Marketplace for Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Segments From This Episode

• Why is the U.S. importing so much?

  by Scott Tong

  In the month of June, the U.S. imported a whole lot more stuff than we sent overseas. By "whole lot," we mean $49.9 billion worth. That's the worst number in almost two years. But here's the thing, if our economy's so weak, why are we importing all this stuff? Scott Tong reports.

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• Banks find themselves in a tough spot

  by Alisa Roth

  The Federal Reserve said it wouldn't add more money into the economy. But that it would continue to reinvest the money it put in during the financial crisis. That money is meant to help banks shore up their balance sheets and encourage them to lend more. Alisa Roth reports that's putting banks in a bind.

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• A quick roundup of economic data

  by Marketplace Staff

  Sometimes the editors here at Marketplace can be long-winded, and all-together confusing. So we asked them to explain the news, and keep it short.

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• Long-term economic woes fuel anger

  by Marketplace Staff

  Someday the recession will end. There won't be any more talk of double dips and extending unemployment benefits. And then everything's gonna be OK. Isn't it? Commentator Robert Reich worries that it won't.

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• Retailers tailor products to shoppers

  by Adriene Hill

  Macy's announced that second-quarter profits went through the roof. Adriene Hill went to find why, and what retailers are doing to get customers in the door

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• Zimbabwe sells controversial diamonds

  by Nancy Marshall-Genzer

  Zimbabwe is selling diamonds after getting the go-ahead from a group designed to prevent trafficking of so-called "conflict diamonds." But human rights groups say the diamonds sold were mined from an area where government soldiers killed people, raped women and forced children into hard labor. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

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• A green way to dispose human remains

  Six U.S. states have approved of a new, low-carbon way to dispose of human remains called resmomation. It involves reducing the body to a mixture of liquid and minerals. A group of funeral directors in a northern Belgian province wants Belgium to take the lead and adopt the new approach. Stephen Beard reports.

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• Brown relishes campaign spending gap

  by Marketplace Staff

  California gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown served two terms as governor in the '70s, and is now the state's attorney general. His campaign offers are meager compared to Whitman's. She's already spent $100 million so far. He, less than a million. And he seems to relish the spending gap. April Dembosky reports.

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