Government And Institutions

Capitol Hill lawmakers from Louisiana have intervened on behalf of a New Orleans company that has failed to stop a decade-old oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico but lobbied for a refund of money reserved for spill containment work, according to letters obtained by The Associated Press through public records requests.

Spending cuts to many state agencies during the past year helped Indiana's state government cash reserves grow to more than $2.1 billion, even as tax collections increased more slowly than expected, officials announced Thursday.

Greece's troubled left-wing government is seeking urgent relief from European lenders on Thursday, a day after it pushed a harsh austerity package thought parliament, triggering a revolt in the ruling party and violence demonstrations in central Athens.

Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities fell in May for a second straight month even though China, the largest foreign owner of Treasury debt, boosted its holdings.

European Central Bank head Mario Draghi will likely face a blizzard of questions about Greece at his news conference Thursday.

Senior Democrats are pushing back against an undercover government probe of President Barack Obama's health care law.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing new incentives to encourage corporations to share profits with workers.

At a time of record auto recalls and high-profile train wrecks, Republicans are working on legislation to roll back safety regulation of the auto and railroad industries.

Fewer people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week as employers remain confident enough in the economy to hold onto their staffs.

The Obama administration is proposing new regulations Thursday designed to reduce the impact of coal mining on the nation's streams.

An IRS watchdog says the tax agency provided poor customer service during this year's tax filing season as taxpayers struggled with identity theft and President Barack Obama's health law.

The IRS processed more than 126 million tax returns this year from individual filers.

A San Francisco bar is suing the NFL and DirecTV, alleging the satellite TV provider's exclusive right to broadcast certain football games is an illegal monopoly that results in higher prices.

The wheels are turning to loosen up restrictions on food truck vendors in the city of Providence.

The International Monetary Fund says Greece's debts are too big to pay and need to be partly forgiven.

Canada's provincial Northwest Territories government has been talking to pipeline companies about shipping crude oil through the Arctic, according to the territory's minister in charge of resource development.

New Jersey Transit fares will jump about 9 percent for bus and rail riders starting in October, a move the agency's board of directors approved Wednesday to help cover a gaping budget hole.

Hong Kong's securities watchdog has taken the unusual step of ordering all stock trading in a Chinese solar panel maker that it's investigating to remain suspended.

Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated).

When are workers employees? When are they contractors? The Labor Department issued new guidance Wednesday intended to help companies answer that increasingly fraught question.