In part one of our latest installment of "Conversations from the Corner Office," Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey and Kai Ryssdal rap about organic food and growing as an entrepreneur.
E*trade wants to give investors direct access to buying foreign stocks. Morningstar's Patrick O'Shaughnessy translates what this plan may mean for investors.
OK, where do you start? Pre-paid plans? Pay-as-you-go? And what type of phone should you get? Consumers face a lot of choices in the cellular market. So we sent Sean Cole to investigate.
Things have been strong for so long in the markets that three down days in a row are raising some eyebrows. We asked Marketplace's Alisa Roth to find out what's going on.
During Lent, the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter, many Catholics and some Protestants give up meat. To cash in, KFC is rolling out a new fish sandwich — and asking for a little plug from on high. Amy Scott reports.
Dell says it will ask consumers, when they buy a computer, to donate a few bucks toward planting trees. The idea is to offset the energy that PCs consume. But that gave commentator Richard Conniff some pause.
Democratic senators are drafting a repeal of the 2002 authorization to go to war in Iraq. And in the House there are questions about a strategy of trying to cut off money for the war effort. John Dimsdale reports.
Officials of the little town where Perrier water comes from are giving lawyers for parent company Nestle some indigestion. John Laurenson went to the source in Vergeze, France.
A federal jury's finding that Microsoft should pay $1.5 billion for infringing on Alcatel's MP3 patents surprised analysts and might spell trouble for hundreds of companies. Appeals are expected to be heard. Sarah Gardner reports.
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, "Death bonds." You hear it, you see it, but do you really know it?
Jacques Chirac and Angela Merkel are trying to get the Airbus restructuring plan back on the runway. Germany balked at the initial plan which reportedly had it suffering the bulk of job cuts in the jointly-owned company.
BP unveils its Helios House solar-powered gas station in Los Angeles today, but activists say it doesn't address the real problem, because it's still pumping out the same old gas.
It's been a rough year for oranges. We had a freeze in California. And a shortage in Florida. That's pushed OJ prices higher and higher . . . and higher. But heavy rains in Brazil may bring some relief.
President Putin has blocked Russia's state-controlled airline Aeroflot from purchasing 22 Boeing Dreamliners in a move that appears to be more about politics than planes.
Business of sports commentator Diana Nyad says female tennis players may provide just as much entertainment value as the men, but when it comes down to it, it really isn't equal pay for equal work.
The buzzword on Oscar's red carpet this year is green. Celebrities will arrive at the Academy Awards in environmentally-friendly cars ranging from plug-in hybrids to the smokin' hot electric Tesla Roadster.
GM is urging NASCAR to follow the IndyCar Series' lead and switch over to ethanol-based fuel as U.S. automakers try to push the alternative into the mainstream. And NASCAR isn't scoffing at the idea.
American defense contractors aren't the only ones looking to buy up some of the overseas competition. Britain's BAE Systems reportedly has a lengthy shopping list of U.S. companies.
The announcement that Whole Foods will pay about $565 million for its smaller rival, Wild Oats, worries commentator Alex Markels. He says the deal will just add to the rising prices of natural foods — like organic kale.
A California Assembly committee today voted to move up next year's presidential primary from June to February. If signed by the governor, candidates' campaign costs will rise considerably.
What do you do if your economy is overheated and inflation is spiraling out of control? If you're the Argentina president, you shoot the messenger. Dan Grech reports.
Underground fuel storage tanks, like those at your corner gas station, are leaking. And the Government Accountability Office says it will cost $12 billion for the clean-up. John Dimsdale reports.
A businessman bought part of Zambia's debt and now he's trying to collect. It's prompted a lawsuit that could affect Third World debt-forgiveness programs. Stephen Beard reports.
Wimbledon, the world's oldest tennis tournament, has awarded smaller prizes to women for all of its 123 years. But no more. Amy Scott reports on the changing times at the All England Club.
Google is rolling out a new office product called Google Apps. It hits the market just as Microsoft is peddling its latest office software. Ashley Milne-Tyte looks at whether Bill Gates and company ought to be worried.
Billions of dollars in tax deductions may slip by filers this year because of a few omitted lines on 2006 tax forms. They were already at the printers by the time Congress extended the missing deductions.
