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At a 2010 party in New York City, CEO of AIG Global Real Estate Robert Gifford rapped, to the tune of Jay-Z, about his days at AIG (which are still ongoing) and groused about having to deal with the government. Read the full story here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/aig-rap-gifford-bailout He describes his his …

Sign our Petition to Free Stephanie George: http://chn.ge/ThSEnB “HSBC will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering probe by U.S. federal and state authorities, reports CBS News. The financial institution was in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act and the Trading With the Enemy Act. The U.S. probe found transfers …

“As my colleague Jennifer Preston reported, there were scuffles between union activists and supporters of Michigan’s Republican-dominated Legislature outside the state Capitol in Lansing on Tuesday, as the lawmakers approved sweeping changes to the way unions will be financed. At one stage during the tense standoff, union members opposed to …

“Now that UN Ambassador Susan Rice has withdrawn her name from secretary of state consideration, the conspiracy theory that Republicans targeted her to force President Obama to name Sen. John Kerry instead, to open up a Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat for the recently defeated Sen. Scott Brown, is alive and …

“American technology pioneer John McAfee said he faked a heart attack while detained in Guatemala to buy time for his attorney to file a series of appeals that ultimately prevented his deportation to Belize, hastening the government’s decision to send him back to the United States. After weeks on the …

“It’s still unclear why the host of a Dominican talk show set Las Vegas-based magician Wayne Houchin’s hair on fire: Some say it was an unscripted prank gone wrong; others say it was an attempted exorcism gone wrong. Those who claim the latter note that Approach the Stars host Franklin …

“This is what happened Wednesday, the first day of the national legislature’s new session, in Kiev’s Verkhovna Rada parliament building. Those are national lawmakers. Yes, scuffles are nothing new for the Ukrainian parliament, as this slideshow demonstrates. Given that former prime minister was sentenced to seven years in prison, on …

“Ready for America’s Next Top Katniss? The CW has ordered two new reality shows, including one that’s clearly “Hunger Games”-inspired. In “The Hunt,” 12 tributes teams of two are dropped into the wilderness without food, water or shelter. They must compete in a game where they’ll rely on their physicality, …

“The owner of a monkey that became a media sensation after running around a Toronto department store parking lot in a stylish coat and a diaper wants her pet back, or at least assurances he is being well cared for. Yasmin Nakhuda, who was fined for breaking Toronto’s prohibited animal …