Week of November 17th, 2014

Kai's weekly chat about the week in business news.

Macy's new strategy hopes millennials can revive sales.

Bike-sharing programs in New York City and around Washington, D.C. work on expanding their demographic reach.

Let us in on the secrets of your Turkey-day economics.

People in Brightmoor are trying to build a local economy based on food.

Holiday sales can present a logistical problem.

Companies are using video games to determine whether job candidates are the right fit.

Obama's executive action on immigration will affect more immigrants than any previous immigration action by a sitting president. The centerpiece will provide protection from deportation and a path to a work permit for about 4 million unauthorized immigrants.

President Obama made a lot of claims this week about how his move on immigration will boost the economy. We look at which industries will be impacted most, and how. Plus, one of the jobs of the Federal Reserve is to provide regulatory oversight of banks. But the Fed’s watchers think the relationship between the Fed and the banks is way too cozy, and they’re giving the Fed a hard time on the Hill. Finally, the NFL has moved Sunday’s Bills-Jets game from Ralph Wilson Stadium in snow-covered Buffalo, N.Y., to Monday night in Detroit. A move like that is rare, so we explain the many logistics behind it.  

The Senate grills the president of the New York Fed about perceived coziness with the banks and people it oversees.

Teams have specific needs. Not just any hotel will do. Nor will just any food.

$60 will buy you an hour of platonic cuddling at a new business, Cuddle Up to Me.

This weekend, Lizzie O’Leary speaks with Marketplace’s Amy Scott about Generation Z and their economic ambitions. Deena Fidas of the Human Rights Campaign discusses coming out at work and how it impacts business and personal career trajectory. Lizzie has brunch at Best Buy with a manager working on Black Friday, and Marketplace Tech’s Ben Johnson explains how to use dynamic maps to get home for Thanksgiving. How do you make Thanksgiving work for your budget? Is a holiday meal the best time to bring up money? 

How do you balance helping others with your personal financial needs?

The Human Rights Campaign says shifts towards LGBT equality in the workplace isn't just the right thing to do, it's smart business

Beauty sample site Birchbox is crediting with starting the trend. And now almost any American, and her finicky pet, could survive on these subscription boxes alone.

Schools are gathering data on kids, and as student databases grow, so does the ability of technology to predict how or what a kid might do next.

CEO and Founder Chet Kanojia released a blog post detailing the move.

States gather data on students over time in longitudinal databases

China's surprise drop in interest rates, student loan debt, and data on attendance.

Here are the stories we're reading and numbers we're watching Friday morning.

The President announced certain protections, but not healthcare coverage.

You’ve been hearing about President Barack Obama’s speech last night announcing he will protect some 5 million undocumented workers from deportation. However, the President will not allow this group to get healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act. So why is healthcare not part of the deal? And in honor of Marketplace’s 25th anniversary, we’re looking at some of the surprising ways prices have changed over the last quarter century. Today, art. Specifically, the prices of art considered so fine it’s worth millions. 

First up, we talk to Jeanette Hill, founder and CEO of Spot On Sciences, a company that makes at home blood sample kits. And just in time for Thanskgiving, it’s a special food-themed edition of Silicon Tally. Marty Van Ness, Supervisor of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, takes on Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson in this week’s quiz. How well have you kept up with the week in tech news?

A look at art as a smart financial investment.

Wells Fargo has launched a loan modification program for student loan customers.

How well have you kept up with the week in tech news?

To get a little context on how the President's plans might affect some of the various immigration constituencies in this country, we spoke with Barbara Hines, Co-Director of the Immigration Clinic and professor at the University of Texas, and Emily Lam, vice-president of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group for Health Care & Federal Issues.

Mozilla switches the default search engine for Firefox from Google to Yahoo, aligning with a partner that agrees to follow its "do not track" ethos.

McDonald's appears to agree with customers who see new FDA-approved genetically modified potato as unhealthy.

With a policy change, nearly 4 million undocumented immigrants could be authorized to work legally.

