It's been a colorful week in the world of business, from Facebook's accidental hijacking spree to the timely rescue of Dell, to pink slips being passed out at DreamWorks. Here's a rundown of this week's biggest winners and losers.
Tea Party mega-donors poured hundreds of millions into the 2012 election, and one of their key goals was to keep taxes low for the rich. Had Romney won, their investments could have paid off mightily. Here's a look at how what they donated compares with what they'd have saved under Romney.
A recent Los Angeles Times article surveyed the eating habits -- and political affiliations -- of American restaurant goers, which made us wonder: If a restaurant chain's sales are booming, are the politics it's associated with gaining favor too?
Many industries complain that new government regulations are bad for business; now, we're hearing it from the adult film biz. A proposed L.A. city regulation to require porn actors to use condoms has adult film makers threatening to leave Tinseltown -- and to take the lion's share of an $8 billion-a-year industry with them.
Taking a cue from more high-end swindlers, a slew of violent gangs, including the Bloods, the Crips and the Latin Kings are branching out into mortgage fraud, identity theft, check counterfeiting and bank fraud, among other crimes.
Tribune Co. creditors are suing for billions of dollars in damages, alleging Tribune Chairman Sam Zell and lender JPMorgan Chase pushed the company into bankruptcy when Zell purchased it mainly with debt in 2007.
Tribune CEO Randy Michaels is expected to resign after The New York Times reported he has fostered a sexist "frat house" culture at the news company. Employees said he encouraged sexual innuendo, profanity, poker parties and other bawdy behavior, according to the story.
So much for the hope of a relatively quick and painless exit from bankruptcy for Tribune Co. A reorganization plan that would have turned over control of the Chicago-based media conglomerate to lenders has reportedly fallen apart.
