Week of July 6th, 2015

They're attempting to reach a deal with Alexis Tsipras by day's end.

Businesses deal with plunging sales and wary suppliers.

Sometimes a hip replacement costs $16,500. Sometimes it costs twice that.

Study says shoppers who brought their own totes bought more treats and organics.

The first event devoted solely to dudes hits the runway next week.

Universal identifiers like Social Security numbers are a big target for hackers.

Flexible degree programs should raise enrollment, analyst says.

Airing on Friday, July 10, 2015: Following the hack at the Office of Personnel Management, we look at the state of the Social Security number: our lives are organized around it, but having one number for many purposes also creates a big red target for hackers. And the more these numbers are hacked, the less secure they are. Will your Social Security number still be the ultimate way to prove your identity going forward? Marketplace explores. Plus: Medicare is changing the way it pays for two of the most common medical procedures in the nation: hip and knee replacements. Right now, the cost and quality of those replacements are all over the map. One proposed solution is to bundle the payment — that is, give providers one pot of money to manage costs all the way from prep to surgery to discharge. We unbundle what this means.

Procter & Gamble's beauty brands brought in a lot of revenue, but not much profit.

Nela Richardson and David Gura join Molly Wood to recap the week in business and finance.

There's a service for every taste, and traditional TV is feeling the heat.

Asif Kapadia was determined to paint a human portrait in his documentary.

Steps for handling your financial legacy.

Curators will display a lesser-known side of the artist at MoMA in New York.

Greece's new plan, Puerto Rico's debt, and Levi's plan to draw female customers.

On this episode of Marketplace Weekend, we explore the idea of legacy, in the international economy, music, tech and art. Marketplace’s Stephen Beard speaks with Lizzie O’Leary from Greece, and we take a look at the legacy of Amazon with senior tech correspondent Molly Wood. Later, Lizzie heads to the Museum of Modern Art in New York to explore Picasso’s sculptural legacy, and the director of the documentary “Amy” discusses Amy Winehouse. 

Airing on Friday, July 10, 2015: With banks still closed in Greece, we talk about what it’s like to be a Greek banker in the midst of the financial crisis. Plus, Alejandro García Padilla, governor of Puerto Rico, says Puerto Rico’s $72 billion debt is “not payable” and some form of default or bankruptcy is necessary to avoid a “death spiral.” We talk to León Krauze, Univision anchor and correspondent for KMEX in Los Angeles, about Puerto Rico’s economy.

The world's biggest jeans maker tries to lure more women to its brand.

Airing Friday, July 10, 2015: First up, we’ll talk about this year’s ComicCon is tapping into the rapidly growing number of niche subscription streaming services. We’ll also hear from Paul Karlsgodt, partner at Baker Hostetler, a law firm that specializes in data security, about class action lawsuits filed by federal employee unions against the OPM. Plus, how well have you kept up with the week in tech news? It’s time for Silicon Tally! This week, host Ben Johnson tries to stump Steve Kovach, Deputy Tech Editor at Business Insider, with numbers from this week’s tech news. 

Fridays are now the day that new music becomes available in 45 countries.

Workers are emotionally spent from dealing with customers' tears and threats.

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

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

Quartz and Marketplace look at how genetically modified mosquitoes could be the key to preventing a disease outbreak in Florida.

It's dropping Jared, but this fast food giant has a lot more to worry about

Airing on Thursday, July 9, 2015: When asked how they want to die, most Americans say at home, surrounded by loved ones. But most Americans die in hospitals, intensive care units or nursing homes. That’s one of the reasons why Medicare’s decision to reimburse doctors for conversations with patients about end-of-life care is so significant. We look at what that will mean for the broader medical landscape, and what it means for doctors and patients. Next: Paramount Pictures is attempting to shorten the window between a movie’s theatrical release date and its availability on home entertainment platforms. It will give theater chains Cineplex and AMC a cut of the revenue it makes from early release sales.           

And private insurers usually follow Medicare’s lead.

Hint: It has to do with fracking.

