Week of February 2nd, 2015

Its battery factory may slash Tesla prices as company takes aim at solar industry.

Pope Francis's stance on trickle-down economics has generated controversy in the U.S.

A weekly roundup of what we learned at Marketplace.

Goldman comes in dead last in an annual poll ranking 100 most visible companies.

A rough cut, Robert Redford and a production assistant with moxie.

Automated financial-advice services have drawbacks.

New jobs are across the economic spectrum; 257,000 added in January.

Airing on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015: Goldman Sachs came in dead last in Harris Poll’s annual corporate reputation survey. What does this mean for the company? Plus, the Labor Department’s January jobs report shows a slight rise in unemployment along with rising wages and solid jobs growth. Who are the new members of this workforce and what jobs do they hold? Finally, Pope Francis will share his economic beliefs with the U.S. in a September address to Congress.  

How do you market something that repulses consumers?

Federal program that supplies vaccines to uninsured could be cut by $50 million.

Navigating the ACA during tax season can be stressful, and tricky.

Duke professor and dishonesty expert Dan Ariely explains why people cheat in business and in life.

Cheating in the financial world evokes reminders of big banks and insider trading — an image of the big company taking advantage of the little guy. One little guy wrote to tell us how he tries to turn the tables on the big companies on a much smaller scale. Chris Norrdin of Carlsbad, Calif., a retired […]

During our series with the BBC, Six Routes to Riches, we’ve been talking about mobility all over the world, and here in the United States. So what does the American Dream mean to you? Do you feel like you are upwardly mobile? Share your stories on the web, by visiting us on Marketplace’s Facebook page, […]

Former HealthSouth CEO shares why he confessed to his role in accounting scandal.

This weekend, we’re talking about cheating, in big business, in relationships and even by accident.  Guest host Lisa Desjardins of the PBS Newshour speaks with former CFO of HealthSouth, Aaron Beam, about what happened to a cheater during one of the biggest accounting scandals in history. Duke professor and dishonesty expert Dan Ariely explains why we cheat. Lisa talks with the founder of infidelity dating site Ashley Madison about the business of cheating, and a Google hacker explains how hackers cheat…for good. Three listeners tell their stories of cheating in their own financial lives and one test drives a Cadillac he can’t afford, just to get bonus gift. We talk about cheating by accident with an accountant working on healthcare taxes. On next week’s show, we’re talking about mobility. How is the American Dream working out for you? Do you feel upwardly mobile? Tell us your stories. Write to us here, on the web, or tweet us @MarketplaceWKND.

K-12 funding shrank between 2011 and 2012, but schools still have mouths to feed.

Google's "white-hat" hacker Parisa Tabriz fights the good fight.

The composer on collaboration, the joys of his job and not worrying about Oscar.

Employment numbers, and tech startups in the Bronx

Airing on Friday, February 6, 2015: First up on today’s show, a new study says the percentage of people willing to pay for apps on their smartphones and tablets is about one-third, and falling. We look at the rise of other business models that allow app makers to stay in business. Plus, sales of packaged products for brands like Kraft and Campbell’s are flat in traditional grocery stores, but are selling well in dollar stores, especially in smaller sizes – leading these companies to focus more closely on expanding their line of products in these stores and to lower-income shoppers. We’ll also speak with Univision’s Leon Krauze talk about English speakers in Mexico.

Airing on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015:  First up, we look at the push in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx to encourage technology start ups as a way to revitalize the area and bring new jobs in. Next, we discuss Twitter’s earnings – including it’s net loss of $ 125 million –  with Nate Elliott, an analyst at Forrester. And how well have you kept up with the week in tech news? Shanon Cook, a Spotify trends analyst, joins Ben for a digital-music-themed Silicon Tally. 

A startup looks to an overlooked population for new tech talent.

Major brands are targeting low-priced products at dollar-store consumers.

Free to download, apps have items for sale. Business model tantalizes developers.

The numbers we're reading and watching for Friday.

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

Following the lead of other big cities, the show will take place in mid-July.

The studio is changing leadership following last year's crippling cyber attack.

Airing on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015: Greece’s prime minister and finance minister are traveling around Europe meeting with senior European officials and leaders to persuade them to back the new government’s plans for changing the conditions of Greece’s bailout. We look at how much success they’re having. Plus, following the Anthem hack, we examine the hierarchy of hackable data. What is most valuable to hackers?

