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Marketplace Morning Report for Monday, August 6, 2012
Aug 6, 2012

Marketplace Morning Report for Monday, August 6, 2012

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We have touched down on Mars! The NASA rover Curiosity landed on the surface of the red planet late last night. And it was all hugs at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California. While NBC has been criticized for not running Olympic events live, but criticism aside, NBC is looking at strong ratings for the games so far, and the Olympics could help the network long after the torch leaves London. And we hear from one former Republican Congressional staff member about why he left the game following last year's debt ceiling crisis, and what we need to do to fix the financial incentives in American politics today.

Segments From this episode

China cracks down on fake drugs

Aug 6, 2012
In China, officials have arrested more than 2,000 people involved in the country's vast counterfeit drug industry.

Midwest drought parches the ranching industry

Aug 6, 2012
Out on the plains, drought is parching everything from corn to cattle. And when the prairie grass burns up, so does a business model that depends on it: ranching.

Are paper billionaires real billionaires?

Aug 6, 2012
Facebook's falling stock price has knocked the company's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, off the top 10 tech billionaires list. But he's still worth a lot.

With the Olympics, NBC gets a head start on fall promotion

Aug 6, 2012
Looks like NBC will sell enough ads to break even on the London summer games, which cost $1.3 billion. Its Olympic-sized audience is also a great place to tout NBC programming.

The costs of the Curiosity rover to Mars

Aug 6, 2012
The NASA rover Curiosity landed on the surface of the red planet late last night. And it was all hugs at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California. That's because it took a lot of work -- and money -- to make this moment possible.

Former Congressional staffer on how money divides politics

Aug 6, 2012
Former Republican staff member Mike Lofgren explains how money has taken over the political system in America and what we can do about it.

Will the investment in the Curiosity rover pay off?

Aug 6, 2012
You can't get more international than Mars -- where the Curiosity rover has landed. Scientists say they're primarily searching for signs of life, but companies are springing up with the goal of extracting non-Earthly resources.

Cayman Islands could tax foreign workers

Aug 6, 2012
The British territory has $91,000 registered companies, including 235 banks. But now, because of pressure to plug a budget hole, the government is proposing a 10 percent income tax on foreign workers.

Preparing for a trip to the fiscal cliff

Aug 6, 2012
Lawmakers have left Washington for the August recess without taking action on the so-called fiscal cliff. Businesses and investors are trying to prepare as best they can, but what can the rest of us do?

Former SEC employment doesn't affect lawyers' work in private sector

Aug 6, 2012
A team of researchers has a new paper out today that looks at this effect on lawyers at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CFTC may drop silver price-manipulation probe

Aug 6, 2012
The Commodities Futures Trading Commission may conclude an investigation into whether big banks have manipulated the price of silver.

Best Buy founder pushing to take company private

Aug 6, 2012
Richard Schulze already owns about 20 percent of the company, but he wants to buy back the other 80 percent at a cost of almost $9 billion.

PODCAST: Taxing the Cayman Islands, finding the world's laziest countries

Aug 6, 2012
We have touched down on Mars! The NASA rover Curiosity landed on the surface of the red planet late last night. And it was all hugs at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California. While NBC has been criticized for not running Olympic events live, but criticism aside, NBC is looking at strong ratings for the games so far, and the Olympics could help the network long after the torch leaves London. And we hear from one former Republican Congressional staff member about why he left the game following last year's debt ceiling crisis, and what we need to do to fix the financial incentives in American politics today.
A ship navigates on the Mediterranean sea on May 25, 2010 south of the island of Malta.
ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images

Why countries specialize in certain sports

Aug 6, 2012
Over the weekend, Usain Bolt of Jamaica won the 100 m running race at the Olympic games. Jamaica and other island nations have become know for their sprinting power, in the same way that countries like Kenya are known for their strength in distance running.

We have touched down on Mars! The NASA rover Curiosity landed on the surface of the red planet late last night. And it was all hugs at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in California. While NBC has been criticized for not running Olympic events live, but criticism aside, NBC is looking at strong ratings for the games so far, and the Olympics could help the network long after the torch leaves London. And we hear from one former Republican Congressional staff member about why he left the game following last year’s debt ceiling crisis, and what we need to do to fix the financial incentives in American politics today.