American Airlines is adding several flights out of New York, including new non-stop service to and from Las Vegas. That route's a JetBlue staple. Interesting timing, but it probably just feels like American's pouring salt in the wound.
How's this for an advertising conundrum: A new study suggests that while people might prefer to watch TV shows with sexual content, they're less likely to remember the commercials in between.
The South American allies have made an unusual trade deal: Oil-rich Venezuela will bail out an Argentine dairy producer in exchange for powdered milk. And it has as much to do with politics as economics.
Economics correspondent Chris Farrell says low long-term interest rates are propping up the housing market — for now. But when rates ratchet up, the market still has plenty of room to fall.
A new study finds that high taxes and good health go together. Researchers say states with higher taxes spend more money on social programs which ultimately leads to healthier kids.
Hewlett-Packard has a new lawyer. Michael Holston starts today as HP's general counsel. He replaces Ann Baskins who resigned before refusing to testify at a congressional hearing on that notorious spying case.
Commentator Glenn Hubbard suggests that Congress not simply dismiss the President's entire 2008 budget proposal. He says there are some good points in there that should be considered.
Democrats on Capitol Hill are pushing for fair-labor standards to be attached to all international trade agreements. Commentator Robert Reich says those standards would be good for both sides.
National health-care spending will double in the next 10 years, a study says. One out of every five dollars we spend will be for health care, and Uncle Sam will be footing more of the bill. Amy Scott reports.
British Airways announced it's buying four new jets from Boeing — not Airbus — with the option to buy four more. John Newhouse, author of a new book on the Boeing-Airbus rivalry talks with Kai Ryssdal.
The payday-lending industry's spending $10 million to polish its image and adopt a few regulations — before the government does. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
MIT has an alternative pricing plan for its courses. Total cost: not much more than an Internet connection. And you get everything regular students get . . . except the diploma. Janet Babin reports.
Tens of millions of China's young people are unmarried and too busy working in the new Chinese economy to look for spouses. In Shanghai, parents are lending a hand with a trip to People's Park. Scott Tong reports.
The tech world is waiting today to see if the companies have finally come to an agreement. Cisco Systems sued Apple over the iPhone name back in January, but the conversation has lasted five years.
More bad news for European plane maker Airbus today as British Airways buys Boeing 777s to upgrade its fleet. Problem is, Airbus can't set a new course until it puts an end to infighting that's stalled its cost-cutting plan.
European indie music force Impala has successfully lobbied to block Warner Music's previous attempts at buying EMI Records. So Warner made 'em a deal too good to pass up and now it's preparing an all-cash bid for EMI.
Think we pay a lot for health care now? A report out today predicts that U.S. health care spending will double over the next decade — a growth rate some are calling unsustainable.
The new House rules are supposed to restrict privately-sponsored congressional getaways — but the rules don't apply if a charity's paying, and that means it could be on anyone's dime.
AT&T wants Microsoft to pay for overseas patent infringement. The case goes before the Supreme Court today, and the outcome could have far-reaching effects.
Palestinian ruling party Hamas has agreed to a power-sharing deal with Fatah, Israel's said that's a deal-breaker and the U.S. says it's not enough to remove the economic blockade. The Quartet meets in Berlin today to discuss what's next.
A Texas power company wants to build 16 new coal-fired power plants and the governor is ready to fast-track the plan. That's sparked an all-out environmental war — with some strange bedfellows working together on the frontlines.
All 27 European Union member nations have agreed to back a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. They might even go for 30 percent . . .
Australia plans to replace all incandescent light bulbs with compact flourescents by 2010 to cut greenhouse emissions. But Sam Eaton reports there'll still be plenty of demand for Thomas Edison's bright idea.
The House Ethics Committee is set to announce new rules on congressional travel. But Steve Henn reports some newly elected leaders started planning their latest trips before the ink was even dry.
In Britain, a big company just told employees they can't have knickknacks on their desks. No family snapshots or mementos. Workers grumbled, of course. But commentator Lucy Kellaway says around the office, less is more.
