Week of February 24th, 2014

Kai talks to John Carney from the Wall Street Journal and Leigh Gallagher from Fortune for the Weekly Wrap.

Mansions outside of Ukraine are drawing charges of corruption as well

Snow, rain, wind, and ice are across the U.S. this year in one of the more dreadful winters on record. With unexpected weather comes unexpected costs.

What could possibly go wrong?

Behind the sweet stuff is a multi-million dollar industry, black markets, and OPEC-like regulation.

Many would-be bankers are heading west.

So, you went ahead and bought some bit coin. Now a large exchange is filing for bankruptcy because of a theft. How do you, how can you, protect your investment? Plus: After word that Quiznos is close to filing for bankruptcy, we take stock of what it takes to open a fast-food franchise. They may seem mostly the same, but the start-up and licensing costs vary widely. 

Now a large exchange is filing for bankruptcy because of a theft. How can you protect your investment?

Quiznos is reportedly close to filing for bankruptcy. One problem is unhappy franchisees. So what's it take to open a fast food store?

Opinions vary on how, when, and if you should give kids money. What do you do?

Marketplace Datebook for the first week of March 2014

China allows a show about U.S. corruption to breach the "Great Firewall."

This week, guest host Lizzie O’Leary and financial education expert Beth Kobliner explain how to talk to kids about money at every age. Dan Kadlec, contributor to TIME magazine, joins Marketplace Money to discuss Oklahoma’s mandate to add financial literacy courses to their high school curriculum. Lizzie and finance expert Jill Schlesinger answer listener questions. Digital producer Raghu Manavalan discusses what’s happening in social media and we see how bad weather hits the wallets of people across the U.S. Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson talk about the future of cryptocurrency Bitcoin, have we seen its demise? And comedian Maria Bamford looks back on her life for our Family Money series.

Still images ran through facial recognition software developed by the U.S.

According to documents, Yahoo webcam chats were intercepted by a British security agency.

Using GDP to rate the economy is like rating a song based on notes.

This is a good news, bad news story. We'll start with the good news.

Build research-friendly colleges… and get some money.

Play Silicon Tally to find out how well you've kept up on this week's tech news.

Season 2 of the Netflix series “House of Cards” is a massive hit in China. It airs on Sohu, the popular streaming video site there. The political drama is now its most-watched American series. Marketplace China Correspondent Rob Schmitz joins us from Shanghai to explain. Plus, play along with Marketplace Tech’s Friday numbers game: Silicon Tally.

The number of homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages is below 20 percent for the first time in a long time, according to a new report. Good news, right? Well, not quite. The percentage of people who are essentially underwater – meaning they can’t sell their homes for enough to cover the cost of listing the house and buying a new one – is still almost 2 out of 5. And another study says that what really makes for a good start-up and entrepreneurial culture in a city is high school graduates, not venture capitalists.

A Canadian company has asked for permission to double the capacity of another pipeline.

Stand-up comedian Maria Bamford learned to do more than just save.

The mortgage lenders have turned around their fortunes — and not everyone's happy about it.

The Washington Post went back and checked.

Are SAT scores still relevant years later? Would you be willing to give your score to a recruiter if asked?

Antique American furniture has lost its appeal, and prices for anything not the best have plunged

Film Critic Wesley Morris on why he hates the guessing game of Oscar predictions.

When Freddie Mac hands the Treasury a $10.4 billion dividend next month, taxpayers will have received almost $82 billion back for the $71.3 billion in support  the mortgage giant received during the financial crisis. We look at whether the arguments for getting rid of Freddie and sibling company Fannie Mae– made back in the financial crisis – still hold. Next, the federal highway tax hasn’t been increased since 1993… and the Highway Transportation Fund is running out of money.

Walker was a bank president, newspaper editor, and fraternal leader.

Grocery chains look at the lack of neighborhood competition as a bad thing.

Some say it's because the gasoline tax hasn't gone up since 1993.

