Your customized headlines for Fri, Apr 6, 2012

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits dropped to its lowest level in four years last week, the government reported Thursday, adding to a growing sense among economists that job creation is continuing at a healthy clip.

The General Services Administration came under new scrutiny Thursday with the release of a video of an employee rapping in sunglasses about extravagant spending at a Las Vegas conference, boasting that he'll "never be under investigation" for the excess.

Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, whose wealth has become a central issue in the 2012 campaign, has taken advantage of an obscure exception in federal ethics laws to avoid disclosing the nature and extent of his holdings.

A federal judge has approved a $25 billion settlement between government officials and some of the nation's largest banks over shoddy foreclosure practices.

U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer signed off on the landmark deal on Wednesday, according to court documents, nearly two months after it was announced with great fanfare at the Jutice Department. Her approval became public Thursday afternoon.

BAGHDAD — A controversy over oil deals in Iraq is inflaming a bitter political divide between Kurdish and Arab leaders, bringing long-running arguments over autonomy and control of resources to the fore in this oil-rich country.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) accused President Obama last week of setting the nation on an "unsustainable" path that would endanger "our kids and grandkids." Obama, in turn, alleged this week that Ryan and Republican front-runner Mitt Romney were trying "to impose a radical vision on our country . . . thinly veiled Social Darwinism."

— Dave Weigel visits Sanford, Florida.

— "Pandas are endangered because they are hopelessly incompetent."

— Engagement rings were once seen as virginity insurance.

— Electronic music festivals—e.g. raves—are becoming a big business.

In 2015, the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, will get its first update in more than two decades.

The standardized test that all doctors-in-training must take will soon add a section on "psychological, social and biological" sciences. The aim is to bring the medical entrance exam better in line with medical research showing that health is as much influenced by behavior and relationships as it is by biology and genetics.

Here's what needs to happen for the housing crisis to end: People need to buy more houses, and banks need to be more willing to lend to them.

The problem is, banks are still feeling nervous about lending to even creditworthy Americans, having been burned so recently by making loans to homeowners who couldn't pay them off. As a result, by most measures, credit standards have remained extremely tight, fueling a lot of pessimism about the housing recovery. But Capital Economics, a UK-based research firm, believes there are signs that banks may be turning the corner.