U.S. House is expected to pass debt ceiling bill tonight, with the Senate set to vote Tuesday.

Amazon launches AmazonLocal daily deals in Groupon's hometown of Chicago; launches MyHabit app to compete with Gilt Groupe; beefs up streaming offering to compete with Hulu by adding Universal titles; and looks to expand Kindle library.

Apple iPhone 5 now rumored for October; Apple TV lets users buy TV shows with streaming update; and Apple blocks Samsung tablet release in Australia.

Twitter confirms "significant" ($800M?) funding round led by Russia's DST Global; adds Dutch and Indonesian local sites; and opens NYC office.

Adobe bows to Apple and builds Flash alternative.

Airbnb looks to defuse user security concerns by offering $50,000 guarantee to homeowners.

Allstate to shut banking unit, posts $620M in losses on tornado claims.Continue reading...

Amazon has just entered the flash sales market with MyHabit, a members-only (but free to sign up) fashion destination offering up to 60% discounts on designer brands.

Featured sale items are posted at noon ET daily from high-end fashion labels including Doo.Ri, Elizabeth and James (one of the labels designed by the Olsen sisters, who are also exploring e-commerce with StyleMint), Halston and Vera Wang.

Competing with other portals' fashion-forward sales channels, along with celeb-heavy direct-to-consumer e-commerce fashion sites, MyHabit isn't just targeting women, although that's who will likely do most of the shopping.Continue reading...