Week of June 9th, 2014

A teacher survey shows what's slowing down digital classroom instruction

The Iraqi Sunni insurgents have seized hundreds of millions from Mosul's banks.

Sudeep Reddy and Nela Richardson sit down with Kai to discuss the week's news.

The extremist group that recently seized control of Mosul in Iraq is reported to have bagged $429 million from banks in the oil-trading city. ISIS also levies “taxes” on people in the areas it controls. We look at how ISIS functions as a financial entity, where it get its money, and what the group spends it on? Plus, Priceline is becoming even more of an all-services booking agent as it acquires Open Table. First innovators like Priceline undermined their competition – travel agents – and now their platforms are expanding to simply take their place. What other company has followed this model? In the case of Open Table, Priceline is getting not just a new business – restaurant reservations – but also Open Table’s customer base and platform. Also, a U.S. crackdown on online poker sites chased Full Tilt out of business. Now Full Tilt and associated poker sites may get back into the U.S. by being bought by a Canadian company.

A deal between a Canadian company and the owner of sites like PokerStars may clear the way for online poker to return to the U.S.

Marketplace Datebook for the week of June 16, 2014

A new documentary film examines the cost of higher education in America.

This weekend on Marketplace Money, guest host David Lazarus from the LA Times talks to relationship expert Andrea Syrtash about the tough money conversations couples need to have before walking down the aisle. Fox Business contributor Andrea Murad chats about how young people can make themselves indispensable at their first job. Then, Marketplace’s Mitchell Hartman stops by to talk about how job-seeking workers can discreetly shop themselves around for new gigs while staying employed at the same time. Josh Levin, executive editor of Slate, gives tips for winning your World Cup office pool. And Ben Johnson, host of Marketplace Tech, about the future of video games at the E3 Conference.

An economics lesson in every World Cup sticker.

The former U.S. defense secretary shares lessons on politics and business.

What you should know before taking the plunge.

So you and everyone else picked Brazil to win the World Cup. What next?

Cord-cutters who want to watch the World Cup are going to have to get creative.

A list of favorite brands of fathers confirms every male stereotype.

In releasing patents, Tesla opens the door to a bigger market for electric cars

Tesla gives up its patents, President Obama visit to a Native American reservation, and the difficulty of combating illegal fishing

Ahead of President Obama’s trip to a Sioux Indian reservation in the Dakotas Friday, we look at the economic and educational challenges facing American Indians, and some of the solutions that have already been tried. Plus, supposedly businesses lose hundreds of millions on Friday the 13th.  And tomorrow also includes a full moon. We investigate. Then, in healthcare these data…data is king. And the primary care offices in Camden, New Jersey have some of the most sophisticated patient data in the country. They can track their patients across the city’s healthcare system…some of it in real time…with constant upgrades. But, even then, there’s only so much that data can do. And after, almost all the seafood we eat, 90%, is imported. A new study from the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia, says as much of a third of wild-caught, imported seafood, is caught illegally – or without proper documentation. The United States has one of the largest seafood markets in the world and these illegal imports can add up to $2 billion dollars – a huge bite out of the pockets of American fishermen

Another number to remind us how much we've learned a year after the Snowden leaks.

As much as a third of wild-caught fish imported by the U.S. is caught illegally

How well have you kept up on this week's tech news?

The Census Bureau says 27 percent of Native Americans are poor.

First up, Brian Fung, technology reporter for the Washington Post, stops by to talk more about the FCC’s open meeting. Plus, Glenn Greenwald, a journalist with The Intercept and the author of No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and the U.S. Surveillance State, joins host Ben Johnson to play an NSA-number-themed Silicon Tally, our weekly quiz on the week in tech news.  

A test for the healthcare system is how well providers respond to data.

Librarians report that educational websites are being blocked. Guess which ones.

How to avoid lawsuits and and get more electric cars on the road.

Twitter canned its COO today and said it may not need one after all. Only 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies have one. So what’s the job of a COO? Plus, Amazon’s getting into music streaming now. It’s gone down the video streaming route before too. Which raises the question, just what kind of company does it want to be? Also, the average size of a new single-family home in the U.S. continues its upward march… now eclipsing 2,300 square feet. Compare that to the average 40 years ago… just 1,500 square feet. We explain the economics behind the trend – there’s a much better margin in supersized homes.

Amazon’s streaming music, making its own Kindles and releasing its own smartphone.

At the E3 video game convention, a reporter seeks a mind-expanding experience.

Protein is the food buzzword that sells.

Celebrated British bookstore Foyles defies trends to bet on paper books.

