Segments From This Episode

• Oil execs defend federal tax breaks

  by Jeremy Hobson

  Executives from Big Oil were in the hot seat on Capitol Hill today, trying to defend billions of dollars worth of tax breaks their companies receive. Jeremy Hobson reports.

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• Rice prices straining developing nations

  by Jeff Tyler

  Prices on food have been soaring worldwide, including rice, which has doubled in the last couple of months. And the staple for so many people and cultures could get even more expensive. Jeff Tyler reports.

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• Labor, tech cited for T-5 baggage woes

  by Janet Babin

  Since Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport opened last week, more than 250 flights have been canceled due to a backlog of 19,000 suitcases that've been parted from passengers. Janet Babin reports on why it's so hard to get luggage from here to there.

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• Banks deep into unregulated ‘gambling’

  by Bob Moon

  Treasury Secy. Paulson's plan to get the financial system under control doesn't address a once-obscure kind of credit insurance that's become an enormous money-maker for some of the country's biggest banks and other rich investors. Bob Moon explains.

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• IRS making sure your rebate gets spent

  by Rico Gagliano

  Most taxpayers will get anywhere from $600 to $1,200 from Uncle Sam as part of the federal plan to stimulate the economy. But many taxpayers will use the money to pay down debts instead. So, as Rico Gagliano reports, the IRS isn't taking any chances.

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• Letters from our listeners

  by Kai Ryssdal

  Kai Ryssdal reviews your letters on issues ranging from corruption in Louisiana to electronic devices marketed to women and an assumption about our audience's demographics.

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• Brazil’s expats see value in going home

  by Dan Grech

  With the dollar falling and the economy in Brazil booming, Brazilian immigrants in the United States are returning home by the thousands. Dan Grech reports.

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