The Department of Commerce imposed preliminary duties on imports of cold-rolled steel, used to make auto parts, appliances and shipping containers, from seven countries including China, whose steelmakers were slapped with a massive tariff.

The U.S. is so awash in crude oil that traders are experimenting with new places to store it: empty railcars.

Older Americans are burdened with unprecedented debt loads as more and more baby boomers enter what are meant to be their retirement years owing far more on their homes, cars and even college loans than previous generations.

Much more is highlighted in A Look Around the Nation and the World.