WSJ Top News Friday-Sat, Jan. 22-23, 2010

New Bank Rules Sink Stocks
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama proposed new limits on the size and activities of the nation's largest banks, pushing a more muscular approach toward regulation that yanked down bank stocks and raised the stakes in his campaign to show he's tough on Wall Street. With former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker at his side, Mr. Obama said he wanted to toughen existing limits on the size of financial firms and force them to choose between the protection of the government's safety net and the often-lucrative business of trading for their own accounts or owning hedge funds or private-equity funds.
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GE Earnings Fall
General Electric Co. posted a 19% slump in fourth-quarter profit, dinged again by weakness at its finance arm and NBC Universal, but offered an upbeat outlook that foresees a return to growth in 2011.
Orders have improved since its investor update in December, with delinquencies in its problematic finance unit also trending down, though commercial real-estate remains a key concern.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704509704575018672407762274.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTWhatsNews

Birth Weights Fall in U.S.
Mothers are giving birth to lighter babies in the U.S., and no one is quite sure why.
The finding, published Thursday in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has potentially troubling public-health implications, if the trend continues. Low-birth-weight babies are at higher risk for a host of health problems.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704423204575017471267586344.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEFifthNews

Court Kills Limits On Corporate Campaign Spending
WASHINGTON—A divided Supreme Court struck down decades-old limits on corporate political expenditures, potentially reshaping the 2010 election landscape by permitting businesses and unions to spend freely on commercials for or against candidates.President Barack Obama attacked the ruling and said it gave "a green light to a new stampede of special-interest money in our politics," particularly "big oil, Wall Street banks, health-insurance companies and the other powerful interests" that "drown out the voices of everyday Americans." He pledged to work with lawmakers to craft a "forceful response."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575016942930090152.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEForthNews

Restaurants Begin to Count Calories
Restaurants from Applebee's to Starbucks are pushing new low-calorie menu items in an effort to attract customers who say they want healthier options.Chain restaurants, traditionally known for peddling fatty food and sugary drinks, hope that offering healthier fare will give them a competitive advantage, especially with the prospect of a federal nutrition labeling law looming.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704381604575005530811257728.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEFifthNews

Google Earnings Soar 
Google Inc. reported its strongest revenue growth in a year and issued its firmest public statement saying it would like to continue doing business in China, a week after it said it may pull out of the country due to a sweeping cyber attack.The Mountain View, Calif., company said its revenue rose 17% in the fourth quarter to $6.67 billion from a year earlier, up from only 7% revenue growth in the third quarter and 3% growth in the second quarter.http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575017451974056226.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTWhatsNews