Life is hard enough without having to decipher everything. Each week, Marketplace Money brings you a word or a phrase that has bubbled to the top of the news. For instance, wind versus water. You hear it, you see it, but do you really know it?
International aid is starting to flow into Lebanon. But money may not buy hearts and minds. Kai Ryssdal talks to Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies about the situation.
Drug maker Bristol Myers Squibb is in court trying to stop a Canadian company from selling a generic version of its blockbuster blood-thinning drug. Helen Palmer reports.
As airlines and passengers were drowning in headaches last week after the terror threats in London, one segment of the air travel industry is seeing nothing but blue skies. Jason Paur reports.
Ford announced today it'll cut back on the number of cars it makes in the US and Canada. Assembly plants will be partially shut down, and more layoffs could be coming. Lisa Napoli reports.
Film trailers form the backbone of the movie marketing machine. And some book publishers are starting to test the idea out on their upcoming titles. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Now that its cease-fire with Israel appears to be holding, Hezbollah is switching from firing rockets to aiding rebuilding efforts. And many Lebanese welcome its help. Ben Gilbert reports.
The cost of keeping a home has become too costly for some — so when it comes to housing, small is the new big. Bob Moon reports on moving down the property ladder.
Lebanon has taken control of its entire country for the first time since 1968, but small business owners in war-torn southern Lebanon are counting on Hezbollah to get them back on their feet. Ben Gilbert reports.
Two drug companies are going to court today to try to stop a Canadian pharmaceutical company from selling a generic of the No. 2 top-selling prescription drug: blood-thinner Plavix. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
To help bring environmentally-sensitive items to the mainstream market, one entrepreneur in Austin, Texas recently launched a monthly event called the Sustainable Shopper's Ball. Alex Cohen has the story.
It's been a rough week for the world's largest PC maker. It recalled four million notebook batteries on fears they could explode. Then yesterday, it reported disappointing quarterly earnings. Sam Eaton looks at possible rebound strategies.
China is producing more cars than they can sell at home, so it's priming its car companies to go global. But it may face a long road ahead, reports Jocelyn Ford.
As kids head back to school, a group representing thousands of police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors wants schools to guard students against cyber bullies. The good news? It doesn't cost much. Hillary Wicai reports.
Two of Britain's main employer organizations want to limit further immigration from Eastern Europe, saying an influx of migrant workers from Bulgaria and Romania next year could cause problems. Stephen Beard reports.
Apple responded today to allegations in a British tabloid that workers at an iPod factory in China were being forced to pull 15-hours shifts for as little as $50 a month. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
The cost to care for stroke victims is expected to reach $2.2 trillion over the next 45 years. Doctors are calling for more government cash to halt what they call an impending epidemic. Helen Palmer reports.
What happens when a wealthy but landlocked city wants fresh fish or better tomatoes than it can produce locally? It involves customs, airlines and a constant race against the clock. Michael Idov reports.
A small, fantasy sports company won a huge legal battle with Major League Baseball last week. Host Kai Ryssdal talks to sports business analyst Ed Derse about the impact of the court ruling.
A bus company in the Midwest has landed on a formula for success by charging as little as $1 a seat between Chicago and Minneapolis. But do you get what you pay for? Diantha Parker reports.
Like Iraq, Hurricane Katrina reconstruction has been marred by profiteering, says a report from the nonprofit CorpWatch. Host Kai Ryssdal speaks to the group's Pratap Chatterjee about the parallels.
Laid-off Northwest Airlines workers got something from the company this week: a booklet called "101 Ways to Save Money." Helen Palmer tells us why many of the workers are less than appreciative.
President Bush signed into law a pension reform bill today. It's got a series of 401k provisions that will get more of us socking away more of our paychecks — automatically. Scott Tong reports.
Peace-keeping troops are deployed to southern Israel today. As the cease-fire continues, commentator Abraham Sofaer says the war against Hezbollah is not about terrorism, but something more precious.
Despite signs of a cooling housing market, mortgage applications are up, reaching levels unseen since last March. Good news for the real estate market? Not so fast. Sam Eaton explains.
"Snakes on a Plane" opens today and many expect the film that's already a hit in the blogosphere to take off at the box office. Ethan Lindsey looks at how it generated all that buzz.
The US has more Internet users than any country in the world, but India is outpacing the States in growth. A new study says number of people using the Web has grown faster in India than China, Japan and Germany too. Miranda Kennedy reports.
China's growing middle class can afford to travel overseas, but the government says their behavior is hurting China's reputation. So it's giving its people some tips on how to be better tourists. Jocelyn Ford explains.
Pan Am is getting $30 million from the Libyan government for the 1988 bombing of its Flight 103. The money will go to creditors of the now-defunct airline and to 15,000 former employees. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
EchoStar and DirecTV pulled out of the auction for the newly available airwave spectrum seen as the next venue for high-speed broadband communications. Janet Babin tells us why.
The British government is under pressure to speed up its new airport security checks by targeting specific groups of passengers — a plan that's proving controversial reports Stephen Beard.
Host Scott Jagow and personal finance expert Chris Farrell discuss a Federal Reserve study that says credit card debt shot up at a 5.7% annual rate in June — triple what economists expected.
You've heard of the income gap between rich and poor. A new study looks at the health care gap — and finds it's not just the poor at a disadvantage. Corinna Wu reports.
Before the ceasefire in Lebanon took hold, trucks shipping supplies across the country were a major target of Israeli air strikes. Ben Gilbert talks to truckers who risked their lives to continue delivering goods.
A watchdog group has launched a campaign to uncover which members of Congress are inserting costly earmarks into spending bills — and they want your help. Scott Tong explains.
A year after breaking up, labor unions AFL-CIO and Change to Win are in talks to pool their campaign efforts — and financial resources — for November's midterm elections. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Renegade investor Nelson Peltz is in a bitter proxy fight with ketchup-maker H.J. Heinz Co. The billionaire wants to take control of the board, but some shareholders have other ideas. Lisa Napoli reports.
Tighter airport security means longer lines and delayed flights for many passengers. Commentator David Frum says that could all be eliminated, if only we would apply what we've learned from risk analysis.
American shareholders are suing British oil giant BP over the partial shutdown of its Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska. The lawsuit accuses BP executives of negligence. Stephen Beard reports.
Even though screening in the UK and Europe is the toughest it's ever been, EU officials met today to talk about working together. Host Kai Ryssdal asks aviation security expert Alan Hatcher, will it do any good?
A federal judge yesterday ruled an insurance company could not be compelled to pay for storm-surge flood damage resulting from Hurricane Katrina. Stacey Vanek-Smith looks at what the decision might mean for hundreds of similar cases.
United wants to be the first US airline to fly non-stop from Washington DC to Beijing. The airline's filing a request with the government today, but there's some competition. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
There's a lot of money sloshing around in China's middle class these days and it's found a new home in art auctions houses. Jocelyn Ford looks at what's driving the craze.
BP's American shareholders are suing the British oil giant over the partial shutdown of its Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska. The lawsuit accuses BP executives of negligence. Stephen Beard reports.
In an effort to make the government's Consumer Price Index more accurate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics may begin calculating the figure out to three decimal places. Hillary Wicai explains why.
It's high noon at ketchup maker H.J. Heinz today, where a dissident shareholder squares off against the CEO over the future direction of the company. Lisa Napoli reports.
Commentator Robert Reich argues American businesses need to lobby Congress to bolster science and math education for the sake of American competitiveness.
The marker of personal computers and printers is expected to meet Wall Street expectations when it reports quarterly earnings today. Charla Bear reports.
Young people in China are a little cynical about college. A new survey says that a third of graduates say their education was a waste of time and money. Jocelyn Ford reports.
As the partial election recount continues in Mexico, protesters have widened their blockades to key financial institutions in the country's capital. Franc Contreras reports from Mexico City.
Soaring oil prices have made summer road trips more expensive — even driving up the cost of the road itself. High asphalt prices have some towns cutting back on road construction. Joel Rose reports.
Private equity firms have been snapping up different publicly-traded companies recently. Host Kai Ryssdal speaks to Fortune magazine writer Adam Lashinsky about this buyout trend.
Ford plans to trim the number of dealerships it has in an effort to improve dealer profitability. The nation's No. 2 automaker blames falling car and truck sales for the decision. Sam Eaton reports.
Stocks soared following today's report from the Labor Department which showed prices at the wholesale level fell .3% — the biggest drop since October. Host Kai Ryssdal checks in with economist Diane Swonk.
Dell is recalling 4.1 million Sony batteries used in its notebook computers. Lithium-ion batteries power most of our gadgets these days — and they're all susceptible to overheating. Janet Babin reports.