Marketplace listener Allen Marin on how a Big Mac coupon led him to the Super Bowl.

Paramount attempts a compromise between theaters and studios.

Apps for your car can calculate mileage, or monitor your teen's driving.

Both countries are struggling with billion-dollar debts.

Plugging you into the conversations behind the news.

Through a mobile app, Yahoo will now let fantasy sports players make daily bets.

An update from Athens, more on the NYSE glitch, and ski resorts prepare for summer.

Airing on Thursday, July 9, 2015: More on the Chinese government’s multi-pronged effort to recover from the drop on the stock market there. Plus, the NLCB as a civil rights law was initially created as part of the War on Poverty. Parents and teachers are fed up with over testing, but without some kind of annual testing civil rights activists worry poor and minority kids will continue to be left behind. It looks like annual testing is here to stay, but states will have more leeway to decide how scores are used and what happens to consistently failing schools. And with comprehensive immigration reform’ on hold until after the 2016 election at the earliest, business advocates are turning to a narrower agenda—pushing to get more legal immigrants admitted to work in the U.S. 

Airing on Thursday, July 9, 2015: First up, we’ll talk with Bernard Donefer, Professor in the Department of Statistics and Computer Information Systems at Baruch College, about the trading halt at the NYSE. Then, we’ll talk with Noah Kraft, CEO of Doppler Labs, about augmented reality for your ears. Also on the show is Chris Low, Chief economist at FTN Financial, who will talk about how China’s tech companies are faring as the country’s markets fall.

Annual testing may be here to stay, but states are expected to have more leeway.

Walgreens wants to sell more non-pharmacy products, with higher profit margins.

Ski resorts are experimenting with warm weather attractions to bring in business.

Shenzhen may need help from the state

Some U.S. employers say more legal immigrants would help.

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

State's Dungeness fishery has kept its crab pots idle for weeks.

Let us translate for you.

Originally for the military, it's now critical in medical and research labs.

Stocks were still bought and sold. And we'll still do the numbers.

Airing on Wednesday, July 8, 2015: The government has maintained a stockpile of helium for about 80 years now. And it’s the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill today, following an audit critical of the reserve in April. We look at why the government is in this business and the applications for helium. Next: Dungeness crab is one of the most valuable fisheries on the West Coast, worth close to $300 million annually. But crabbers have been idle for weeks because an algae bloom is having a toxic effect on shellfish. KUOW’S Ashley Ahearn reports.

Individuals, often swayed by rumors, make up 80 percent of share buyers.

Kai talks with Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson about watches and phones.

The government gives cash-strapped citizens a free ride on subways.

Chinese stock markets, climate change, and the cost of health care.

'It's a life-and-death question' at the Pentagon, witness testifies.

Marketplace for Wednesday, July 8, 2015: A surge of selling on Chinese stock markets forces authorities to temporarily stop trading on nearly half the stocks listed. More on that. We’ll also talk to Marketplace’s Molly Wood about the encryption debate ahead of FBI Director James Comey’s testimony in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. The hearings will address concerns voiced by various technology firms that the government is overextending its reach and interfering with their ability to provide secure communications for their customers.

Airing on Wednesday, July 8, 2015: First up, we’ll talk to Molly Wood about why technologists are pushing back against the FBI’s call for government-friendly encryption. We’ll also talk to Sarah Jeong, a tech policy journalist, about ICANN’s proposed rule that would make it harder for domain registrants to keep their home addresses private. And Hrishikesh Hirway, producer of the Song Exploder podcast, will help kick off our summer series on music technology called “Noise Makers.”

In a speech before the European Parliament, Alexis Tsipras spoke of previous failures.

Insurers want the physicians to act as gatekeepers, making them more valuable.

The producer of the Song Exploder podcast kicks off our new series "Noise Makers."

Authorities raided the pitchman's home on Tuesday. Now the chain faces a dilemma.

Here are the numbers watching for Wednesday.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

The campaign didn't quite hit its €1.6 billion target.