Yahoo, for example, loves San Jose State University.

For season ticket holders, figuring out who goes to NBA Finals can be complicated.

Twitter's COO quit today and Twitter says it may not even need one. Why have one?

Marketplace Datebook for Friday, June 13, 2014

As the World Cup gets underway, Brazilians question the money spent on the events

A self-portrait by Rembrandt once labeled fake has now been deemed the real deal.

Twitter and The Weather Channel are teaming up to bring you a new kind of commercial. They’ve created weather informed ads, which deliver ad content to the user based on the environment about him or her. What does this new kind of advertising mean for consumers? And are there privacy issues involved? Plus, the Professional Golfers’ Association, seeing golfers leaving the game by the hundreds of thousands, tells golfers there’s a way to enjoy the game without spending all day on it. Just play half a round. The campaign launches with start of the U.S. Open on Thursday. After, we talk to art critic Blake Gopnik about a “new,” $50-million Rembrandt painting, previously assumed to be a worthless copy. Blake discusses the insanity of a panel of experts deciding what is and isn’t an original work. Also, we talk to Univision’s Leon Krauze, who is at the World Cup in Sao Paolo this week, about how labor and street protests are impacting the tournament. Krauze shares that he’s found that Brazilians are not happy with the World Cup being hosted in their country and feel the financial resources are better spent on education and other public services.

Another number to remind us how much we've learned a year after the Snowden leaks.

The economics of the World Cup, and why some want to cut the game of golf in half

A year after Snowden, our views on surveillance have yet to change for the better.

First up, Marketplace’s David Weinberg joins us from the floor of the E3 Gaming Expo. Plus, Zach Seward, senior editor at the online magazine Quartz, talks about how cord cutters can watch the World Cup matches online. Continuing the Data on our Data series, we’ll discuss the $278 million budgeted for the NSA to reimburse telecomm companies for the cost of surveillance.

The U.S. Golf Association tells golfers to play shorter games.

Twitter is teaming up with the Weather Channel to help advertisers.

Students have plenty of tech, but which gadget is most important to them?

Win our political dork happy hour.

In an unexpected turn of events, House Majority leader Eric Cantor (R- VA) lost the Virginia Congressional Primary last night to Tea Party opponent David Brat. In an even weirder turn of events, Brat and his Democratic challenger, Jack Trammell, who will also be vying for the seat previously held by Cantor, are both professors at the Randolph Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. Will having two candidates in one of the most high-profile congressional races mean a boost for Randolph Macon? We offer a mini profile of the school and it’s jump into the spotlight. 

A Mississippi barge line owner says new money is flowing from an unlikely place.

After credit card hacks, it's tough to get customers' new credit card numbers.

Marketplace Datebook for Thursday, June 12, 2014

Eric Cantor will resign as Majority Leader after a primary loss. That'll cost.

Many programs cost nearly the same, whether you take classes in person or online

Harvard Business School launches new online classes, geared to the masses

Does the 'Flutie Effect' apply to politics?

A look at what Eric Cantor's defeat means for the business community.

State GDP statistics come out tomorrow. While states have had a tough time during the recession, things seem to be turning around for them now. We report on what we can expect. Plus, NASA is launching a flying saucer. We look at why they’re launching it and what it does?  We also take a look at what it costs and where it will fly? Also, the BBC’s Evan Davis reports from a farming community a couple of hours away from San Paolo ahead of the World Cup launch this week. Agriculture has been a shining star for Brazil’s economy thanks to advances in technology that have allowed farmers to produce more goods than they used to two decades ago. Then later, if you were to make a list of the top 5 products that will play a prominent role in our future, the battery would definitely be at the top. Batteries power our devices, our cars will soon rely on them and they will be crucial in the construction of renewable energy grids. We visit a Berkley, CA laboratory where scientists are experimenting with new materials to make safer more efficient batteries, and where CalCEF, the California Clean Energy Angel Fund, is experimenting with new ways of getting those batteries to market faster. 

First up, a look at some of the high-tech features of the official world cup match ball: the brazuca. Plus, Jon Bishke, CEO of Entelo, talks about the algorithm behind Entelo’s tool that helps recruiters find diverse candidates. Continuing our look at data on your data to commemorate the one year anniversay of the Snowden leaks, Nadia Kayyali, an activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, talks about the length of time (30 days) the NSA stores call logs — It can then go back into those records and listen to phone conversations up to 30 days old.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports on state-by-state GDP growth in 2013.

Another number to remind us how much we've learned a year after the Snowden leaks.

