Mid-day Update

Twitter bots, cheap solar panels, and SNAP benefits for violent offenders.

Delta's CEO on passenger fees, mergers, and why subsidies are bad for business. And, the week interest rates popped upward

A deal sweetener from SoftBank. Japan's markets plunge. And is it more money, more problems for professional athletes?

The value of autistic employees. Could the country's largest public power utility really become private? And who is Daniel Werfel?

Shareholders allow Jamie Dimon to keep his dual role as CEO and Chairman of JPMorgan. And what percentage of Americans own stocks?

Yahoo buys Tumblr. What will happen if the Federal Reserve backs off? And public pensions bounce back, but not enough for some.

With one in five Americans on food stamps, some in Congress want to cut back on the program. There's talk in high places about the Fed ratcheting back on policies it hoped would add pep to the wheels of commerce. It's no surprise farmers and home builders want more immigrant labor, but horse breeders? Texas lawmakers decide whether to allow craft beer sales at grocery stores and brewery tours. It could mean a big boost for craft breweries.

Walmart sales are down and so are housing starts, but the weather could be to blame. Plus, a small film about breast cancer research gets an unexpected boost from Angelina Jolie's preventive mastectomy.

A look at how new retail figures impact the economy. After last month's collapse at a garment factory, retailers around the world are responding in different ways. The European Commission is investigating a potential price manipulation scheme among oil companies. A Senate committee on governmental affairs looks at 380 ways “to make Washington more efficient.”

A new report says North America will once again dominate fossil fuel production. Cell phone theft in this country is on the rise, but there’s not really any incentive for the industry to help curb the increase. Housing seems to be in recovery mode in places like Phoenix, Arizona. But it may be tough for homebuilders to lure back construction workers.