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• While economists tend to believe the city boom is temporary, that is not stopping many city planning agencies and apartment developers from seeking to boost their appeal to the sizable demographic of 18-to-29-year olds. They make up roughly 1 in 6 Americans, and some sociologists are calling them "generation rent." The planners and developers are betting on young Americans' continued interest in urban living, sensing that some longer-term changes such as decreased reliance on cars may be afoot.
• The last time growth in big cities surpassed that in outlying areas occurred prior to 1920, before the rise of mass-produced automobiles spurred expansion beyond city cores.
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Merkel vs. Italy, France, Spain -- will she bend? Question No. 1 at summit for troubled Europe
• BRUSSELS (AP) -- European leaders gathering Thursday in Brussels are set to sign off on a series of measures to boost economic growth but expectations of a breakthrough on the pooling of debt have fallen by the wayside.
• Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has resolutely opposed the issuing of mutual debt, is the woman to watch -- or fear, or confront -- at the two-day summit.
• Many leaders have backed the idea of eurobonds as a key way of fixing the eurozone's problems as they would help lower indebted countries' borrowing costs. But Merkel has been reluctant to expose her country to new potential costs, and is concerned that eurobonds may minimize the pressure on countries like Greece and Spain to reform their economies.
• The plan to stimulate growth, and so increase government tax revenues, is relatively modest. Though worth €130 million ($162 million), it is expected to consist mostly of European funds already earmarked for development.
• Far more urgent, in the short term, is finding a way to keep the cost of borrowing money sustainable for weaker EU countries.
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Republicans not backing down on votes to hold attorney general in contempt as NRA watches
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barring a last-minute deal, House Republicans plan historic votes Thursday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in civil and criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over documents related to a bungled gun- (Continued on page 34)
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