The Supreme Court handed down rulings today in favor of corporate America — one for Weyerhaeuser, the timber company, and the other involving cigarette maker Philip Morris. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
JetBlue is trying to bounce back from what its CEO David Neeleman called a mortifying series of events over the past week. The Wall Street Journal's Scott McCartney tells Kai Ryssdal that other airlines risk a similar fate.
Following its fallout with YouTube, Viacom has announced it will put its programming online through a new service called Joost. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
European investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort says that, according to its Fear and Greed Index, the end is nigh for the bull market and we're in for w worldwide economic slump. Stephen Beard reports.
Drug and alcohol rehab centers are seeing more business lately. And not just from celebs but from everyday folks, too. Private equity groups have noticed. Monica Brady-Myerov reports.
Following the past week's service meltdown, JetBlue this morning unveiled a passenger bill of rights that details how much it will compensate customers when flights are canceled or delayed.
Researchers asked hundreds of doctors and nurses to rate how they'd spend public money for health care. Turns out, not all that differently than regular folks — except when it comes to life-saving interventions.
Lots of folks are making money on eBay these days, and not all of them are paying taxes on that income. The government wants eBay to report high-volume sellers to the IRS, but the online auction site says that's not fair.
While the international community frets over Iran's nuclear program, says commentator Reza Aslan, Iran's citizens are so outraged over their President's domestic policies that they may be the ones to force a regime change.
Sirius and XM have agreed to merge their satellite radio services. With their combined 14 million or so paying customers, the new duo would completely dominate the budding industry. And that's where the FCC steps in.
A European investment bank says its Fear/Greed Index has hit an all-time high. If history's any indication, investors should look to stop riding the bull market soon — but they won't.
European plane maker Airbus was scheduled today to announce a major restructuring plan that involves slashing some 10,000 jobs, but the countries involved can't agree on which jobs to cut.
Nine AIDS vaccines are in clinical trials around the world. The most advanced is taking place in the Dominican Republic where Merck researchers have enlisted prostitutes as their subjects.
Small businesses in New Orleans have had to learn to adapt to a city that's still less than half of its pre-Katrina size. But at least one mom-and-pop store is thriving.
As part of its plan to open nine stores in struggling communities in five states, Wal-Mart says it will help nearby small businesses. Is the plan altruism or good business sense? Steve Tripoli reports.
Africa's small farmers often fall victim to local traders who dictate prices below market rates. But in rural Kenya farmers now have technology in hand that cuts out the middleman. Gretchen Wilson reports.
Business shows cover a lot of shady deals and shakedowns these days, but none has ever probed the underworld of PTA's. Until now. Humorist Sandra Tsing Loh takes us inside.
The big European planemaker has postponed a major cost-cutting announcement because France, Germany, Britain and Spain can't agree on where the ax should fall. Stephen Beard reports.
The company is telling 6 million owners of its cars that their odometers may have rolled up miles too fast. That may have voided warranties before their time. Eric Niiler reports.
Forbes magazine writer Daniel Fisher has found all kinds of investment pitches on the Internet for alternative-fuel companies. He talks with Bob Moon about why you should eye them with skepticism.
Despite the FCC chairman saying a merger of Sirius and XM would be against the rules, the two satellite-radio services say they are going ahead with their plan.
The crowds are back for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The celebration brings a bit of hope to business owners who are still trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina. But the city has a long way to go. John Dimsdale reports.
As health care premiums cut deeper and deeper into companies' bottom lines, on-site health care is becoming more than just an attractive employee benefit. Now it's more cost-effective than ever.
Bored with Britain? Travel from the U.S. to the U.K. is slumping, so tourism officials there are launching a new marketing campaign to point out some of its finer — and more unusual — points.
Starting today, gay couples in New Jersey can be legally joined. The law stops short of allowing same-sex marriage, but it all has the same ring at the cash register for florists and caterers and wedding planners and . . .
A year ago today, a mine explosion in Mexico killed 65 workers. Since then, only two bodies have been recovered and no one's been prosecuted, so miners are striking to pressure the government to punish their employer.
With prices in Manhattan rising ever higher, more and more Americans are opting for its trendy — but cheap — South American counterpart: the Palermo Soho neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
Hope for swift and substantial progress in the Middle East is fading as the peace process stalls in Jerusalem. That's bad news for a Palestinian economy sinking further into a state of disrepair.
