Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NJM0J86S972E (Bloomberg View) — If you play the odds, the Republican presidential nomination will go to one of these final four: Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul or Scott Walker. Last April, I calculated the odds for each like this: former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at 4-to-1; Wisconsin

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NJMU6P6K511B (Updates with Gergen comment in 13th paragraph, McCain comment in 28th paragraph, Rubio in 38th paragraph.) (Bloomberg) — Lawmakers of both political parties say Congress is likely to authorize further U.S. military action against Islamic State, yet the political maneuvering is certain to be contentious and

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. Ben Sharples (Bloomberg) — Oil traded above $50 a barrel after the biggest slide in four days as investors weighed forecasts for slowing U.S. crude output against signs that the market is oversupplied. Futures gained as much as 2.2 percent in New York, compared with a 5.4

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NJL7TI6K50Y3 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama is preparing to withdraw most of the U.S. troops sent to West Africa to combat the Ebola outbreak as infection rates in that part of the world have declined significantly in recent months. About 1,500 of the 2,800 U.S. military personnel deployed

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NJJ5C06VDKHW (Bloomberg) — Microsoft Corp. sold $10.8 billion of debt in its biggest bond sale on record, taking advantage of investor demand for the highest-rated corporate securities. The world’s largest software maker sold notes in six parts, including $2.25 billion of 40-year obligations with a 4 percent coupon,

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NJJ6306KLVS1 (Bloomberg Politics) — Change has come to the America’s school cafeterias, and the woman who helped deliver it says that students will learn to like it. First Lady Michelle Obama says that the new school lunch standards that mandate servings of fruit and vegetables and limit the

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NJJ93V6VDKHT (Bloomberg) — The last vestige of the Motorola empire is on the block after struggling with stagnant earnings. Motorola Solutions Inc., the $15.6 billion maker of two-way radios and other communications equipment, is exploring a possible sale, according to people familiar with the matter. Buyers could include

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. Ben Sharples (Bloomberg) — Oil extended gains after capping the biggest weekly advance in almost four years amid signs drilling is slowing in the U.S., the world’s biggest consumer. Futures climbed as much as 3.3 percent in New York after a second weekly increase through Feb. 6.

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NJDB1Z6K50XU (Bloomberg) — The U.K. must take urgent action to address a “disturbing rise” in antsemitism recorded last year, including providing public funds for security at synagogues, according to a parliamentary report published Monday. Hate crimes against British Jews have doubled in 10 years and escalated during

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NJHC6E6VDKHS (Bloomberg) — To most outside observers, the collapse of RadioShack Corp. was set in motion years, if not decades, ago. Yet lost in that tale of inevitable decline is the story of how a little-known, distressed lender from Needham Heights, Massachusetts, helped sink the 94-year-old retailer