privacy policy complicates protecting personal data

IT HAS BEEN 42 months since the Bush administration placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under the control of their regulator , the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and began pouring in cash to cover the mortgage-finance giants’ mounting losses. This has enabled Fannie and Freddie to continue propping up a housing market that otherwise would have crashed: They currently back two-thirds of all mortgages made. Taxpayer cost: $180 billion. Read full article > >

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Editorial Board: Fannie-Freddie regulator has sober plans

Pressure against Google is mounting over the company’s questionable privacy practices. The Electronic Privacy Information Center on Tuesday pursued its lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission — a move aimed at getting the agency to fine Google over a new policy that advocates say would violate user privacy. Read full article > >

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Pressure on Google over privacy problems mounts

Decades ago, a congressman from Texas argued passionately that the federal government should pay for birth control for poor women. “We need to take sensationalism out of this topic so that it can no longer be used by militants who have no real knowledge of the voluntary nature of the program but, rather are using it as a political stepping stone,” said George H.W. Bush. “If family planning is anything, it is a public health matter.” Read full article > >

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Birth control as election issue? Why?

When California adopted a law in 1999 requiring health insurance plans to include birth control if they cover prescription drugs, Catholic Charities of Sacramento was determined to fight. But after a five-year legal battle ended in defeat at the state Supreme Court, the charity found a more effective solution: It chose to self-insure, an arrangement that only the federal government has authority to regulate, and it left birth control out of its plan. Read full article > >

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Different states’ contraceptive rules leave employers room to maneuver

The unveiling of President Obama’s federal budget for 2013 involves two big stories. The first concerns deficits and debt, which have gotten plenty of attention. Although Obama characterizes his budget as restrained and responsible, the federal debt will grow 68 percent over the next decade to $19.5 trillion in 2022. But the second story has gotten only modest attention. It is how spending on the elderly is slowly and inexorably crowding out the rest of government — and creating enormous pressures for future, steep tax increases. Read full article > >

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Obama’s budget guts the government

More than two years after the deadliest crash in Metro’s history, there are no federal standards in place for making the nation’s subways and light rail systems safer. This week, two bills that address safety are expected to go before the House and Senate for debate. One of the proposals would give the Federal Transit Administration oversight and the authority to set standards. Read full article > >

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Congress debates federal oversight for subways

Procter & Gamble’s failure to raise the price of Cascade dishwashing soap shows why investors are buying Treasuries at the lowest yields in history, giving the Federal Reserve more scope to boost the economy. Read full article > >

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Sign that bond market backs 3rd quantitative-easing round? Check Huggies’ price.

The average 30-year mortgage rate rose to 3.98 percent Thursday, reflecting a 0.10 percentage point jump after setting a new historic low last week, according to Freddie Mac. Despite the jump, the 30-year fixed rate has remained below 4 percent for eight weeks, and the Federal Reserve yesterday indicated it plans to keep interest rates at zero for some time. Read full article > >

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Mortgage rates rise to 3.98 percent

The Federal Reserve said it was not likely to raise interest rates until the end of 2014, adding 18 months to the expected duration of its response to the slump.

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Fed to Maintain Rates Near Zero Through Late 2014

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a slogan that captures its odd position in the federal hierarchy: “NOAA may be the most important agency you’ve never heard of.” That contradiction was on full display earlier this month, when President Obama announced a reorganization plan for the Commerce Department. Some agencies were to join Commerce. But NOAA, which received only a brief mention , was to move to the Interior Department . Read full article > >

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NOAA’s proposed move raises questions about its role

When Mitt Romney said that his federal tax rate was about 15 percent, many wrongly assumed that their own rate was higher.

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News Analysis: Why Americans Think the Tax Rate’s High, and Why They’re Wrong

The president announced a new campaign to shrink the federal government, a proposal notable less for its goal than for its challenge to a hostile Congress.

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Obama Asks Congress for Powers to Trim Government