WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four top Federal Reserve officials urged Congress on Thursday not to strip the U.S. central bank of the authority to supervise small banks, saying they would lose an important finger on the pulse of the economy that helps them guide monetary policy. A financial regulatory overhaul bill unveiled in the U.S. Senate this week would diminish ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The tension level in the debate on U.S. financial reform rose on Thursday as Democrats slapped back at a Republican leader's comment about "punk staffers" and a pivotal vote neared in the Senate. White House economic adviser Larry Summers and other Democrats criticized remarks made by House Republican Leader John Boehner, who told hundreds of bankers ...

The US Senate Wednesday unanimously approved legislation to reduce 20-year-old sentencing disparities for offenders caught with crack cocaine versus the drug in its powder form. Critics of the US justice system's unequal treatment of the two drugs argued that it disproportionately punishes African-Americans, who are convicted of crack possession in far greater numbers. "The racial imbalance that has resulted ...

CARSON CITY — Nevada voters canÕt claim they donÕt have choices this election season. A record number of candidates, reflecting populist discontent, turned out over the past two weeks to put their names on the ballot, longtime Nevada election observers say. In Clark County, 379 candidates filed with the office of ...