Stacey Vanek Smith

Media companies making political donations may seem taboo, but it's hardly anything new. Stacey Vanek Smith looks into how media companies donate to political interests.

The Los Angeles Times will be releasing rankings of 6,000 school teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Many agree that the American education system needs revamping, but many also find the rankings unfair.

American Apparel hasn't submitted their second quarter profits report yet, but they did submit a preliminary report -- and it doesn't look good.

"Eat Pray Love" is open in theaters, though I probably don't have to tell you that because the movie's being promoted like crazy. Oh, and there are the products: travel packages, clothing, prayer beads. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports on how a book about one woman's quest to de-clutter her life has spawned a mega-marketing blitz.

GM has plans to go public. Pretty soon, you could be buying shares of the automaker, which is a little strange, since taxpayers already essentially own GM. So what does Uncle Sam's involvement in a company mean for investors? Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

Consumers might be suffering from a massive case of low self-esteem. But does confidence need to rise to boost the economy, or does the economy need to get better before consumer moods improve?

Online travel agency Orbitz announced it's stepping up its hotel search options, so you really check out potential vacation digs. Actually, the whole industry is innovating like mad because the online travel business is taking off. Stacey Vanek Smith has more.

The latest jobs report shows the economy lost more jobs than expected and added fewer. Only about 71,000 jobs were created in the private sector last month. Meanwhile, 143,000 temporary census workers were let go. And state and local governments slashed 48,000 jobs in July. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

We don't usually talk too much about weekly jobless claims. They jump around a lot and it can be dangerous to read too much into them. But they caught our eye this morning. Nearly 480,000 people filed for unemployment benefits last week -- that's the highest level since April. Stacey Vanek Smith reports.

Barnes & Noble shares are flying high after the company announced it's considering putting itself up for sale. It's the latest plot twist for a publishing industry that's madly trying to figure out its next chapter. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.