Wal-Mart today posted its first profit drop in 10 years, but it still accounts for 20 percent of all retail sales in America. Commentator Barry Lynn says that's why it should be broken up into smaller pieces.
Airlines in Britain were forced to cancel over 1,100 flights last week due to stepped-up security after the foiled bomb plot. Now British Airways, Virgin and others want the airport operator to pick up the tab. Stephen Beard reports.
The FCC wants to make sure consumers know the difference. It's investigating the use of "video news releases" in TV news broadcasts. Violators could face steep fines and have their licenses revoked. Scott Tong reports.
A report out today finds that a new drug called Chantix helps smokers kick the habit. The maker of the drug paid for the studies, but it's not necessarily a conflict of interest, reports Helen Palmer.
Second quarter investments in so-called clean technologies such as solar and biofuels have reached record levels. Analysts say it's just the beginning, Sam Eaton reports.
HealthSouth's high-profile trial earned the company a spot next to Enron and WorldCom in the corporate fraud hall of fame. But unlike those companies, it has a plan to turn things around. Rachel Dornhelm reports.
Inc.com today announced that 9-year-old Siena Jeakle of Seattle won its Best Lemonade Stand in America contest. They may not have won, but four New Jersey brothers think they've got the right stuff. Alex Goldmark has the story.
Dell is recalling more than four million notebook computer batteries because they could burst into flames. What are the implications for the beleaguered PC giant? Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Costs from long delays and cancelled flights are adding up and British airlines are calling for the UK's main airport operator to pay for some of the losses incurred. Stephen Beard reports.
The ceasefire in Lebanon has held for 30 hours now and people are turning their attention to aid. Host Scott Jagow talks to reporter Ben Gilbert in Beirut about how relief efforts are going.
The news that avian flu has turned up in some wild birds in Michigan isn't panicking that state's poultry farmers. At least not yet. Sarah Hulett reports.
Today Indonesia marks the first anniversary of the peace agreement with separatist rebels in Aceh. But they have some complaints too. Jocleyn Ford reports
Revised air travel rules were announced yesterday, but some items considered necessities by many travelers are still prohibited. If the ban persists, what will the friendly skies look like? Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
There's not as much destruction on the other side of the border in northern Israel, but there's plenty of economic dislocation. Host Kai Ryssdal speaks to reporter Patrick Anidjar of the Agence France Presse in Jerusalem.
Educated men who are left-handed make more money than their right-handed counterparts, according to a recent economic study. Host Kai Ryssdal speaks with economist Christopher S. Ruebeck, who co-wrote the report.
Major fighting between Israel and Hezbollah ended this morning after a UN cease-fire took hold, and many Lebanese are returning home to see what's left. Host Kai Ryssdal checks in with reporter Ben Gilbert in Beirut.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he's looking to replace all contractors working at airport checkpoints with TSA staff members. Scott Tong explains what the move would mean.
Nine Indian states have banned Coke and Pepsi sales over allegations that they contain pesticides. The soda giants insist their Indian products are safe to drink. And many consumers seem to agree, Miranda Kennedy reports.
PepsiCo Inc. said today that CFO Indra Nooyi will replace Steven Reinemund as its CEO — a move that makes her one of the most powerful women in the corporate world. Janet Babin reports.
China is cleaning up in the aftermath of the strongest typhoon to hit that country in half a century, and it isn't the only unusual weather affecting the country. Is there a pattern? Jocelyn Ford reports.
A UN ceasefire has, for now, ended five weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The Lebanese people are trying to get back home, but there's an awful lot of damage. Host Scott Jagow talks to Ben Gilbert about the scene in Beirut.
Candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has vowed to contest the recent Mexican presidential election for years to come if necessary. Host Mark Austin Thomas talks to reporter Franc Contreras in Mexico City about the situation there.
Any day now, Amazon is expected to launch yet another new service. Last month it started selling groceries. Then came rumors the company would offer music downloads. Now video? Amy Scott reports.
The British government has scaled down its terrorist threat assessment of British airports and eased some of the on-board security restrictions for passengers. Stephen Beard reports.
An increasing number of community college students are taking advantage of flexible payment plans in order to keep up with rising tuition costs. Charla Bear reports.
Shipments of Australia's signature beer have fallen 30 percent since 2000, so Foster's parent company is trying a new strategy to broaden appeal in the US. Steve Tripoli reports.
