Politics

Mitt Romney's net worth: $200 million. Barack Obama's response to Romney's claim that he's "out of touch" with the concerns of ordinary Americans: Priceless. "I bought my first car for about $900," said Obama. "It had a big hole in the floor that allowed you to see the road, so I knew my wife wasn't marrying me for my money."

Election season is coming, and politicians across the spectrum are already hunting for campaigns contributions. But with the vast majority of political donations coming from lobbies, corporations, and the wealthy, does it make sense for average taxpayers to contribute?

On Tuesday, Starbucks launched "Create Jobs for USA," a program to raise loan funds for small businesses. We talked to CEO Howard Schultz about his concerns about gridlock in Washington, unemployment, the need for a sense of solidarity, and the role of corporate leaders in getting America out of this downturn.

Consumer advocate and Democrat Elizabeth Warren will enter the Massachusetts Senate primary for a shot at challenging incumbent Republican Scott Brown for his seat. Warren will formally declare she's running on Wednesday, Kyle Sullivan, a Warren spokesman, said. She plans to greet commuters in Boston and make other stops during the day across the state.

Now that Hurricane Irene has passed, it's time to get back to discussing the country's biggest unnatural disaster: the economy. But here, too, Irene is making her impact felt, as economists and pundits across the country debate whether the hurricane will help or hurt America's bottom line.

The U.S. middle class is caught in a vice with falling wages on one side and rising costs on the other. Robert S. Kaplan, author of the business leadership book What to Ask the Person in the Mirror suggests five ways that politicians should be responding -- not specific policies, but mindsets that could lead to better ones.

Forget for a moment about whether or not embattled Congressman Anthony Weiner should stay or go. The real question is: Should his wife? Even though Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, hasn't expressed any plans to dump her husband in the wake of his sexting scandal, the blogosphere – and especially...

Most Wall Street experts are far better equipped to analyze a corporate risk over a political threat. But today, it's political unrest in the Middle East and beyond that's driving world markets. So we asked Ian Bremmer, president of political risk consultancy The Eurasia Group, to break down the major developments and what investors should expect.

Approximately 60% of first-year U.S. senators and 40% of House of Representatives freshmen are worth at least $1 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That makes them far richer than most of the Americans they represent: Just 1% of the country's population has reached the $1 million mark.

If you're having a problem with a business, Consumer Ally can help. Write us at HelpMe@WalletPop.com. Become a fan of Consumer Ally on Facebook. Q. I purchased a 37" LCD Polaroid TV in 2006 at Walmart. The total purchase price was $738, plus two years of warranty. In the last year, my TV has had...