Deals of the Hour

Trying to find out what's the deal with the world, tracking what's on sale and who's talking about it on Twitter. Update hourly.

Deals of the Hour / October 5, 2010, 2:42 pm

U.S. sues American Express, reaches proposed deal with Visa, Mastercard

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department on Monday sued the three largest U.S. credit card companies for anticompetitive practices and reached a proposed settlement with two of them, MasterCard and Visa. "We want to put more money in consumers' pockets, and by ... (Source: San Jose Mercury News 2010-10-04T18:43:13Z)

What the Justice Department's Credit Card Suit Means for You

If you're a little confused about how or if your life will change thanks to the Justice Department's payment card announcement on Monday, you're not alone. So let's review what we know and engage in some mild speculation. The government ... (Source: New York Times Blogs 2010-10-05T21:19:31Z)

Sanofi-Aventis in $18.5 billion hostile takeover offer for Genzyme

France's Sanofi-Aventis on Monday launched an $18.5 billion hostile takeover offer for Genzyme Corp., stepping up its effort to capture the U.S. biotech company's promising drugs for high cholesterol and lucrative treatments for rare genetic disorders. At ... (Source: New York Daily News 2010-10-05T11:18:13Z)

Agent says Bills have traded RB Lynch to Seahawks

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have traded running back Marshawn Lynch to the Seattle Seahawks , the player's agent told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Lynch's agent Doug Hendrickson said a deal was made, but he did not know what the Bills ... (Source: Chicago Tribune 2010-10-05T19:46:27Z)

Faces & Names: Curtis buried after Las Vegas funeral

Actor Tony Curtis was buried Monday with a melange of his favorite possessions — a Stetson hat, an Armani scarf, driving gloves, an iPhone and a copy of his favorite novel, "Anthony Adverse," a book that inspired his celebrity name and launched a ... (Source: Duluth News Tribune 2010-10-05T06:10:25Z)

Interesting offseason ahead for A's

It can be argued that the A's offer more entertainment during the winter than during the regular season. Though they haven't produced a winning record in four years, the A's usually pack a newsworthy wallop in the offseason. They typically pull off a trade ... (Source: Monterey County Herald 2010-10-05T10:06:38Z)

Tea Party Script Written In Washington (VIDEO)

An extensive review of GOP campaign literature, floor speeches and public statements reveals that Republican candidates and officeholders routinely use GOP talking points verbatim in their speeches and campaign literature, while passing off the language as ... (Source: Huffingtonpost.com 2010-09-24T22:58:27Z)

Prosecutors offer to read actor John Stamos' lines at sentencing in Mich. extortion case

MARQUETTE, Mich. - Actor John Stamos can't make it to federal court in Michigan's Upper Peninsula next week, but he still wants to be heard. Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to allow them to read a statement from Stamos when two people are sentenced ... (Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune 2010-10-02T02:53:32Z)

Agent: Bills trade running back Lynch to Seahawks

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills have traded running back Marshawn Lynch to the Seattle Seahawks, the player's agent told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Lynch's agent Doug Hendrickson said a deal was made, but he did not know what the Bills received ... (Source: Houston Chronicle 2010-10-05T20:36:34Z)

Conservative candidates are reshaping the GOP

WASHINGTON — They're not well-known outside their home districts, but a handful of U.S. House candidates are poised to reshape the Republican Party — and its agenda — when a new Congress gets underway in 2011. From a county prosecutor who knocked off ... (Source: USA Today 2010-09-27T01:33:34Z)

Faces & Names: Heigl: I don't believe my own press

Former "Grey's Anatomy" star Katherine Heigl said she's happy to make headlines, but stories about her in the media are often exaggerated. Heigl's comments in the past have been known to make waves in the entertainment world. She called the 2007 ... (Source: Duluth News Tribune 2010-10-04T06:11:36Z)

Sanofi Takeover Offer for Genzyme: The Pressure Is On

With Genzyme ( GENZ ) digging its heels in and Sanofi-Aventis ( SNY ) refusing to raise its bid, taking the $69 a share offer straight to the US biotech's shareholders was the logical next step for the French predator. Considering Genzyme 's stock has ... (Source: Seekingalpha.com 2010-10-05T08:47:53Z)

Justice Department sues Visa, Mastercard

The U.S Attorney General is accusing them of holding consumers hostage. That is why the Justice Department sued Visa, Mastercard and American Express. It says the companies are eliminating competition by not allowing merchants to offer discounts on other ... (Source: msnbc.com 2010-10-05T02:14:11Z)

NJ halts all transportation projects after Legislature fails to OK bond sale

TRENTON — Work on $1.7 billion in transportation projects will come to a halt Monday after the legislative committee failed to approve a routine bond sale needed to pay the bills, state transportation officials said. Commissioner James Simpson announced ... (Source: Asbury Park Press 2010-09-30T23:55:46Z)

Sanofi's Hostile Bid: Despite Problems, Genzyme Has Value

Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY ) said Monday that it has launched an $18.5 billion hostile offer for biotech company Genzyme (Nasdaq: GENZ ), after it became fed-up with the Genzyme board's "unwillingness to engage" in discussions. The $69 per share offer is ... (Source: Seekingalpha.com 2010-10-05T09:59:28Z)