Marketplace Datebook for Friday, February 28, 2014

Inflation and a shortage of basic goods are fueling protests in Venezuela.

How the toy company is doing as it rides a wave of promotion from the Lego movie. Lego reports earnings on Thursday.

The White House changes the look and focus of nutrition labels.

First Lady Michelle Obama will present a new nutrition label Thursday.

The Oscars are this weekend and we thought it was a good chance to talk about technology in the movies, and how the movies often get it wrong when depicting the future or even the present. Plus, this week the House of Representatives passed a cell phone unlocking bill that would let mobile customers take their phones to other countries or other carriers.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

All kinds of investors are excited about Lego's annual profits.

And yes, some have 'Wolf of Wall Street' quotes sewn into the lining.

Some British veterans ordered to witness nuclear explosions during the Cold War went on to develop serious health problems.

Only a fraction of the bills introduced in Congress each year actually become law. What's all that wheel spinning cost taxpayers?

A veritable onslaught of new planets discovered by the Kepler telescope.

It reads more like a plot pitch for the next spy thriller than a Senate report.

Corporations are urging the governor of Arizona to veto legislation that would allow businesspeople to refuse service to gays. The corporations say this could harm their ability to do business in the state. We look at how corporations could be affected, and how a state could be affected if it bucks corporations. Also: Credit Suisse is the subject of a Senate hearing today. The IRS says bankers at CS helped US citizens hide bank accounts, and thus dodge We report on how these tax dodgers got their dollars out of the US, and what will happen to them, now that they’ve been busted. Finally, Target says the security breach that hit its stores between Thanksgiving and Christmas cost the company $61 million. But the net loss is only $17 million, thanks to cyber insurance policies Target had to hedge its risk about this kind of threat. 

Jackie Ormes used cartoons to talk about the social and environmental issues that mattered to the black community. So why has she been forgotten?

Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan discusses his tax reform proposal.

"Wayfinding": There's money to be made off of real, physical signage, even as it gives way to a digital future.

Target says the security breach cost the company $61 million. But the net loss is only $17 million, thanks to cyber insurance policies.

Corporations had urged Arizona governor to veto the legislation.

Marketplace Datebook for Thursday, February 27, 2014

The decrease in youth obesity rates could slow healthcare costs.

Stocks are riding high, but where does that leave average Americans?

If you held onto your stocks at the bottom, things might not be so bad.

Not everyone is binge-streaming "House of Cards."

Target lost tens of millions of dollars after a security breach.

There’s an urban legend in the tech community that goes like this: The School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University used to keep track of how many of their undergraduates were men named Dave versus how many were women. And it was considered an accomplishment when they got the ratio down to one Dave per woman. Today we’re starting a new series about the tech industry’s diversity challenges, called “I am not a Dave.” In the first installment we take a look at a group called Lesbians who Tech, which holds its first summit this weekend in San Francisco. Plus, Taser International, the company that makes the famous weapon, is transitioning into offering new law enforcement tools in the digital space.

Taser is diversifying into police equipment, including wearable cameras.

Over 750 lesbian women in the tech industry gathered in San Francisco to network, hack, and forge a new community.

Textbook publishers hope to avoid extinction.

For Mt.Gox, it seems like the magic may be gone.

Belching cattle are a larger source of methane gas emissions than natural gas drilling.

Chinese Internet company Sina Corporation plans to raise $500 million for its initial public offering. But analysts say Sina’s timing could be way off.

Connecticut is acting like an entrepreneur. It got its health exchange up and running effectively, and now it’s trying to sell its model to other states.

In "Dragnet Nation", author Julia Angwin tries to avoid all forms of surveillance

Customers in the Northeast and Midwest are about to get big natural-gas bills, not only because they used a lot of gas during the freezing month of January.

