President Obama is asking Americans to speak out about the fiscal cliff and middle class tax cuts by using the hashtag #My2k on Twitter — but how much influence can a hashtag have? In the wake of news that Jeff Zucker could soon lead CNN, we dissect how the news channel has been doing. Britain’s government has set a minimum price for alcohol to help combat excessive drinking. Freakonomics Radio’s Stephen Dubner talks about pro bono economics. And in the last part of our series on Walmart and labor, a look at how organized labor is trying to hold marquee retailers responsible for the low-wage workers who move their goods.

Kai Ryssdal talks to business magnate and investor Warren Buffett about who should be the next Treasury Secretary, how much the wealthy ought to pay in taxes, and whether he’s worried about the future of democratic capitalism. Florida’s governor has issued a challenge to colleges to offer a $10,000 degree. The packaged food giant ConAgra is now the largest private label food manufacturer after acquiring Ralcorp. With Powerball jackpot now at a record high of $500 million, thousands of people are willing to pay the new, higher price of a ticket for a chance to strike it rich. And in part two of our series on Walmart and labor, Mitchell Hartman takes a look at whether ‘permatemping’ in warehouses is designed to keep costs and prices low at Walmart and other big-box retailers.

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest retail days of the year, we explore what’s in a name when it comes to shopping. Bob Moon reports on the similarities and differences between a corporate raider and an activist investor. California businesses are becoming easy marks for plastic thieves looking to make a profit. The Wealth & Poverty Desk kicks off its series on labor and Walmart with a look at the temporary staffing agencies contracted by the retailer to distribute goods. And Kai Ryssdal talks to Jean-Jacques Dethier of the World Bank about which James Bond movie villain’s plan would have actually worked.

Walmart announced today that it’s had its best Black Friday ever. Meanwhile, shoppers at some stores passed workers who’d walked out. It seems Superstorm Sandy is, in fact, giving a boost to the economy. We hear about fans of the Florida Marlins who were upset by the team’s latest trades. One community college is cutting hours for some its faculty in order to comply with the Affordable Care Act. An art college in Maryland has found a new way to feed its students while also cutting costs. And Kai Ryssdal talks to Quartz reporter Matt Phillips about why nearly 80 percent of all U.S. currency in circulation is $100 bills.

Enjoying Thanksgiving dinner? Your turkey may have cost a little bit more this year thanks to last summer’s drought. Planning to go Black Friday shopping? We look at why stores open so early, anyway. And if you’re planning to head to Walmart, you might encounter demonstrations. Some workers are planning a walkout over unfair pay. We talk with Gallup’s Frank Newport about who’s shopping on Black Friday and check in with two expats about how they’re doing on turkey day. Plus, stories on prestigious colleges offering courses online and will the U.K. leave the EU? 

Hostess, maker of Twinkies, has won court approval to wind down. More and more companies are switching from Blackberry to iPhones and other Apple products. The Texas A&M football team has been wildly successful and it’s got others looking to cash in on the glory. Some video game companies are using the crowd-funding site Kickstarter to raise millions of dollars, but there is no guarantee that people will get the video games they want. We hear about whether federal insurance money should go to people whose houses have been repeatedly destroyed by natural disasters. And we ask a plumber if Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days for the industry.

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman talks to Kai Ryssdal about the company’s quarterly loss and the allegations of misrepresentation. France has had a tough week, after being downgraded by Moody’s yesterday. Here in the U.S., some food pantries can’t afford to give away turkeys. High schools and colleges across the country have moved from grass to artificial turf for their sports fields, but there are health concerns involved. We hear another first-person narrative from the mancamps in North Dakota. And Ruben Martinez discusses his book “Desert America,” which looks at the economic boom and bust that’s changed the West.

There’s optimism that a congressional compromise to avoid tripping over the fiscal cliff is all but a done deal. So what’s changed? Cranberries are big business in Massachusetts, but climate change is forcing growers there to rethink operations. The juggernaut that is Black Friday just keeps growing. And now it has extended beyond just sweaters and electronics. Plus, the oil boom in North Dakota has brought thousands of workers to the state, but there’s not a lot to do except work. So one promoter brought mixed martial-arts fights to town.

The iconic cake maker Hostess is shutting down their ovens for good. The deadline for states to create health insurance exchanges has been pushed back to December. As the fiscal cliff looms, the popular mortgage interest deduction might be on the chopping block. California could be on the verge of a surplus. Kai Ryssdal checks back in with gas-station owner Oz Elma in Pelham, N.Y., about the fuel situation there. And Queena Kim explores how bosses with bad attitudes used to be acceptable as long as they brought in big profits, but now companies are now asking that executives play nice.