After a week of record snow fall, Boston is trying to make it disappear.

Deal with Twitter means tweets will show up in real time via Google search.

It's special ‘shock’ fund offers debt relief to help deal with crises like Ebola.

Some data is worth more to hackers than credit card numbers.

Finance minister struggles to win support for Greek anti-austerity policies.

The education industry spent more than $79 million lobbying the federal government last year, according to OpenSecrets.org.

A Marketplace reporter tracks the water his family uses in a day – and its cost.

Financial restrictions in Greece, FCC reclassifies the internet, and getting ordained online.

Airing on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015: First up, more on the hacking of personal information at Anthem, the second larger health insurance company in America. Plus, new research from the University of Pennsylvania says there’s a growing education gap between the wealthy and the poor. The wealthy are far more likely to complete college. We unpack the causes and implications. We’ll also talk about one of the toughest cost-benefit calculations of our daily lives: balancing the “I feel gross-do I have a fever?” realization with the “But I really have to get into work today” impulse.   

Airing on Thursday, February 5, 2015: The FCC is poised to unveil new rules on net neutrality. We look at the legal quagmire that will emerge from this, and how it might ultimately impact consumers. Ross Ulbricht was convicted on Wednesday as the Dread Pirate Roberts, the mastermind behind an illegal online market called Silk Road. The minimum sentence he faces is 30 years and the maxium, life. We spoke with Sarah Jeong, a technology policy journalist who has been covering the Silk Road Trial for Forbes, about the verdict. Also, Robbie Allen, Founder and CEO of Automated Insights, joins us for our latest segment in Back to Back to the Future Part II – it’s on software that writes news articles.   

Proposal would reclassify Internet service providers as "telecommunications services."

Restaurant and retail workers are the least likely to get paid sick days.

More brides and grooms are choosing to get married outside religious institutions.

Only one-fifth of students from the poorest families finish college by age 24.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Thursday.

One editor has removed tens of thousands of one very specific error from the site.

It's "not what anybody really pays if you have private health insurance."

Airing on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015: Automakers are reporting big sales and big profits, and we look at the reasons for this resurgence. Plus, you’ll soon have one less place to buy your pens and pencils: Staples announced its $6.3 billion purchase of Office Depot. Finally, Gilead Sciences released quarterly results today. We look at how drug prices move from the sticker price to the discounted price.

Aided by a changing competitive landscape, $6.3 billion deal could be approved.

Detroit automakers benefit from streamlining operating costs during the recession.

She says the show — premiering Wednesday — may not be perfect, but it's important.

Compared to other nations, American adults are less likely to be more educated than their parents.

Improved job markets, military spending, and real estate earnings.

Airing on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015: We’ll lead with how today’s strong dollar pulls value out of Michigan and sends it to Tokyo or Stuttgart. Plus, Coca-Cola is launching a premium fortified de-sugared lactose-free milk. Can Coke do for milk what it’s done for OJ and water? And when a city mismanages its water supply, getting neighbors to help out is no slam dunk. Waukesha, Wisconsin, is learning that as it seeks to tap Lake Michigan for its drinking water. Because of the Great Lakes Compact, eight governors have to sign off, even Andrew Cuomo way over there in New York, nearly 1,000 miles away. This story from our series looking at the true cost of water called “Water: The High Price of Cheap.”    

Airing on Wednesday, February 4, 2015: This week, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to make the internet a public utility. That is, wireless and broadband data will be regulated as a telecommunication service, and not an information service, under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. We spoke with Kevin Werbach, an Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, about the FCC’s plans to reclassify the internet. And Kevin Roose, Senior Editor at Fusion, joins us to talk about how prisoners use cell phones and social media on the inside. 

More protein, less sugar, but real milk.

More on the "legal water fence" that surrounds the Great Lakes basin.

These days, defense spending is about more than just the Pentagon's budget.

For prison officials, blocking inmates' cellphone use is a top priority.

So close yet so far away: A town short on water tries to tap the lake 15 miles away.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Wednesday.

Data on "the quits rate" will track those who leave jobs in search of something better.

Skycatch uses drones to obtain 3D images of construction sites.

Airing on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015: Now that Standard & Poor’s has settled and been fined, what’s next for ratings agencies? Plus, the Federal Communications Commission is nearing a decision on regulating the Internet as a public utility. We examine what that means for the consumer. Finally, both UPS and FedEx are increasing their fuel surcharges despite low oil prices. What’s behind the move?  

