AP Top Business News At 9:40 p.m. EDT

Median CEO pay rises to $9.7 million in 2012

By CHRISTINA REXRODE — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:17:12 GMT

CEO pay has been going in one direction for the past three years: up....

HP's 2Q offers hope even as revenue slump deepens

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:08:02 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Hewlett-Packard is still scrambling to meet the growing demand for more versatile and less expensive mobile devices as a slump in its personal computer sales deepens, but the company's cost-cutting measures and focus on more profitable areas of technology appear to be easing the pain....

Broke no laws, IRS official says _ then takes 5th

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER and ALAN FRAM — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:24:16 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers' further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself....

A divided Fed wrestles with when to slow bond buys

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:50:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve is torn over when to slow its aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy....

Stocks fall on news Fed weighed cutting stimulus

By BERNARD CONDON — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:06:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Federal Reserve took financial markets for a ride Wednesday, pushing stock prices up in the morning then sending them down in the afternoon....

AP PHOTOS: The 10 highest-paid CEOs of 2012

By The Associated Press — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:27:55 GMT

It pays to be in TV....

College fossil-fuel divestment movement builds

By KEVIN BEGOS and JOANN LOVIGLIO — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:34:29 GMT

SWARTHMORE, Pa. (AP) -- Student activists at more than 200 colleges are trying a new tactic in hopes of slowing the pace of climate change: They are asking their schools to stop investing in fossil fuel companies....

FDA panel backs experimental Merck insomnia drug

By MATTHEW PERRONE — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:46:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal panel of medical experts said that an experimental insomnia drug from Merck & Co. Inc. appears safe and effective, despite evidence from company trials that the pill can cause daytime sleepiness and difficulty driving....

House passes GOP bill to speed pipeline approval

By MATTHEW DALY — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:37:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans pushed through a bill Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. Democrats criticized the legislation as a blatant attempt to allow a foreign company to avoid environmental review....

Talk of lies, pride as Trump case goes to jury

By MICHAEL TARM — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:16:00 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) -- The lawyer for an 87-year-old woman who accuses Donald Trump of cheating her in a skyscraper condo deal told jurors in Chicago on Wednesday that he was personally repulsed because he felt the "Apprentice" star conned his client and lied about it on the witness stand....