Week of July 28th, 2014

Marketplace Weekend launches a lighter economic indicator: the Peak Index. It's time to admit, we've reached peak kale. Food writer Jane Black explains.

Market Basket grocery stores in New England saw protests in support of its former CEO.

The U.S. and E.U. placed more sanctions on Russia for its actions in Ukraine.

Kevin Roose of NY Mag and Shannon Bond from FT look back on the week's news.

Talks broke down between Argentina and some of its bondholders, triggering default. Tim Fernholz, reporter for Quartz, explains.

Because who doesn't need a dose of felt Prozac every now and again?

Procter & Gamble says it's getting rid of as many as 100 more brands.

More Americans are working, but average wages aren't keeping up with inflation.

This weekend, host Lizzie O’Leary talks with Quartz reporter Tim Fernholz about the debt crisis in Argentina. Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson explains the rise of messaging apps. If you shop at one of the 71 Market Basket grocery stores in New England, almost every one had protests this week in support of the former CEO. Reporter Rupa Shenoy explains why. Wonder what sanctions actually do? Sheryl King, Senior Director and Roubini Global Economics, explains the impact. The cost of child care has doubled since the 80s, Danielle Kurtzleben and The Street’s Lauren Lyons Cole explain why and what you can do to lower costs. And, it’s time to admit it, we have reached peak kale. Food writer Jane Black looks back on the cruciferous green’s history to explain how it became the latest food fad.

What we have here is a jobs recovery without a wage recovery. We look at why more Americans are working, but average wages aren’t even keeping up with inflation. Plus, Procter & Gamble says it’s going to get rid of half its nearly 200 brands. How did that happen, in a company famed for its highly focused brand management? Also, Auto sales are intriguing this quarter. They’re not as good as analysts had expected, but those expectations were very high. We look at why cars are selling so well right now.  

Jeffrey Rothfeder explored the car-maker's culture in his new book "Driving Honda"

Boomers are targets for financial advisers eager for a slice of their retirement.

Jim Goldberg compares two economic classes through his collection of photographs.

It used to be all about Generation Y. Now, meet Generation Z.

Jobs report for July, Uber and Airbnb get into business, and targeting Generation Z.

It’s a total collapse for a global trade deal said to be worth a trillion dollars. The World Trade Organisation had hoped the agreement would add 21 million jobs around the globe, by easing customs rules. But India’s refusal to sign means the deal’s off, now that the deadline has passed. Plus, the housing crash sent many construction workers fleeing to other industries. Now that housing is recovering, builders are struggling with a shortage of skilled workers. That’s delaying housing starts and driving up home prices. And, Mark Garrison talks to Pro Publica Senior Editor Tracy Weber about their recent reporting on a company called USA Discounters that offers easy credit to military service members. The catch? If a service member falls behind, the company aggressively goes after them, by suing them in courts near its Virginia headquarters, making it incredibly difficult for service members to show up in their own defense.  

Maryellen Fullerton, professor at Brooklyn Law School, on Edward Snowden’s attempt to continue to live in Russia and any challenges he might face. Plus, Sam Harnett looks at the battle over business travelers from new ridesharing and home sharing services. Finally, how well have you kept up with the week in tech news? This week, Ben plays Silicon Tally with Nilay Patel, Editor-in Chief at The Verge. 

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

During the housing downturn, construction workers moved to other industries.

How diverse are the people responsible for assembling a diverse student body?

"Sharing economy" services like Airbnb are wooing business travelers.

USA Discounters gives easy credit to soldiers, then sues them when they can't pay.

In which we talk job growth, student loans, and horse-sized ducks.

With steady job growth comes an improvement in job quality as well.

The week that was.

We look at vulture funds and what they do.

Who pays when driverless cars have accidents?

A former Countrywide employee was fined $1 million, but such cases are rare.

Sales in Kellogg's cereal have dropped due to healthier eating habits.

The holdout investors in the Argentina bond negotiations bought the bonds at a low price and are squeezing Argentina for a profit. Some people might say that makes the investors good businesspeople, but Argentina says it makes them vultures. We explain what vulture funds are, what they do, and how they provide a valuable service to the bond market. Plus, among the penalties handed out to Bank of America for its actions contributing to the mortgage crisis was a $1 million personal fine charged to a former manager. We look at why so few people are being held individually responsible for their actions. Also, the day of driverless cars being on the road as cars, not experiments, is nigh. We look at how insurers might adapt to this new category of vehicle.

