Friday News Updates: Will company health insurance be taxed?
20 Years of McCuistion: Energy, the Environment and Immigration (Pt. 2 of 6)

Obama Advocates Longer School Year, Higher Teacher Pay

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama said Monday that he would like to extend the school year and raise teacher pay to help improve the U.S. education system.

Mr. Obama, in an interview on NBC’s “Today,” said students around the world usually go to school for a month longer each year than children in the U.S. Such a difference, he said, gives those students an advantage and gives their countries an economic edge.

Mr. Obama said part of the economic challenge is related to “whether we can do something about these schools.”

Southwest Airlines To Buy Discount Rival AirTran

Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) on Monday announced plans to buy discount rival AirTran Holdings Inc. (AAI) for $1.4 billion in a move that would revive its growth strategy and intensify pressure on network carriers on the U.S. East Coast.

The agreed plan promises to be transformative for Southwest, the nation’s largest domestic carrier, by taking it into Atlanta, smaller cities and international destinations for the first time.

“This absolutely changes things,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest’s chairman and chief executive officer on a call with analysts.

The definitive agreement marks the first combination between major U.S. low-cost carriers and is only the second large acquisition by Southwest after it failed to capture Frontier out of bankruptcy protection last year.

Implications of cyber attack affect all

An apparent cyber attack on Iran shows the vulnerability of critical national infrastructure systems to attack through widely used computer programs and imported technology.

Friday News Updates: Will company health insurance be taxed?
20 Years of McCuistion: Energy, the Environment and Immigration (Pt. 2 of 6)