Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) discusses the sequester and the impact it could have on his region. Walmart is expected to deliver bad news to investors tomorrow, blaming the payroll tax increase for slow sales. A new survey from Pew offers details about why people take out payday loans even though they know they are getting a raw deal. Dartmouth University recently stopped offering credit for Advanced Placement courses. A New Hampshire city is trying out a new device designed to ease parking headaches. And in the latest installment of Freakonomics Radio, Stephen Dubner talks about why the government is making less money from gas taxes, despite the rising prices at the pump.

The Chinese government is sponsoring cyber-espionage to attack top U.S. companies. The dreaded sequester is affecting all of Washington, D.C. Scott Tong takes a look at the Simpson-Bowles proposal to reduce the U.S. deficit. We explore how diamond thieves made away with millions in diamonds at the Brussels Airport. Dijon mustard brand Grey Poupon is trying to make a comeback. And Deferred Action, the immigration plan that allowed some immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to avoid deportation, celebrates its one-year anniversary.

On this President’s Day holiday, we explore whether it’s legal to use images of presidents for commercial purposes. Are you planning to eat some potatoes today? The state of Idaho is worried about knock-off potatoes, specifically from Turkey. Plus, we look at India’s gun market, why it’s so hard to refinance student loans, and how robots may steal our manufacturing jobs. Also, what would it take to get you to leave some change in the tip jar? A strategy to get people to leave that extra dollar.

A meteor strikes Russia and shakes the economy. A team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore builds the ICU of the future. Now facing murder charges, Oscar Pistorius joins a long list of professional athletes in legal jeopardy, moral trouble or both. Mark Garrison takes a look at how corporate sponsors like Nike respond. Meanwhile, we wonder if applying for EU membership would help the U.S. government figure out how to manage its debt. After all, in order to be admitted to the eurozone, countries had to get their deficits and long term debt way down. And reporter and commentator Julia Angwin defriended all of her friends on Facebook this week because she is worried about privacy. But will her friends defriend her in real life because of it?  

Valentine’s Day aside, the price of a rose hasn’t increased in decades. We take a look at what’s behind the floral price fixing. Meanwhile, Robert Schmitz reports on spending the Chinese New Year on the  Street of Eternal Happiness with Zhang Naisun, one of the more than 300 million Chinese who live on less than two dollars a day. And Die Hard 5 is out today. Grantland’s Wesley Morris talks about why Die Hard is such an endless franchise, and why action heroes are so geriatric this season.

Ten states raised their minimum wage this year. Now, President Obama wants to increase it nationwide. Commentator Robert Reich says the federal government needs to separate investments in the economy from discretionary spending. Meanwhile, the European Union and the U.S. plan to work on what would be a gigantic trade agreement, but an equally large cultural clash threatens to quickly dash hopes of a deal. Intel says it will sell TVs directly to consumers this year. We hear about a program in Chicago giving out rent vouchers so people can move into neighborhoods with better economic opportunities. And The New York Times’ David Leonhardt talks about his new e-book, the economy and the president’s State of the Union address.

President Obama will give his State of the Union speech tonight. North Korea tests another nuclear weapon, but how can the impoverished country afford to be a nuclear state? Leaders of the International Olympic Committee have dropped wrestling from the 2020 games. Dan Gorenstein takes a look into the profits made by stores that cater to doomsday preppers and bad weather survivalists. Author Jess Walters talks about his new series of stories that delves into the recession-era America. And Sylvester Monroe reports from Chicago, on the eruption of violence in the city.

Police in Los Angeles are offering $1 million to anyone who leads them to the whereabouts of alleged cop-killer Christopher Dorner, but big rewards don’t necessarily yield big results. We consider how the pope’s resignation would work in the regular business world. Maker’s Mark bourbon is flying off store shelves, pushing the company to announce that it’s watering down the alcohol content. Apple’s talking about building a watch, and one intriguing feature would be bendable glass. A new book reveals how statistics now affect decision-making in nearly every industry and facet of life. And Sylvester Monroe reports on the vicious economic cycle of violence in Chicago’s South Side.

The White House urges Congress to avoid the ‘sequester’ — with apocolyptic examples of what could happen if it doesn’t. Automakers introduce new diesel models for U.S. drivers. Eve Troeh explains how researchers are trying to persuade taxpayers to save, not spend, their refunds. In Eastern China, air pollultion levels have reached historic levels, but Rob Schmitz looks at business opportunities that have actually brightened amid the smog. As the fight over background checks on gun-buyers heats up, David Gura finds out what it really takes to buy a firearm. And as ‘Nemo’ hits the East Coast, flight attendant Sara Keagle talks about being grounded in the snow.