Connecticut is acting like an entrepreneur. It got its health exchange up and running effectively, and now it’s trying to sell its exchange-in-a-box to other states. Plus: Beijing correspondant Rob Scmithz explains how Weibo fits into the broader Chinese Internet-scape. Finally: Customers in the Northeast and Midwest are about to get big natural gas bills, and not only because they used a lot of gas during the freezing month of January.

Connecticut's not the only state sharing success stories with other states. For a price.

All the changes to the nation's health care system have led to some broader discussions, including changing the way doctors and hospitals get paid.

Thomas Jennings was the first African American to receive a U.S. patent, 44 years before slavery ended.

Marketplace Datebook for Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Congressional Republicans expect to unveil their plan.

Weibo, the social network that has transformed the way young Chinese share information, now has plans to go public in the U.S.

Many are expecting Mt. Gox to file for bankruptcy.

Obama announces two new manufacturing institutes tomorrow, aimed at attracting and nurturing businesses that will hire workers for highly paid jobs in the United States. One is in Detroit, the other Chicago. Kate Davidson asks what the new facility means for Chicago’s economy, and for US manufacturing.

President Obama announces two innovation institutes.

Protests in Venezuela have been peaking in recent weeks. Students and other citizens calling attention to the scarcity of basic goods and other issues in the country have been clashing with government forces. Many of the protestors have been organizing on the internet. But, with a government that controls the airwaves, internet can be hard to come by. Plus, Samsung has unveiled its latest and greatest gadget at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Target reports its earnings, giving us an idea of how much the huge security breach cost the retailer. Also reporting earnings? Taser International, as in “Taser guns.” The company has diversified into a wide range of police equipment, including wearable cameras.

The once-innovative film service goes on hiatus — without an end date

Raising paddles for classic ales, stouts, and IPAs at Skinner auction house.

"El Chapo" likely left a successor to continue in his steps.

One of the first European counties to show some welcome economic growth after the financial crisis was one of the very smallest.

Venezuelans turn to a more private messaging system than Twitter or Facebook

Peace has returned to the streets of Kiev after last week's violent clashe,s but new interim President Oleksander Turchinov faces turbulent economic times ahead.

The TSA has a March 11 deadline for bids on new screening machines.

Netflix breaks down and pays Comcast directly for faster access. Who’s next to collect — Verizon, AT&T? More to the point, who picks up the check? Us?

The Army may end up at its smallest level since 1940.

The Obama administration wants to shrink the Army to its smallest size since the buildup to U.S. involvement in World War II. Plus, airlines and travelers are increasingly antsy about the screening drill at airports, and the TSA has a March 11 deadline for bids for new screening machines. We look at the hang-up in getting people through airports quickly – is it technology, or the cost? And: Netflix breaks down and pays Comcast directly for faster access. Who’s next to collect — Verizon, AT&T? More to the point, who picks up the check? Us?

Marketplace Datebook for Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Bad jokes can be good for you, if they help you access information.

The winter weather might slow our national GDP.

A lawsuit challenges the EPA's ability to apply specific regulations to other polluters.

This season's harsh winter has meant shortages of the salt used to clear roads.

Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona this week: the massive tech conference is always full of exhibitions and big announcements from technology companies, and this year’s event might see new phone announcement from Samsung. But a big theme in Barcelona will also be messaging apps. Seperately, we’ve had a bit of a winter break from our regular Techsplainer segment, but we’re back: our friend at Harvard, Jonathan Zittrain, helps to answer a simple question: Who owns the internet?

The medals are taken away. The athletes are headed home. In a spectacular closing ceremony yesterday, the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics came to a close. The Russian government is congratulating itself on gaining the international spotlight with a prestigious event that cost more than any previous Winter Olympics: a stunning $51 billion. But residents of Sochi are wondering what will happen to all the hotels and facilities that have been built.  Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in an environmental case with a lot at stake: permits for greenhouse gas emissions, and the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Obama administration. At issue specifically is whether a 2007 Supreme Court decision that gave the EPA the right to regulate the greenhouse gases coming out of vehicle tailpipes also gave the agency the power to regulate those emissions more broadly.