Mid-day Update

PODCAST: Blackberry aims to make a comeback and media piracy may find shelter in Caribbean

Mark Garrison Jan 29, 2013
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Mid-day Update

PODCAST: Blackberry aims to make a comeback and media piracy may find shelter in Caribbean

Mark Garrison Jan 29, 2013
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COPY

Later today, President Obama lays out his plan for a sweeping immigration overhaul. There’s now serious talk on both sides of the aisle of legalizing millions of immigrants now here illegally. But what might that move do to our salaries?

A new Blackberry is out tomorrow, the Blackberry 10. Its maker, RIM, once dominated smartphones. That was before the rise of iPhone and Android. Now Blackberry has less than 10 percent of the U.S. market. Now, if the new Blackberry wants to compete, it’s going to have a tough fight ahead.

An unusual twist in a Caribbean gambling fight now involves America’s entire media industry. The tiny islands of Antigua and Barbuda are threatening to strip copyright protections from American media. It’s part of a long-running dispute over the U.S. blocking Americans from playing in Antigua’s online casinos. Hollywood is furious, calling the potential move government-sponsored piracy. 

Also in the news, President Obama says he’ll sign the Hurricane Sandy aid bill as soon as it crosses his desk, even as he’s frustrated it took so long. The bill providing more than $50-billion dollars passed Congress yesterday. And Animal shelters are betting big on Super Bowl Sunday. Not because of the big game, but rather the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. The show where dogs romp around on a mini gridiron drew more than 10 million viewers last year on air and online. Animal shelters say they get a surge in adoptions in the days after the Puppy Bowl. But one staffer warns, “don’t come in thinking every Chihuahua can play football.”

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