The longer America’s economic doldrums continue, and the debt-ceiling talks drag on, the more that Corporate America feels compelled to speak out, both in criticism and defense of the man in the middle of the maelstrom: President Obama.

Last week’s berating of America's corporate chieftains by GE head Jeff Immelt amounted to a sort of defense of the president and his policies. Immelt, a key figure on Obama’s jobs council, told his fellow CEOs to stop whining about the economy and the dire employment situation and to create jobs within their companies.

And earlier this week, a group of CEOs were convened for an education roundtable (at top), evidently eager to meet with President Obama to help him figure out how industry-led partnerships can help improve the prospects for America's youth — the foundation of all future job growth, of course.Continue reading...

The former chief executives who engineered the ill-fated AOL-Time Warner merger in 2000, Jerry Levin and Steve Case, are back in business together again.

This time around, they're partnering around a health and wellness venture, StartUp Health.

Levin, a board member for the health information startup OrganizedWisdom, is partnering with Startup America Partnership, a White House initiative chaired by Case to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in the US.

They're launching StartUp Health as a resource for healthcare entrepreneurs to access funding, information and education — and because health and wellness are topics near and dear to both their hearts.Continue reading...

Late last night came word that AOL is buying Huffington Post for $315 million. Early this morning came more words, via the parties' conference call with journalists and analysts, about what exactly the deal means for both brands.

The call, with AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, his new editorial czar Arianna Huffington and AOL CFO Artie Minson, flush from announcing their deal at the Super Bowl, sounded like they were fresh from one of last night's XLV commercials.

The deal, declared Huffington, “is a dramatic accelerator. We’ve just gotten off a fast train and on to a supersonic jet.”Continue reading...

"Our future prosperity in part depends on whether or not we are creating an environment in which folks can test new ideas, bring new products to market, and generate new businesses." So said President Obama at the signing the Small Business Jobs act in September.

Rising to help meet that challenge, some of nation's leading tech brands — Intel, HP, IBM, Google and Facebook — today helped kick off President Obama’s Startup America initiative. The national campaign, which aims to spur startups and innovation in the US, will be led by AOL co-founder Steve Case.

Helping manage the program for the White House: National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, Council of Economics Advisers Chairman Austan Goolsbee, and SBA (Small Business Administration) head Karen Mills.

Hulk Hogan is suing Post Foods over "Hulk Boulder," a lookalike wrestler "humiliated" in a Cocoa Pebbles commercial.

AT&T could see 40% of U.S. iPhone subs decamp to Verizon; offers free Wi-Fi in NYC's Times Square.

P&G's emerging market opportunity downplayed by Citi analyst.

Disney calls off Miramax buyback talks with Weinstein Bros.

Gilllette Fusion rolls out Ultimate Summer Job campaign.

New Jersey loves MTV's Jersey Shore now it's making the state rich.Continue reading...