Johnson & Johnson stops retailers from discounting its Acuvue lenses

Mike Jacobs on Grantland’s short documentary, "30 for 30: The High Five".

Nicole Perlman on writing superheroes, a comic-book research assistant, and explosions in space.

Higher education isn't getting cheaper, but how families pay for it is changing.

A refresher on Bank of America's role in the housing market crash.

Blaming the economy on a whole generation, with Chris Farrell.

Jobs number, streaming video games, and building a safer ambulance.

John Kerry is going to India, but India isn’t coming to Kerry. The country’s leaders have refused to sign a WTO deal, insisting on a compromise over grain stockpiles. The WTO deal reportedly could mean a trillion dollars in stimulus and 21 million new jobs. If it went through, what would that stimulus look like? Plus, more fallout from the housing crisis, this time for Bank of America. It’s tacking on another billion dollars to its growing bill for passing off garbage mortgages as smart investments. Also, commentators have a habit of blaming whole generations for various economic troubles. Millennials are in the crosshairs a lot lately, accused of everything from shackling the housing market to setting the stage for the next global crisis with their student loan debt. Baby Boomers are getting abuse, too. Some market watchers worry that as they sell their stocks to pay for retirement, the whole market will sag. 

First up, Leoneda Inge reports on Sony’s earnings. Plus, Katie Notopoulos of Buzzfeed talks about her push to unfollow men on Twitter. Also, today’s ambulance is based off a design from the 1970’s and in dire need of a redesign. A fully outfitted ambulance can cost up to $160k. Budgets are tight, whether ambulances are provided by local municipalities or private companies. So updating the fleet could be really costly and slow.  

EMS workers have a high on-the-job fatality rate. Could safer ambulances help?

India holds up passage of an international trade deal in order to press its agenda.

What one Twitter user gained when she unfollowed men on the social network.

Sony hopes to grow its audience by streaming classic games to Bravia TVs.

A study shows how much (or little) students and professors value face time.

The bright line between stealing ideas, pre-Internet and post-Internet.

Martha Stewart loves her little drone.

Directors want the option to shoot on film. But can they prop up that industry?

Twitter announced it lost $144 million in the first quarter, but it also registered a 25 percent gain in users in the period. That’s a good first step. The second step will be working out how to make money off those users, and the third step will be actually turning a profit. It’s a simple three-step road to success. So simple that a bunch of pantie-pinching gnomes could understand it. And maybe even make it work. Also, the National Labor Relations Board says McDonald’s could be held ‘jointly liable’ for labor and wage violations made by its franchise owners. How does this business model work, and what impact will yesterday’s ruling have on McDonald’s and other companies like it? Also, movie studios are working on a deal to help out Kodak by contracting to buy large stocks of old-fashioned motion picture film. Does trying to prop up a dying industry ever work?  We’ll look at a few examples. 

Higher divorce rates can lead to money woes for older women.

The Atlantic's Megan Garber wants to see Meg Ryan and co. enter the 21st century.

Foxconn has established an in-house university in efforts to retain workers.

Many parents are about to get stuck with a bigger check for school supplies. Again.

A study suggests school districts don't put enough effort into the hiring process.

Our coverage of business and health insurance through the lens of "Sharknado"

The ruling is a step forward for workers campaigning for $15 an hour in wages.

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The latest GDP report, McDonald's wages, and video game lobbyists.

With Argentina on the brink of default, we take a look at how a difficult situation could get even trickier if a deal with U.S. hedge funds isn’t struck soon. Plus, big urban hospitals are seeing a sharp drop in uninsured patients, which means millions in savings. But the new health care landscape has its own challenges, too. 

First, we talk to Nate Elliot, Analyst at  Forrester, about Twitter’s Q2 earnings report. Then, Nancy Marshall-Genzer examines the video game industry’s entry into the Washington lobbying game.  Game companies are weighing in on such issues as online privacy, videogame violence and net neutrality. And when it comes to influencing legislation, they have a secret weapon: millions of committed and politically active gamers.  Finally, Syed Karim, CEO of Outernet, talks about building an internet network from low-cost, miniature satellites.

We look at the reasons some companies report earnings when they do.

