Segments From This Episode

• Weight-loss drug Qsymia pushing for more sales

  by Gigi Douban

  One of the Vivus' latest tactics is to market its drug straight to consumers. Starting this fall, you'll see Qsymia ads in magazines and on television. But it may still be too expensive for some.

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• China’s GDP growth slows to 7.5%

  by David Brancaccio

  China's GDP growth slowed in the second quarter to 7.5 percent — its weakest pace since 1991.

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• Affordable Care Act may free some from working for health insurance

  by Dan Gorenstein

  Nearly 1 million employees could end up voluntarily leaving their jobs when health exchanges open on January 1, according to a new report from Columbia and National Bureau of Economic Research.

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• Retail stores move beyond Internet cookies to physical tracking

  by David Brancaccio

  Cabela's, Benetton, and Mothercare are among national retailers that have tested the idea of tracking people with cellphone signals and video cameras as they shop stores, according to the New York Times.

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• Ben Bernanke’s swan song

  by Kate Davidson

  Fed chair Ben Bernanke heads to Capitol Hill for his last semi-annual two-day testimony. He may face tough questions, reflecting perceived politicization of his role in the absence of coordination between Congress and the White House.

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• Tobacco crop threatened by excessive rain in Kentucky, Georgia

  by Queena Kim

  Tobacco is a drought resistant plant. But this year, the weather has been anything but dry in major tobacco growing states like Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia.

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• June retail sales up, but not over

  by Julia Coronado

  Retail sales ticked up 0.4 percent in June but came in below analyst expectations.

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• PODCAST: Rained in, sales up

  by David Brancaccio

  June retail sales are up, but not over. Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina's tobacco crop is threatened by excessive rain. And weight-loss drugmaker Vivus is pushing for more sales.

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