Segments From This Episode

• Super committee fails to reach agreement

  by David Gura

  The committee can't compromise on the federal budget. Now it's back to a gridlocked Congress that passed the buck to the committee in the first place.

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• Europe’s take on the super committee failure

  Rebuked by the U.S. for not ordering their affairs better, Europeans are pleased to see the U.S. having its own budgetary struggles, but not too pleased.

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• Eugenides: Writers on Work

  by Jeffrey Eugenides

  Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides shares how he writes about jobs and work.

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• A historical perspective on the super committee

  by Kai Ryssdal

  Looking back, it's not that surprising that the super committee failed to reach an agreement cut the nation's deficit. Stanford history professor David Kennedy discusses why we shouldn't be surprised, and what to expect next.

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• American Dream fails in Inland Empire

  by Mitchell Hartman

  California's Inland Empire was a magnet for cheap housing during the boom. Now, the bust has left many towns in this desert region with 15 percent unemployment and few prospects.

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• Bad economy has been tough on environmental groups

  by Scott Tong

  At the same time some decry environmental regulation as a drag on the economy, the slow recovery has sapped environmental organizations of donations, leading to layoffs and changes in leadership.

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• Remembering a financier who innovated with debt

  by Bob Moon

  Theodore Forstmann created the industry of buying companies with mostly borrowed money. His legacy includes a now-familiar word: leverage.

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• Nation’s food banks stretched thin

  by Dan Gorenstein

  Food pantries and soup kitchens are seeing increased demand from the needy. At the same time, food prices are rising and charitable donations are down.

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• Poll: 69% of us knew super committee was doomed

  by Kai Ryssdal

  How did Republicans and Democrats compare in their predictions?

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