Disclosure Of Information

Steve Jobs' medical condition turned out to be more serious than Apple Inc. officials had previously acknowledged -- and that has analysts and legal experts questioning whether the company ran afoul of federal securities rules. Apple had disclosed in early January that Jobs had a "hormone imbalance" and would take a leave of absence, but never said he was so sick that he needed a liver transplant. Companies are not required to divulge medical details about executives, lawyers said.

The release of internal Bush administration interrogation memos this week answered long-standing questions about the CIA's techniques for getting prisoners to talk, but left unsettled a debate in Washington over whether those methods worked. The White House and the Senate Intelligence Committee are in the early stages of inquiries designed to address that issue, which nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks remains one of the most divisive in the intelligence community.

Some Californians, angry that taxes have just gone up, IOUs are being issued and the state may be on its way over a cliff, find few things more infuriating than a big benefits package enjoyed by a government worker. So some of the 5,100 state and local government retirees who draw more than $100,000 annually are trying to lie low, preferring that the details of their receipts be kept private. And they have asked the courts for help.

U.S. military officials in Afghanistan have halted the practice of releasing the number of militants killed in fighting with American-led forces as part of an overall strategy shift that emphasizes concern for the local civilian population's well-being rather than hunting insurgent groups. The decision has triggered a quiet but fierce debate among military officers comparing the current situation with the U.S.

Responding to investigations into pension systems in New York and elsewhere, a Los Angeles pension agency voted Thursday to require any company seeking business with its board to disclose campaign contributions it has made to city political candidates.

Two federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to require fast-food and other chain restaurants to post calories on menu boards and food display tags. The chains also would have to put information about calories, fats, carbohydrates and salt on printed menus. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) on Thursday introduced the Menu Education and Labeling Act, called the MEAL Act for short.

Los Angeles County supervisors have asked state officials to compel California nursing homes to prominently post their new federal star ratings, much in the way restaurants display letter grades. But the proposal faces opposition from patient advocates and nursing home officials who fault the five-star ratings system that went into effect last month, saying it overlooks significant violations and sometimes penalizes well-run nursing homes.

Even after the revelation that Alex Rodriguez headed a list of 104 players who failed a steroids test six years ago, the executive director of the players' union called it "unlikely" that his association would follow the recommendation of several players to release the entire list. Now that the confidentiality of the list has been breached, Torii Hunter of the Angels and Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros are among the players calling for all of those who tested positive to be identified.

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the government can keep secret the identities of detainees who say they've been abused at the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan reversed a lower court judge's ruling regarding eight files containing records documenting allegations of detainee abuse by military personnel, as well as documents containing reports of allegations of detainee-against-detainee abuse.

American International Group Inc. on Thursday surrendered the names of employees who received controversial retention bonuses, but don't look for the list to go public any time soon. New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo had subpoenaed the information, insisting that the public had a right to know the identities of the bonus recipients. But he struck a different tone Thursday amid concerns that the bonus recipients could become physical targets for public outrage.