Updated: President Obama announced his plan for immigration reform. There are an estimated 11.2 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. We examine what changes are coming as potentially millions more are brought into the legal workforce. Plus, the UC system is a classic example of what’s happening in higher education. States cut funding, and the difference comes out of students’ pockets. Finally, Mozilla signed a deal with Yahoo to make it the default browser on Firefox, leading to the question … why? 

Recommended tuition increases could ultimately push the cost of a UC education past $15,000.

The latest in "how-many-caveats-can-fit-in-one-statistic" news.

15 school districts in California take up the challenge to serve healthier lunchroom meals made from local ingredients.

School-aged girls read more words, less nonfiction compared to boys

Inflation misleads, a new Senate report, and pirates off the coast of West Africa

On today’s show: President Barack Obama speaks tonight on his plans to change America’s immigration rules; executive orders that he believes do not need Congressional approval. Perhaps five million deportations might be stopped. More details will emerge tonight, but first, we take a closer look at who this could affect, and what it might mean for them. Plus, with air fares remaining high, road trips are likely going to be the preferred mode of travel this Thanksgiving. We also look at the price difference between flying and driving, and how these shifts impact people’s holiday travel decisions. And there’s this term “digerati,” meaning the folks most handy with all that is digital, online, and mobile. Visualize for a moment a digerata or digeratus … How old were you thinking?  A 20-something, or maybe a 30-something with a pork pie hat? But what about retirees?   

First up, Marketplace LearningCurve’s Adriene Hill joins Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson to talk about a new report on student data spending at the state level, and why states are beginning to make bigger investments in student data systems and training. Then, Ian Urbina, an investigative reporter for the New York Times, talks about “keepsake passwords” – the passwords we encode with meaning to remind or motivate us as we do our daily login.

The stories we're reading – and numbers we're watching – Thursday.

Husband-and-wife team of Dorothy and Otis Shepard left a lasting mark on 20th-century design.

Under pressure, the classroom app tracking student behavior cuts data storage time

The New York Fed is a special case: more powerful than other regional Feds, more influential within the Federal Reserve system, and therefore more at risk of being influenced by the big banks. Plus, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is set to reap more than $3 billion from an investment in a drug to treat the lung disease. One person’s cost to use the drug? $300,000 a year. Finally, the Class Dojo app does a 180 after being outed by the New York Times for collecting classroom behavior data on kids. We look at third-party classroom apps and the push against data collection.

Legislators call for more oversight after recordings appear to show N.Y. fed cozying up to institutions it is supposed to regulate.

Someone make Jack Johnson write another song, quick!

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is set to reap more than $3 billion.

Free digital maps are changing the way we get around, but is personal data the price?

While it is expensive to buy and care for a horse, parents say the experience is worth it.

The Cystic Fibrosis foundation has sold its royalty rights to a drug it helped fund.

YouTubers flock to Los Angeles, and an entertainment industry that caters to them.

More students enrolled in college for the first time in 2008 than ever before

A big payoff for a foundation, cruises take to social media, and how to buy a pony.

On today’s show: the Carnival Corp, which owns Carnival and Princess cruises, among others, wants to move beyond an image tarnished most recently by a norovirus outbreak, and it wants the public’s help, through a social media and crowd sourced campaign. Sound risky? Well it is. Plus, Brian Krebs joins us to talk about his new book, Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-from Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.  

The cruise company wants the public’s help through social media.

A reform bill was just barely blocked by a divided GOP in the Senate Tuesday.

The retailer, which reports earnings Wednesday, is trying to lure customers back.

Bribing fellow passengers to get to the front of airport lines is generally allowed, but experts say the stress of airline travel means most people won’t agree to it.

In a culture shift, new apps and sites help users protect and erase private data.

The Senate votes today on a bill to get the Keystone Pipeline from Canada approved. Does the pipeline really matter much at this point? Plus, the morning news slot is very profitable for television networks such as NBC and ABC, bringing in lots of advertising dollars. The recent firing of Jamie Horowitz at NBC’s “Today” show, however,  indicates that the networks are struggling to get the programming mix just right during this golden moment.

