Marketplace for Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008

Segments From This Episode

• Whoa . . . Is that a ’70s flashback?

  by Jill Barshay

  Two sets of economic figures out today might be giving economists flashbacks of the 1970s. Could a hit of "stagflation" — combining high inflation with a slowing economy — be felt again today? Jill Barshay reports.

  ShareDownload

• Report calls for higher gasoline tax

  by Janet Babin

  A new report says the federal gas tax needs to go up to foot the bill to fix America's aging bridges and roads. Think you can afford another 40 cents a gallon? Janet Babin reports.

  ShareDownload

• Apple adds ‘Air’ to its product line

  by Bob Moon

  Steve Jobs unveiled some new Apple widgets at the Macworld expo. A super-thin laptop turned out to be the hot new product. Which raises the question: So what? Host Bob Moon has more.

  ShareDownload

• Video game industry playing PAC-Man

  by Lisa Napoli

  Everyone knows politicians play games. But gamers playing politics? The video game industry, worth $14 billion a year, is looking for some clout. As Lisa Napoli explains, it's got a new game in Washington.

  ShareDownload

• Get ready for more reruns and ‘reality’

  by Bob Moon

  Major studios are sending their strongest signals yet that the current TV season is now beyond rescue due to the Writers Guild stand-off. Joe Adalian, TV editor for Variety, talks with host Bob Moon about the cutbacks and cancellations at this important time of year.

  ShareDownload

• FDA: ‘Cloned’ food OK |’Cloned’ food OK

  by Sarah Gardner

  The FDA has decided food from cloned animals — cows, pigs, goats — is safe, despite protests from consumer groups and Congress. And as Sarah Gardner reports, some of the country's biggest food companies don't have much appetite for the technology, either.

  ShareDownload

• Get drug firms out of drug approval

  by Marketplace Staff

  The drug Vytorin has been a multibillion-dollar blockbuster — although it hasn't exactly been the cholesterol buster it was supposed to be. Commentator and physician Dr. Stefan Kertesz says it's a cautionary tale about the process of approving new pharmaceuticals.

  ShareDownload

• Chinese businesses rile Lesotho locals

  by Gretchen Wilson

  A growing class of Chinese entrepreneurs is running small businesses in Africa. And Lesotho, one of the poorest countries in the world, has become a flash point for new tensions between local Africans and Chinese businesspeople. Gretchen Wilson reports.

  ShareDownload