AP - The Treasury Department said Wednesday it will boost the number of times it auctions 30-year bonds to 12 times a year in another move to cope with the government's soaring debt.

AP - Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage collector, said Wednesday its first-quarter profit fell 36 percent as the recession hurt prices of recycled goods and lowered the amount of trash picked up.

AP - Congress is taking up a bipartisan proposal which would give the Obama administration more leverage over Iran by toughening economic sanctions on foreign oil and shipping firms that aid Tehran.

Reuters - The U.S. economy contracted at a steeper-than-expected pace in the first quarter, weighed down by sharp declines in exports and business inventories, according government data on Wednesday that showed the economy was still deep in recession.

AP - European business and consumer confidence bounced back in April for the first time in nearly two years, the European Commission said Wednesday.

AP - More than 50 million retirees can expect to receive $250 payments from the government in the next few weeks as their share of the economic stimulus package enacted in February.