Hostess Brands closing for good  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Hostess Brands — the maker of such iconic baked goods as Twinkies, Devil Dogs and Wonder Bread — announced Friday that it is asking a federal bankruptcy court for permission to close its operations, blaming a strike by bakers protesting a new contract imposed on them.

Hostess Brands to Wind Down Company After BCTGM Union Strike Cripples Operations  —  Hostess Brands Inc. today announced that it is winding down operations and has filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking permission to close its business and sell its assets, including its iconic brands and facilities.

Hostess going out of business; nearly 18,000 to be laid off  —  IRVING, Texas -  —  Say goodbye to your Twinkies.  —  North Texas-based Hostess Brands, Inc. has decided to go out of business and liquidate its assets after failing to win back striking workers.

Hostess to Liquidate, Lay Off 18,500 After Crushing Union Fight  —  Failing to persuade striking employees to return to work, Hostess Brands disclosed plans on Friday to liquidate its assets and lay off most of its 18,500 workers, bringing the 82-year-old maker of Wonder Bread and Twinkies to the end of its line.

The Audacity of 51%  —  Get ready for higher taxes and no spending reform.  —  “Maybe peace would have broken out with a different kind of White House, one less committed to waging a perpetual campaign—a White House that would see a 51-48 victory as a call to humility and compromise rather than an irrefutable mandate.”

CNN: PETRAEUS TO TESTIFY HE KNEW LIBYA WAS TERRORISM ‘ALMOST IMMEDIATELY’  —  Just a few minutes ago on CNN, Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr reported that a high-placed source informed her that former CIA Chief David Petraeus will use his upcoming testimony to amend his previous testimony.

Life, Death and Deficits  —  America's political landscape is infested with many zombie ideas — beliefs about policy that have been repeatedly refuted with evidence and analysis but refuse to die.  The most prominent zombie is the insistence that low taxes on rich people are the key to prosperity.