U.S. probes computer algorithms after "flash crash"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are investigating trading algorithms after they found that a computer-driven sale helped trigger May's flash crash, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro said on Tuesday. Although regulators have ... (Source: msnbc.com 2010-10-05T21:26:40Z)

N.J. lawmakers settle transportation-funding dispute

TRENTON - Thousands of transportation workers will resume work Tuesday following resolution of a standoff between Democratic lawmakers and the Christie administration over transportation funding. In an emergency meeting, the Legislature's Joint Budget ... (Source: Philadelphia Daily News 2010-10-05T07:21:59Z)

New Jersey Approves Bond After Christie Stops Roadwork

(Updates with date of sale in third paragraph.) Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- New Jersey Democrats allowed a $1.4 billion transportation bond issue to proceed after their delay in approving the deal led Governor Chris Christie to halt road and transit construction ... (Source: BusinessWeek 2010-10-04T22:10:48Z)

Movers roundup: Ford, Sara Lee

Among the stock activity stories for Monday, Oct. 4, from The Associated Press: — Shares of Ford Motor Co. jumped after a Morgan Stanley analyst took a bullish view of the stock, citing strong revenue prospects as U.S. auto sales improve. — Sara Lee ... (Source: AP - msnbc.com 2010-10-04T21:20:42Z)

Idaho Newspapers Poll recap: Idaho races aren't a done deal

Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., interviewed 625 randomly chosen registered Idaho voters Sept. 13-15, limiting the interviews to people who said they are likely to vote in November. The statewide poll's margin of error is 4 ... (Source: Idaho Statesman 2010-09-26T05:59:36Z)

Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane looks to upgrade offense in offseason

It can be argued that the A's offer more entertainment during the winter than during the regular season. Though they haven't produced a winning record in four years, the A's usually pack a newsworthy wallop in the offseason. They typically pull off a trade ... (Source: Berkeley Voice 2010-10-05T17:16:08Z)

A Single Sale Worth $4.1 Billion Led to the 'Flash Crash'

In a long-awaited report, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said they had identified the sequence of events that erased more than 600 points from the Dow Jones industrial average in minutes on the afternoon ... (Source: New York Times 2010-10-01T22:28:41Z)

Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane has upgrading offense high on to-do list

It can be argued that the A's offer more entertainment during the winter than during the regular season. Though they haven't produced a winning record in four years, the A's usually pack a newsworthy wallop during the offseason. They typically pull off a ... (Source: San Jose Mercury News 2010-10-05T12:01:10Z)

UPDATE 1-US probes computer algorithms after 'flash crash'

WASHINGTON Oct 5 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are investigating trading algorithms after they found that a computer-driven sale helped trigger May's flash crash, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro said on Tuesday. Although regulators ... (Source: Reuters 2010-10-05T21:19:31Z)

Gas tax off table to fund NJ transit projects

New Jersey's treasurer says the governor will not consider raising the gas tax to fund road and rail projects. Treasurer Andrew Eristoff says Gov. Chris Christie maintains that raising the gas tax is inappropriate. The administration is working on a long ... (Source: msnbc.com 2010-10-05T12:44:07Z)

Huron Consulting selling disputes and investigations practice for undisclosed amount

CHICAGO — Huron Consulting Group Inc. is selling its disputes and investigations practice to Grant Thornton LLP, the consultancy said Monday. Terms were not disclosed. Huron lowered its full-year revenue outlook partly due to the sale. The company based ... (Source: Washington Examiner 2010-10-04T12:38:09Z)

Huron shares drop after announcement of unit sale

LOS ANGELES — Shares in Huron Consulting Group Inc. plunged after the company said it is selling its disputes and investigations practice to Grant Thornton LLP and lowered its full-year revenue outlook to account for the sale. THE SPARK: Chicago-based ... (Source: msnbc.com 2010-10-05T07:57:47Z)

Lawmakers approve Christie's $1.25B bond sale to refinance road and bridge projects

The Legislature's Democratic-controlled Joint Budget Committee Monday reluctantly approved the Christie administration plan to sell $1.25 billion in bonds and to refinance up to $500 million for the nearly busted fund for highway, bridge and rail repairs ... (Source: newjerseynewsroom.com 2010-10-04T17:53:06Z)

New Jersey lawmakers authorize bond sale, allowing work on transportation projects to resume

TRENTON, N.J. — About 2,000 idled construction workers - sidelined when Gov. Chris Christie's administration ordered work stopped on all state-funded road construction projects - will go back to work after Democrats in the New Jersey Legislature approved ... (Source: Washington Examiner 2010-10-04T20:37:45Z)

NFL: Buffalo Bills send RB Marshawn Lynch to the Seattle Seahawks

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was traded to Seattle on Tuesday, and the Seahawks made room for him by releasing Julius Jones. The Bills said they will receive undisclosed draft picks for Lynch. Buffalo's move to deal Lynch clears the ... (Source: Deseret News 2010-10-05T20:43:43Z)

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