Mid-day Update

New data on auto sales shows bumper year for big three carmarkers. The cost delaying federal Superstorm Sandy relief. Al Jazeera is buying Current TV. And a company known for canned meat is spreading its wings.

Your next paycheck could be a bit of a shocker, and we'll tell you why. In corporate news, Avis is buying Zipcar. And is the company Herbalife nothing more than a giant pyramid scheme? Some people think so.

We've got some good analysis on this evolving deal and some informed prognoses on where we go from here, from a couple of heavy-hitting economists of both parties. Then we'll pivot to another controversial topic: Obamacare… And see how one of the most progressive states is doing at setting up its insurance exchange.

Amidst the fiscal cliff festivities, we'll hear about one part of the government that is making money — and a lot of it. We'll also talk about record profits at OPEC. And in California, prospective bosses can no longer make you log them into your Facebook account.

After a quick update on the strike that almost was, we'll talk about the end of that payroll tax break you probably forgot you were even getting… we'll see how this whole fiscal cliff thing is playing overseas, find out why kids in eastern Montana are putting off college. And the iPhone — now available in Brazil. And Apple ain't happy.

Toyota announces a big settlement, the EPA will have a new director, and we all keep waiting for the inevitable fiscal cliff on the horizon.

Twas the day after Christmas, and a big credit card company says we were not spending enough — go figure. Plus a plan to help more folks who are underwater on their mortgages. And a single-payer healthcare system is on its way to Indonesia.

Netflix apologizes for a streaming movie outage. Fiscal cliff or no fiscal cliff — some taxes are going up next year either way. A look ahead at the environment and energy in 2013. And we'll explain why it's a bad week for Chinese liquor stocks.

What’s next for Washington in 2013? An interesting twist, in the murky politics of Italy. Egypt gets downgraded. And the mystery of the one-thousand dollar bill Salvation Army donation continues.

The census report tells us which states are growing the fastest. Two soccer teams in Greece are finding sponsors in unusual places. And, a reindeer in Canada spreads a little Christmas cheer, but that's not all it's spreading.