U.S.

The Republican plan to avert the "fiscal cliff" includes a proposal that would change the way inflation is calculated. The change could result in savings of billions, but its getting pushback from Democrats and groups like AARP.

Most people don't realize that they don't pay taxes on the value of health benefits from their job. If employer-provided health insurance was taxed in the same way as wages, the federal government could gain $250 billion a year. But it would mean higher taxes for many people.

Hay prices are up sharply because of the drought across much of the nation. So hay bales sitting in fields have become hot properties. So much so, in fact, that a sheriff in Oklahoma put a GPS tracker in one bale. It helped him track down the suspects.

President Obama and Senate Republicans have different views when it comes to what counts as "recess." A federal appeals court is now weighing the question in a case challenging three of Obama's appointments.

Some top-tier business schools — Duke, UCLA, MIT and Stanford — are teaching improv as a way for students to increase collaboration, creativity and risk taking. An instructor at MIT says success in business, as in improvisation, can hinge on your ability to rebound.

Some doctors are unhappy about switching from paper records to electronic ones. While the government is creating incentives for doctors to switch, some say the hassles and expense exceed the rewards.

Economists say that excluding the value of employer-sponsored health insurance from federal taxes makes no sense. But many worry that changing the tax code could mean higher taxes or that employers would push down the value of the health insurance they provide.

Are the days of "daily deal" coupons about to expire? Shares of email coupon company Groupon are down nearly 80 percent since going public last year. And its smaller rival, Living Social, plans to lay off as many as 400 employees, after reporting a net loss of more than $560 million in the third quarter.

Congress is considering whether to turn three top-secret sites involved with creating the atomic bomb into one of the country's most unusual national parks. Critics question the need for a park that celebrates nuclear weapons. Supporters say the park would ask tough questions about lessons learned.

Several Jewish leaders are suing New York City to block a new rule regulating a circumcision ritual known as metzitzah b'peh. City health officials say the ritual, practiced by some Orthodox Jews, can spread the herpes virus to infants. But critics say the law infringes on their freedom of religion.