The Jeep Wrangler is a direct descendant of the famously rugged vehicle of World War II(Photo: AJ Mueller / Jeep)It's the brand known for winning World War II, for providing reliable transportation for American G.I.'s under the toughest conditions for generations. And lately, it has come to symbolize American ruggedness and a sense of adventure.So perhaps it's appropriate that Chrysler Group's Jeep brand is named in a survey as the most patriotic brand from 197 famous brand names in 35 categories.Heck, Jeep even beat out Coca-Cola, Levis, Harley-Davidson and Disney in the top 25.The survey of 4,500 consumers was conducted by a New York-based branding researching firm, Brand Keys, with the results released just in time for the Fourth of July holiday,the most patriotic day off of them all. Jeep was only one of two auto brands in the Top 25. The other was Ford in 16th place. Interestingly, no General Motors brands are on the list including Chevrolet, which used to heavily hit patriotic American themes in its ads.Jeep topped all others with a score of 98 out of 100 on a scale representing consumers' emotional engagement expectations, according to Brand Keys."As marketers traditionally operate on the Independence Day theory that a patriotic, flag-waving call-to-emotion will motivate consumers to behave more positively toward their brands, we wanted to see which brands actually led when it came to that particular value," says Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, in a statement.He says having consumers view a brand as patriotic goes way beyond trying to create flag-waving ads. It's ingrained -- "more a question of whether that value is seen to part of the brand's equity, whether it's truly acknowledged on a deeply emotional and engaging basis." Here's the Top 25 list:1. Jeep (98%)2. Hershey's (tie, 97%)3. Coca-Cola (tie, 97%)4. Levi…

In USA TODAY's Innovators and Icons series, Morningstar CEO Joe Mansueto talks about why his desk is identical to all of his staff and why he still likes to pinch pennies. Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto, pictured in June 2011, says entrepreneurs today face more competition - and it's global.(Photo: Tim Boyle, Bloomberg)Story HighlightsMansueto founded Morningstar in 1984Holds MBA from Chicago School of BusinessBorn 1956 in Munster, Ind.Joe Mansueto is not the kind of billionaire you'll find shouting on CNBC's Squawk Box — or shouting at all, for that matter. The quiet, thoughtful CEO has steered Morningstar from a kitchen-table publishing company to household name for investors, offering easy-to-understand analytics on mutual funds, stocks and bonds as well as no-nonsense financial planning advice. USA TODAY's John Waggoner spoke with Mansueto about building an Internet presence, investing and the mutual fund industry. Q. You started Morningstar on your kitchen table. How have things changed for entrepreneurs today? Is it easier or harder to start a company now?A. I think it's easier. You need less capital. You can do everything in the cloud. Books can be done at low to no cost. But because it's easier, there's more competition. Entrepreneurship is cool and popular now. When I went to business school, there were one or two classes on entrepreneurship that were not well-attended. Now there's a whole program on entrepreneurship. I should also add that with more competition, it's also global. You're competing with people from India and China. It's an exciting time.INNOVATORS & ICONS: Interviews with some of the USA's greatest visionaries[1]Q. Morningstar is famous for the benefits it gives employees, including paid sabbatical. Clearly, this costs the company money. What does it gain the company? A. At the broadest level, it's a highly competitive market for top talent. I want a…

Slices of a Smithfield boneless ham are displayed in Montpelier, Vt., on June 14, 2011.(Photo: Toby Talbot, AP)Story HighlightsFederal panel is investigating security impact of sale of Smithfield FoodsSenators seek to add USDA and FDA to review panelSale of world's largest pork company to Chinese firm has raised concernsWASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday urged a national security panel overseen by the U.S. Treasury Department to strengthen its review of the $4.7 billion sale of Smithfield Foods to a Chinese company by including two additional agencies to study the deal.The 15 lawmakers, including Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and the panel's top Republican, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which he heads, should include the U.S. Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration in its review of the Smithfield takeover by China's Shuanghui International Holdings.The investment committee was given the authority in 1988 to review the impact that foreign purchases of American companies have on national security. CFIUS includes members from the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Energy, along with five other agencies. The Smithfield deal already is being reviewed by CFIUS."We believe that our food supply is critical infrastructure that should be included in any reasonable person's definition of national security," the lawmakers wrote. "Further, any CFIUS review of this transaction should look beyond any direct impact on government agencies and operations to the broader issues of food security, food safety and biosecurity."In the letter, the senators asked the committee about how other transactions would be reviewed and whether the appropriate regulators are evaluating the potential risks and proposing the proper mitigation efforts to protect the American consumer.Larry Pope, the chief executive of Smithfield, told…