Consumers don't seem overly concerned about questionable conduct by Uber execs.

Argument for the Keystone pipeline lost steam in years before the Senate vote.

ABC's "Good Morning America" nails the a.m. formula while NBC's "Today" struggles.

A 2012 blog post from Uber's data team tracked post-one-night-stand rides.

Why don’t aggregators compare prices of retail items like clothing? Because neither retailers nor shoppers really want them to.

Researchers are optimistic about recent efforts to delay the effects of aging and, perhaps, extend life spans.

The chain hopes to get back on track by letting customers design their own pies.

Today, in Australia there’s new allegations about the rigging a key interest rate there. More on that. And Target reports earnings Wednesday. It’s been about a year since a massive data breach affected customers. We take stock of the strategies that have and haven’t worked for Target since then. Plus, as marijuana is increasingly legalized in some states, the marketing geniuses are at work. Some day soon, might there be a brand that is to Cannabis, as say, “Coca-Cola” is to brown fizzy water?

BitTorrent aims to give musicians the power to sell directly to fans.

The late reggae star could be a powerful force in the emerging marijuana market.

States doled out more than $9 billion in higher-ed grants during the 2012 school year

A surprise uptick, Apple and Samsung make nice, and Oregon taxes on marijuana.

On today’s show: Samsung will again provide the majority of chips for Apple iPhones and iPads. It may come as a surprise to consumers who think of the companies as competitors, but it reveals that a big part of Samsung’s business is the guts inside electronics. Plus, Jeremy Kees, Associate Professor of Marketing at Villanova University, stops by to talk about the Oxford English Dicitonary’s 2014 word of the year—“vape”—and the health risks that come with the growing e-cigarette industry. And Editor-In-Chief of Reviews at CNET Lindsey Turrentine talks about three gadgets—low-end, mid-range, and high-end—to consider giving as gifts this year.  

Here's what we're reading, and numbers we're watching Tuesday morning.

A big part of Samsung’s business is the guts inside electronics.

Marketplace teamed up with Northeastern University to survey the next generation of college students.

A new PBS film investigates Firestone's relationship with warlord Charles Taylor.

There is a warm, happy glow radiating from Wall Street these days that may have to do the with the money coming in during this golden era of mergers and acquisitions. This year, firms have spent $1.5 trillion buying U.S. companies, the most of the millennium so far, according to Thompson Reuters. More on that. And nearly 3 million children are homeless at some point during the year, according to a new report. California has by far the most homeless children, and not just because it’s the biggest state – it has the highest cost of living and the smallest share of affordable housing. Plus, drinking from the fountain of youth can sometimes be hazardous. More recently, people are trying everything from red wine pills to cream made out of snail slime to try to stay young. We take a look at some of the research behind the business of anti-aging.

A hefty increase in Japan's sales tax is blamed for causing a recession.

States that count on revenue from oil severance taxes are running into budget problems as oil prices fall, reducing that revenue. Plus, Facebook is said to be working on a new “Facebook at Work” platform that would let users collaborate on documents, chat with colleagues, etc. We look at the growing attention on the enterprise market.

For states trying to balance budgets that rely on oil taxes, it's crunch time.

The Snapcash app will allow users to send money to friends. What could possibly go wrong?

"The Daily Show" correspondent talks about his new essay collection "No Land's Man."

The nominee for U.S. attorney general is independent and "willing to follow an investigation wherever it leads, regardless of the politics," says New York's attorney general.

American universities are increasingly teaming up with international colleges.

Japan's surprise recession, and a conversation with Omer Gokcekus.

Josh Dzieza, editor at The Verge, talks about using satellite data and algorithms to track illegal fishing. And Jonathan Zittrain, law professor and co-founder of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, stops by to talk about what’s next for the FCC.

It’s a big deal for investors, for whom it's now a lot easier to invest in China.

Here's what we're reading – and the numbers we're watching- Monday morning.