A question from various sources: “Will a stimulus fix our problems?” Paul Solman: Let’s begin with a prior question: What’s the economic justification for a stimulus? The answer is that an economy’s annual output — its Gross Domestic Product (…

After a prolonged partisan standoff, the House easily approved a bill Friday to overhaul wiretapping powers in the war on terrorism -- a measure President Bush had urged action on as an essential security tool.