Segments From This Episode

• The bigger influence on retail: Black Friday, or Sandy?

  by David Weinberg

  Hurricane Sandy sparked spending in the Northeast, but Black Friday is national and so has more impact on retail sales.

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• Fed announces new plan for ailing economy

  by Nancy Marshall-Genzer

  The Federal Reserve has spelled out what it’s going to do to try to juice up the economy. Yesterday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke announced a new strategy that ties the Fed’s actions to unemployment and inflation rates.

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• Amtrak asks for subsidies in wake of Hurricane Sandy

  by Alex Goldmark

  On Capitol Hill today, fiscal conservatives are likely to argue against the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies that go to Amtrak each year. But Hurricane Sandy showed you need to spend if you want to save.

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• Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on ‘right-to-work’

  by Jeremy Hobson

  Unions in Michigan are facing a new reality. They'll have to convince their members to keep paying dues after Republicans passed a law that makes Michigan a right-to-work state. Governor Rick Snyder put his signature on the law.

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• Leader of China plans economic reforms

  by Rob Schmitz

  China’s new leader Xi Jinping has only been in office a month, but he’s already turning heads.

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• European leaders agree ECB should supervise big banks

  European finance ministers struck a major new deal over their debt crisis. They agreed that the European Central Bank — Europe’s equivalent of the Fed — should take over the supervision of the continent’s biggest banks.

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• How do Americans feel about ‘right-to-work’?

  by Marketplace Contributor

  The news of Michigan's 'right-to-work' law has reignited the debate about the role of unions in our country today, so how is the issue playing with the American public?

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• How Americans feel about marijuana, unions post-election

  by Marketplace Contributor

  Michigan workers protested Governor Rick Snyder's decision to pass the right-to-work bills into law yesterday. They say the laws weaken unions.

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• Optimism at the mall: Retail sales up

  by Jeff Horwich

  Despite some worries about consumer demand this holiday season, U.S. retail sales rose 0.3% in November.

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• To some, Google Maps app is a win for Apple

  by Jeff Horwich

  The new Google Maps app, released late yesterday for iPhone, may not be so unwelcome.

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• PODCAST: ‘One bank to rule them all’ and the Pope tweets

  by Jeff Horwich

  The first real look at holiday retail sales. In Europe today: 'One bank to rule them all' — a big step closer to a banking union. Google Maps is back for iPhone — could this actually be good for Apple? And speaking of Apple, what happens when you give an iPad to the Pope?

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