Max Dower turned his goofy doodles into a successful clothing line.

Airing on Tuesday, July 7, 2015: Greece’s economy is terrible, almost like a country that’s just lost a war. But say Greece got to hit a reset button. What would it have going for it? We survey its natural and human assets. Next: The trade deficit increased in May to $41.9 billion dollars, fueled by a drop in exports, attributed to a strong dollar and weak international demand. We look at what this says about the economy, and how the drivers of growth are changing from export-led sectors to domestic-based ones. Plus: Max Dower, the 26-year-old artist behind the Instagram account Unfortunate Portrait, graduated from law school, but decided to forgo being a lawyer and start his own company on Instagram despite facing a mountain of debt. We take a look at his growing business. 

Corn processors want to kill government supports for rival sugar industry.

Greece was a strong emerging market before its debt crisis. What's it have left?

KFC's parent company is investing $185 million in the fast-food chain.

Some cities in the U.S. rely heavily on speeding tickets and revenue from other infractions to keep their budgets afloat.

The tech bubble has created a meeting bubble, too.

America tends to import more as the economy gets stronger.

Oil prices are down, Greeks can't use Paypal, and companies test unlimited vacation.

Current events may make any hint of a rate hike a moot point.

Airing on Tuesday, July 7, 2015: On today’s show, we’ll have an update on the situation in Greece, the future of U.S. interest rates, and the best-of-the-best piece of equipment if one is a professional ballet dancer.    

Some people don’t have access to some online payment systems like Paypal.

Airing on Tuesday, July 7, 2015: First up, we’ll talk about why the Greeks don’t have access to online payment systems like Paypal, and why it matters. We’ll also talk to Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union, about the private companies that are changing the way spyware gets bought and sold. And Andrew Lih, Associate professor of journalism at American University and author of “The Wikipedia Revolution: How a bunch of nobodies created the world’s greatest encyclopedia,” explains what happens when a community-driven site revolts.

About 400 GB of private documents have been stolen from a hacking firm.

A ballet dancer talks about her pointe shoes.

What happens when a company offers its employees unlimited time off.

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

CEO Anne Wojcicki wants to improve drug therapies by using DNA data.

What steps would be needed to bring back the drachma or use a new legal tender?

Is it worth it? Environmentally, yes. Economically, sometimes. Cue the ballistic separator.

Airing on Monday, July 6, 2015: An audit of Blue Shield of California faulted the nonprofit health insurer for amassing a $4 billion surplus while failing to offer more affordable rates. The audit, the details of which were reported in the Los Angeles Times, was one reason California revoked Blue Shield’s tax exemption. It raises the question of how big health insurers ended up with nonprofit status in the first place, and what does that mean for customers today? Next: China’s markets have become so frothy that the government has tried to calm them. We explore China’s manipulation of its markets.

Back in the 1920s, firms began to be organized around a social welfare mission.

The government is now propping up the exchange it tried to cool down.

Those in Frankfurt express sympathy for Greek people, but 'enough is enough.'

Yanis Varoufakis, known for a combative negotiation style, leaves his position.

The sandwich cookie will now come in a thinner variety.

Updates on Greece, and the economics of recycling.

The cutbacks come just 2 years after the city closed almost 50 elementary schools.

Airing on Monday, July 6, 2015: On today’s show, we’ll talk about the future of Greece, its economy and the eurozone, after voters in Greece said no to the terms of a financial rescue. And city officials in Chicago are making $200 million in cuts – laying off staff, delaying maintenance and reducing transportation. We look at where the cuts will fall and why they’re being made.

Airing on Monday, July 6, 2015: First up, Gregory Rosston, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, talks about the AT&T and DirecTV merger. We’ll also speak with Christopher Koopman, research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, about San Francisco’s attempts to rein in Airbnb hosts. We’ll also be joined by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips, authors of “The Misfit Economy: Lessons in Creativity from Pirates, Hackers, Gangsters and Other Informal Entrepreneurs.”

Market forces are making recycling less profitable.