Hospitals could save billions on charity care. But federal cuts are coming.

A new project aims to democratize the spread of information.

American refrigerators are bigger, cost more and they're making us fat.

It’s looking increasingly likely that Argentina will default on some of its bonds.

What what happens if your debt goes into collection?

So far, the US hasn't been hit too hard.

A new round of European sanctions against Russia, announced today, may also hurt US businesses that operate in Russia or have interests there. We consider the possible impact on these firms. Plus, it’s looking increasingly likely that Argentina will default on some of its bonds. So what happens then? Will Argentina be consumed by hellfire? Will fear of contagion freeze the global financial markets and plunge us into another recession? Or will it be business as usual in the global bond market? Also, according to a report by the Urban Institute that came out this week, around 77 million have debt in collections. We look at what happens when a bill goes to collection, and what happens to the people who owe money.

Parents and kids often overlook swimming when choosing an organized sport.

Nancy Koehn of Harvard Business School on the NLRA.

Nicola Twilley talks about China's huge refrigeration boom.

Parents should prepare to open their wallets a little wider this year.

The Fed's summer meeting, the global warming economy, and tech lobbyists.

With increasing sanctions against Russia, we take a look at what it could mean for BP’s bottom line. Also, this week, 25 companies are looking to go public in the U.S. That would be the most since a week in August 2000 when 28 IPOs listed in the U.S. This week’s offerings are expected to raise some $6.8 billion. We look at what’s behind the current IPO frenzy and what it says about the wider economy. Plus, the U.S. is cutting down on carbon emmissions, but that doesn’t mean we’re mining any less coal. A look at where all that coal actually goes.

Today, Kattie Orr stops by to talk about internet company lobbying. Then, Leoneda Inge reports on the TSA’s competition to crowdsource improvements to airline security. Finally, we talk to Joseph Kosper, CEO of a company moving into a startup incubator for veteran owned businesses. 

What happens to the coal not burned in the U.S.

It might be the busiest week for companies going public since August 2000.

Companies like Amazon and Google want more influence on legislation.

The airport security agency offers a prize to keep its "fast-lane" program fast.

Residents say they get less opportunity to negotiate when water shut-off looms.

Dollar Tree is buying Family Dollar. Dollar stores are selling different things.

Trulia and Zillow announced they will join forces in a deal worth a reported $3.5 billion. It looks a lot like something that happens in tech when a sector matures in which companies start buying each other open a so-called roll up. We explain why this happens and what to expect in this business. Plus, Dollar Tree will also be acquiring Family Dollar Stores in a deal valued at $8.5 billion. How have things changed and how are these stores repositioning themselves as the economy recovers? In Detroit, the city water agency is proceeding with its plan to go after individual residents who are delinquent, to scare people into paying up, while negotiating with or otherwise letting slip by the big delinquent users who can fight back. Like Chrysler. And the state of Michigan.

Esme Deprez says getting these kids home is a lot more complicated than it sounds.

Russia seized the assets of oil giant Yukos in 2003.

The wonder material isolated a decade ago has yet to live up to its promise.

Demographic shifts mean there are fewer high school grads available for colleges.

Child care costs continue to rise in the U.S. We want to know how you cope.

For a second there, passengers could find out how they rated.

The deal promises big cost-savings for both underperforming businesses.

Dollar store mergers, electric car woes, and marketing to Muslim Americans.

Former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro will be sworn in on Monday as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. We look at the authority and limits of his power to address housing problems facing low-income Americans. Plus, Nissan will release its earnings on Monday, which follows the company’s announcement that owners of its electric car, the ‘Nissan Leaf’ will pay the surprisingly low price of $5,500 for a replacement battery. This is great news for current and potential owners of the car, so how did Nissan manage to keep the price so low, and will this move pay off? 

With Nissan releasing its earnings following the company’s announcement that owners of its electric car, the ‘Nissan Leaf,’ will pay the surprisingly low price of $5,500 for a replacement battery, we look at how Nissan managed to keep the price so low, and if the move will pay off. Plus, we talk to Ibrahim Abdul-Matin about social media apps and other ways Muslims use technology during Ramadan.  Finally, we talk to Chiara Atik about voyeurism on Venmo, a mobile banking app.

Former mayor Julian Castro faces challenge with budget-minded Congress.