A group founded by angel investors seeks efficiency in developing new batteries.

Cantor's loss and what it means for immigration reform, a look at Brazil's economy, and NASA's flying saucer

It's a bird! It's a plane! Actually, it's NASA's flying saucer.

It's important to unplug every now and then.

After criticism at the last World Cup, Adidas is updating its soccer ball design.

A California judge's ruling could change the way teachers are hired and fired.

Guess what percentage of students who sign up live outside the U.S.

Time magazine made a memoir title generator to help.

BP was granted the first approved use of drones over land. Now, who's next?

Potato growers want the WIC program to include potatoes as an approved vegetable.

Iraq's oil production was booming before a pipeline to Turkey was bombed.

Iraq’s war agains internal militants is hurting its oil production, but overall production is okay. OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, hopes Saudi Arabia will keep its pumps on 11 million barrels more a day to make up for Libya and Iran. Longer-term, OPEC is still looking at a worldwide glut that could force its members to cut back. Plus, nutritionists want WIC, the program for pregnant women and mothers with small children, to stop promoting white potatoes as a vegetable. There are, like, actual vegetables that deserve more notice. Potato growers aren’t amused. Also, BP has just got permission to use drones for its oil operations in Alaska- this is the first government-approved use of a drone over land in the US. Drones equal business opportunites for private companies, and the pressure on the FAA to approve the commercial use of drones is mounting. We look at who else is lining up for FAA permission to do this, from filmmakers to pizza companies.

After a flop with Dasani bottled water in the U.K., Coca Cola is returning there.

The World Cup is a rare opportunity to market products to the entire world.

Marketplace Datebook for June 11, 2014

Radio Shack today is rolling out a nationwide expansion of its “Fix It” program. Customers can bring in phones with cracked screens, water damage, broken buttons etc. and have them fixed on site for as little as $39.99. Currently, these fixes can be so expensive that people just don’t bother to make them. Has Radio Shack found the hole-in-the-market that could save consumers money and save a company that some had already written off? Plus, Obama will participate in a special Q&A event on Tumblr where he will answer students’ questions about student loan debt. Also, college grads are on the hunt for jobs, and firms are finally showing more readiness to hire them. A company called Collegefeed wants to step in as matchmaker, acting in a way that’s similar to dating websites. Then, California has some of the most ambitious energy conservation goals in the nation. State building codes will require all new residential and commercial buildings be Zero Net energy by 2030. That means buildings will have to produce as much energy as they use. To accomplish that, lots of construction workers will be needed which will translate into new jobs.

Ambitious goals for energy conservation are turning blue collar jobs "green"

The state of part-time, turning jobs "green," and how Radio Shack fixes itself

Vice Media is more than sex, drugs, and rock and roll…it's money, too.

Collegefeed helps students spin their college experiences into job qualifications

On today’s show, more on why President Obama will participate in a special Q&A event on Tumblr where he will answer students’ questions about student loan debt. Plus, Cyrus Farivar, Senior Business Editor at Ars Technica, talks about Stingrays – devices that police use to track down cell phones by mimicking cell towers and collecting data from nearby phones. Finally, Stephen Cobb, an assistant research professor at the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute, joins us to discuss the NSA collecting email address books from services like Yahoo and Facebook at a rate of more than 250 million per year.

President Barack Obama will be talking student debt on Tumblr.

Has Radio Shack found the key to save consumers money and its business?

Another number to remind us how much we've learned a year after the Snowden leaks.

The President announced a new student loan plan Monday designed to curb defaults.

A menswear suit in which the pants are actually shorts.

Rather, investors are betting they'll change transportation as we know it.

This one will expand the pay-as-you go program for government loans

President Obama is making big news about changes that will make but a small difference in the student loan debacle. But who will these changes help? And by how much will it help them? Plus, Time Inc. is going at it alone after having been spun off from Time Warner. The biggest-selling magazine in the company’s stable of publications is People. But the celebrity magazine industry, like all print media is facing declining sales. So how do People and other celebrity magazines keep up their sales and future-proof their industry? Also, the latest venture-capital investment in Uber has put the car-service algorithm’s paper value at more than $17 billion. Who’s investing in Uber? And why would they think it’s worth so much?

Another number to remind us how much we've learned a year after the Snowden leaks.

How a mother fought to be heard.

Marketplace Datebook for Tuesday, June 10, 2014.

An early look at a few Marketplace Weekend segments.

A note from Lizzie O'Leary from Marketplace Weekend.

Donald Duck was in a good generation to be an American.

Jet setting used to be just for the wealthy. Not anymore.