Your customized headlines for Sat, Apr 21, 2012

Catch Kevin Wu's latest comedy program on YouTube, and you may think he's nothing more than a young Asian American talking to a camera in his bedroom. But almost each of his shows command at least 2 million views — rivaling the nightly TV audiences of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Bowing to what airline analysts consider the inevitable, US Airways moved a step closer to merging with bankrupt American Airlines Friday when three key unions announced their support.

If the merger goes forward, the US Airways brand would go the way of Pan Am, TWA and Eastern Airlines, consigned to history as the merged carrier flies under the American banner.

LONDON — After weeks of relative calm, Europe's debt crisis is reawakening as investors fret over a growing pushback in the region against the tough austerity prescribed to cure its fiscal ills.

Europe's crisis finally seemed to ebb in late January, with confidence in the region's ability to put its fiscal house in order and aid its troubled banks easing the turbulence that rocked world markets from London to Hong Kong to New York for nearly 2 1/2 years.

How much does the federal government actually spend? About $830 billion more than you think.

That's the conclusion of a recent Tax Policy Center study by Donald Marron and Eric Toder. They analyzed tax expenditures — the deductions, breaks and loopholes that clog the tax code — and sorted them into two groups: "spending substitutes" and "tax policy design."

U.S. stock markets largely reversed two days of losses Friday, offering a sliver of hope amid otherwise disappointing economic data that has stoked fears of a slowdown in the recovery.

The markets were buoyed Friday by surprisingly strong earnings by blue-chip heavyweights General Electric, McDonald's and Microsoft. About 80 percent of the companies that have reported profits this season have outpaced expectations, according to Thomson Reuters. The positive results across a wide swath of sectors helped turn around a two-day losing streak Friday and shake off broader concerns about the global economy.

U.S. stock markets largely reversed two days of losses Friday, offering a sliver of hope amid otherwise disappointing economic data that has stoked fears of a slowdown in the recovery.

The markets were buoyed Friday by surprisingly strong earnings by blue-chip heavyweights General Electric, McDonald's and Microsoft. About 80 percent of the companies that have reported profits this season have outpaced expectations, according to Thomson Reuters. The positive results across a wide swath of sectors helped turn around a two-day losing streak Friday and shake off broader concerns about the global economy.

LONDON — After weeks of relative calm, Europe's debt crisis is reawakening as investors fret over a growing pushback in the region against the tough austerity prescribed to cure its fiscal ills.

Europe's crisis finally seemed to ebb in late January, with confidence in the region's ability to put its fiscal house in order and aid its troubled banks easing the turbulence that rocked world markets from London to Hong Kong to New York for nearly 2 1/2 years.

— How 3-D printing will revolutionize manufacturing.

— America's dumbest tax loophole involves renting cattle.

— India flips on the world's largest solar power plant.

— If you spent all your time collecting dinosaur fossils, this is what your living room would look like.

"School hours in the United States were developed during the 19th century, in part to allow students to help their families with farm work in the afternoon," writes Peter Orszag. "We are no longer an agrarian economy, but most schools still get out around 3 p.m." It's time for a change:

The White House believes that the bailout will end up being a great deal for taxpayers, paying them back about $11 billion in the long run. But Bloomberg's Jonathan Weil takes a closer look at the balance sheet and concludes that the administration's numbers aren't as good as they might seem.