WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled against the oil and gas industry Monday in a dispute over how many years into the past the government can reach to collect money for leases on federal land.	SAN FRANCISCO -- Computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. said Monday that Bob Wayman, the company's longtime chief financial officer who briefly served as interim CEO, plans to retire at the end of the year.	BALTIMORE -- Chemical maker DuPont Co. is cutting 1,500 jobs as it restructures its agriculture and nutrition division, putting the $100 million it expects to save into its seeds business, where it is in an increasingly tough battle with rival Monsanto.
The House and Senate have passed legislation that will revamp the Bush administration's $5.6 billion effort to counter bioterrorism threats, reorganizing management of the program and providing struggling companies with periodic cash infusions to help fund their research and testing.	WASHINGTON -- America's trade deficit posted a dramatic decline in October, falling to the lowest level in 14 months as the price of crude oil plunged by a record amount.	WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve, under first-year Chairman Ben Bernanke, appears close to achieving the tricky maneuver of steering the U.S. economy to a soft landing.