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Insider trading probe ensnares 14 more

(Reuters) Ń Fourteen people were charged with fraud and conspiracy in a dramatic widening of an insider trading scandal that has ensnared hedge fund managers, top Silicon Valley executives and a bevy of white-shoe advisers. In complaints that read like scripts for the TV series “The Sopranos,” investigators alleged suspects dropped off bags full of cash, used prepaid cellphones to dodge wiretaps, and used nicknames such as “the Greek” and “the Octopussy.” “Some of the defendants Ń taking a page from the drug dealer’s playbook Ń deliberately used anonymous, hard-to-trace, prepaid cellphones in order to avoid detection,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara told a news conference on Thursday. 

Health reform gets boost before close vote

(Reuters) Ń With a close vote looming in the U.S. House of Representatives, President Barack Obama’s push for healthcare reform was boosted on Thursday by the support of powerful lobbies representing doctors and seniors. House Democratic leaders struggled to round up enough party moderates to reach the 218 votes needed to pass Obama’s top domestic priority ahead of a planned Saturday vote. Obama will visit the Capitol on Friday to make a personal plea for support. He said endorsements from the American Medical Association representing doctors, and AARP, the lobbying group for older Americans, were a powerful argument.

Aid for jobless, homebuyers clears Congress

(Reuters) Ń The U.S. Congress approved more aid for jobless workers and broadened tax breaks for homebuyers and businesses on Thursday and sent the measure to President Barack Obama to sign into law. The measure, which aims to breathe life into the ailing U.S. economy, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 403 to 12, one day after it was unanimously approved by the Senate. Democrats who control Congress are under pressure to get the economy moving before the November 2010 congressional elections. But they have been reluctant to assemble another massive stimulus package after February’s $787 billion measure, fearing a voter backlash over record federal budget deficits.

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