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Government Policy and Law

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Obama to call for partial extension of Bush tax cuts

President Barack Obama is expected to call on Congress to pass an extension to the George W. Bush-era tax cuts for families making under $250,000, but not for those making above $250,000, at a campaign …

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Spur youth job growth, group says

An international policy group said this morning that governments around the world need to find better ways to spur youth job growth, or young people may earn less over time and negatively affect the economy.…
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EU to bail out Spain

The European Union will give 100 billion euros, or about $123 billion, to struggling Spain to keep the nation out of the European debt crisis. 

Finance ministers from nine countries met in Brussels on Monday and announced …

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Government wants to collect excessive jobless benefits payments

Overpayments are a rampant problem in the unemployment insurance system, CNNMoney reported.

The federal government and states overpaid an estimated $14 billion in benefits in fiscal 2011, or roughly 11 percent of all the jobless …

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Wellmark agrees to repay state development funds

The Des Moines City Council will vote tonight on whether to approve a settlement agreement between the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield in which the insurer will repay a …

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Iowa, it’s a tweet place to do business

Gov. Terry Branstad said today he will participate in CNBC’s “Top States Twitter Battle,” and he encouraged all Iowans on Twitter to use #TopStatesIA to assist in promoting the state as a great place in …

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IMF tells U.S. to stop cutting budgets

The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on the United States to focus less on cutting budgets and more on spurring the economy.

“Continued policy action is needed to boost the recovery,” …

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Magee to head Board of Educational Examiners

Duane Magee has been named the new executive director of the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.

Magee, the former assistant superintendent of human resources for the Waukee Community School District, started his new job yesterday. …

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GlaxoSmithKline agrees to $3 billion fraud settlement

GlaxoSmithKline PLC has agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges and pay $3 billion to settle the largest case of health-care fraud in U.S. history, Reuters reported.

The settlement includes $1 billion in criminal …

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European unemployment reaches highest level recorded

Eurozone unemployment reached the highest level on record as a deepening economic slump and budget cuts prompted companies from Spain to Italy to reduce their workforces, Bloomberg reported. The jobless rate in the 17-nation euro …