Advisors

The black BMW 750 looks out of place alongside all the Toyotas and Hondas in the parking lot of public radio station KPCC-FM (89.3) in Pasadena. The man who owns the sleek sedan also looks a little out of place. Wearing black pinstripes in a room full of khaki, Gordon "Gordy" Crawford is here to talk to the newsroom about the global economy. This is the same man who's considered to be one of the smartest guys in Hollywood, the influential investment fund manager best known for dispensing wisdom to the titans of media, entertainment and technology, not journalists.

  NEWTOWN, Conn. - When he was a student at Newtown High, Adam Lanza would sometimes have what a school employee referred to as "an episode. " No one knew what might bring it on. The shy teenager "would just shut down," said Richard Novia, a former advisor to the school tech club. He said Lanza would get together with other technology-minded students to play fantasy role-playing video games and for sleepovers at school. The thin, gangly boy would take part with enjoyment. At school, Lanza would shuffle through the halls, clutching his briefcase to his chest and avoiding eye contact.

Media mogul John Malone's Liberty Interactive Corp. has acquired a controlling stake in TripAdvisor, the popular travel website, from Barry Diller and the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. Liberty Interactive is spending $300 million for 4.8 million shares of TripAdvisor at $62.50 per share. Liberty will now hold nearly 60% of voting stock and more than 20% of the company's total equity. The purchase price represents a premium of more than 60%. After news of the change of control was announced Tuesday, TripAdvisor stock was up more than 20% from its Monday close of $38.39.

If you haven't heard of Kiva , the holiday season is a great time to learn about the microlending website that pairs borrowers around the world with small lenders like you and me. The idea is to wipe out poverty worldwide by connecting individuals who have money (loans start at as little as $25) with those who don't. Now TripAdvisor is teaming up with Kiva to create an opportunity for travelers to get in on the giving. Write a review for a hotel, vacation rental, restaurant or attraction in a country where Kiva has borrowers in need, and you'll be eligible to make a $25 microloan courtesy of TripAdvisor.

CAIRO - Anger between Egypt's rival political camps erupted into street battles Wednesday after Islamist supporters of President Mohamed Morsi tore down tents belonging to antigovernment demonstrators, raising the possibility of widening violence over the nation's proposed constitution. Pro-Morsi factions overran about 200 protesters camped outside the presidential palace in north Cairo. The clashes came after the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party called thousands of its members into the streets in a counter-demonstration to drive opposition movements from the presidential palace.

NEW YORK - After building a huge stake in two drug companies, hedge fund manager Mathew Martoma told his powerful boss on a Sunday morning that they had to immediately dump their position. It was an unusual request even by the outsized standards of Wall Street, but the hedge fund quietly liquidated its $700-million position within days. Federal authorities suggested Tuesday why Martoma was in such a hurry back in 2008 - he'd allegedly gotten an illegal tip about big problems with the companies' developmental Alzheimer's drug.

SACRAMENTO - An $11-million campaign donation that was secretly routed through an obscure Arizona group might have hurt the conservative effort in California on election day more than it helped, Republican operatives say. The money went to oppose Gov. Jerry Brown's tax hikes, Proposition 30, and push a ballot measure to curb unions' political fundraising, Proposition 32. Voters approved the governor's tax plan and rejected the proposal to reduce...

MADISON, Wis. - Bruce Springsteen was rhyming “Obama” with “pajama” and “Osama.” Presidential advisor and guru David Axelrod was waxing nostalgic about the Iowa caucuses of four years ago. And the president was pleading for votes: “We have come too far to turn back now.” With a bit of the odd ball, the emotional and the rote, President Obama kicked off the final day his final campaign. Obama started with a rally in Wisconsin, heading next to Ohio and Iowa - a trio of swing states that could ensure a victory.

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- To Mitt Romney's apparent surge in polls, the Obama campaign offers this counter-argument: Momentum? What momentum? Speaking to reporters in Iowa on Wednesday, Obama advisor David Plouffe argued that there's no evidence Romney is picking up steam in the key battleground states necessary to win. He said Romney's recent gains in polling merely show him reclaiming ground lost and approaching his "ceiling. " "Gov. Romney was not going to get 44% or 45% in battleground states," Plouffe said.

Citing continuing financial woes, the city's top budget advisor urged the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday to follow through on more than 200 employee job cuts tabled earlier this year and recommended including 50 assistant city attorneys on the list. More cost-cutting is necessary because the city has already dug a $16.6-million budget shortfall four months into its new fiscal year, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said. The gap will grow wider if 209 city jobs, mostly made up of police clerical staff, are not eliminated by Jan. 1, the budget advisor said in a Tuesday update.