The curtain is finally closing on the troubled chain's long decline.

Opposite of a price war: Despite cheaper fuel costs, shipping companies charge more.

What may change if FCC starts treating Internet service providers like utilities.

"Transformed" industry has more regulatory oversight and internal safeguards.

Obama backs away from a proposal to tax 529 college savings accounts, which 3 percent of Americans use.

Cities hit water problems even in wet regions, and finding a new source of water is difficult.

The folly of earnings reports, paying for healthcare, and teaching generosity.

Airing on Tuesday, February 3, 2015: First up on today’s show, Greece’s firebreathing new finance minister goes to meet his critics. Plus, we’ll talk to Ron Lieber, the personal finance columnist for The New York Times, about his new book that aims to teach parents how to raise financially responsible kids.

Airing on Tuesday, February 3, 2015: Amazon has struck a deal with UC Davis, UMass Amherst, and Purdue  in which the schools get a specially-branded online Amazon bookstore for their students, and a cut of the revenues. Amazon gets early access to college kids who are creating habits, and it gets another whack at Barnes & Noble – one of the companies that’s built a niche in academic book selling. We consider Amazon’s strategy and its effect. Nexr up, we talk with Lindsey Turrentine, Editor-in-Chief of CNET.com, about the internet of things and Intel’s latest acquisition. Also, Frank Pasquale, Professor of Law at the University of Maryland, discusses his new book, “The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information.”

Algorithms may be learning stereotypes – and abetting data discrimination.

The online retailer wants to disrupt the university bookstore business.

… or how to raise kids who are smart about money.

Perhaps they should change the name from "ginkgo biloba" to "gingko baloney."

Co-pays and deductibles are on the rise.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Tuesday.

Department of Energy sells oilfield central to 1920s scandal for $45 million.

Lands' End may need "shot of fashion," hires a Dolce & Gabbana alum as next CEO.

ExxonMobil profits are down 21 percent, so company curtails jobs and investments.

It will be months before we get detailed plans for tax reform from either party.

Airing on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015: The president’s budget is out today, a $4 trillion blueprint for how the U.S. should spend its money. The budget is also a signal that there may be one area where the administration and Congress can compromise: corporate taxes. Plus, what were the ad makers thinking? According to Nationwide, its Super Bowl ad titled “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” was a push to highlight preventable accidents at home as the No. 1 killer of children. The day after, it’s the most buzzed about ad, but not necessarily in a good way. Is all publicity really good publicity?

"Ad agency should be fired," expert says, for Super Bowl ad starring a dead child.

"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" sweeps awards while digital companies test waters.

Greeks unable to splurge on high-end fashion turn to rental, second-hand businesses.

Harvard University raised more money in 2014 than any U.S. school ever.

Dish is seeking to tap discounts the FCC sets aside for small businesses.

How Obama aims to raise $238 billion for infrastructure projects.

The President's budget proposal, and the Napa Valley of hard cider.

Airing on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015: President Barack Obama will reveal details of a budget plan that he will ask Congress to chew on. New info is emerging this morning on a piece of this that will be especially controversial: the President is proposing a tax on the foreign earnings U.S. companies stash abroad. More on that. And last night at the Super Bowl, two things happened nearly simultaneously: Butler picked off the pass at the one yard line to secure the Patriots win, and pre-printed Patriots Win commemorative gear went on sale. It’s a huge industry and a lot of it is fake. Now, federal investigators have been trying to crack down. Plus, do you toil in distributed work environment? How do you “manage” the boss when they’re across town or across the country or world? We look at how to work with a “Virtual Boss.”  

Airing on Monday, February 2, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk to Alex White, CEO of next big sound, about the state of streaming music companies and competition among Beats Music, Spotify, and Jay-Z’s “Project Panther”. Plus, Glenn Derene, the electronics editor at Consumer Reports, talks about sharing subscription service passwords among friends. We’ll also talk to Karen North, Director of the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at USC Annenberg, about policing YouTube’s violent videos.

Cider is expected to rise to 5 percent of the beer market in the next five years.

…but this year is hardly a repeat of last.

Such products are often a revenue stream for criminal organizations, experts say.

48 hours worth of video is uploaded every minute—Policing content is problematic.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Monday.