Marketplace for Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Segments From This Episode

• Why Iran is pushing back on sanctions

  by Jeremy Hobson

  As the European Union prepares to increase sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, the Islamic Republic has retaliated with a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for oil exports.

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• Poland sees China links as key to growth

  by Christopher Werth

  Poland has prospered in recent years as many European nations fell into debt. It sees partnership with China as a key element in sustaining growth.

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• 2012’s defining political issue

  by Robert Reich

  Bye-bye 2011. So what will we be talking about in 2012? Here's a hint: The federal government.

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• The drought that keeps on taking

  by Eve Troeh

  Poised to become the worst two-year drought on record, the Texas drought will be felt far into 2012.

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• States snuff out smoking prevention programs

  by Gregory Warner

  Faced with big budget gaps, state governments are taking money away from programs that help people quit smoking. Analysts say this will cost more in the long run.

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• 2011 in review: The banking industry

  by Jeremy Hobson

  From pesky hidden fees to the status of Dodd-Frank financial reform, from the impact of Europe's debt crisis to lending — we look back at the year in banking.

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• Memphis mayor on the city’s recovery

  by Jeremy Hobson

  In the summer of 2010, Memphis was filled with abandoned houses and other effects of the subprime crisis. A year and a half later, how's the city doing?

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• Observations of Kim Jong-Il’s funeral

  by Jeremy Hobson

  The body of North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il was driven through Pyongyang today — in none other than a U.S.-made Lincoln Continental?

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