Marketplace for Monday, Dec. 8, 2008

Segments From This Episode

• How much should Obama weigh in?

  by Kai Ryssdal

  President-elect Obama has been fairly guarded in his pronouncements as to what ought to be done with the economy before he takes office, even as some in both parties are calling for him to be more involved. Kai Ryssdal gets some perspective from James Thurber of American University.

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• Auto bailout has lots of strings attached

  by John Dimsdale

  The proposed $15 billion bailout package for Detroit is considered enough to get the Big Three out of their short-term jam. But to convince Congressional skeptics, the package comes with plenty of conditions. Our Washington bureau chief John Dimsdale has more.

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• Make Congress put real skin in stimulus

  by Marketplace Staff

  The size of the stimulus package under the Obama administration still isn't known, and whether it's going to work any better, we don't know yet, either. But commentator Susan Lee thinks there's a way to help Congress be smarter about how the money gets spent.

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• What’s the LIBOR?

  by Mitchell Hartman

  The credit markets are still stuck tight, according to the usual gauge people look at — the LIBOR index. It used to be a pretty obscure financial benchmark that only mattered to bank bureaucrats. But not any more. Mitchell Hartman explains.

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• BBB program helps Muslim charities

  by Caitlan Reeg

  Since 9/11 the federal government has watched Muslim charities closely and made donating to them complicated and sometimes risky. But a new program may help change that. Caitlan Carroll reports.

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• Tribune files for bankruptcy

  by Jeff Tyler

  The Tribune Company, which owns the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, has filed for bankruptcy. The company is about $13 billion in debt after taking itself private last year. Jeff Tyler reports.

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• Companies pull back on advertising

  by Ashley Milne-Tyte

  Corporate ad spending is expected to fall more than 8% next year. Hard times in Detroit are one reason for the drop. But as Ashley Milne-Tyte reports, everybody's pulling back.

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• Venice billboard plan seen as a bad sign

  by Megan Williams

  The buildings around Venice's most famous public square, Piazza San Marco, are crumbling. Chunks of buildings are falling off. A possible solution has tourists and locals a little nervous. Megan Williams reports.

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