Opinion The New Republic: How Good Is Wal-Mart's Green? The New Republic February 28, 2010 • It's a fairly big deal that Wal-Mart announced plans to reduce 20 million tons of greenhouse-gas emissions from its suppliers by 2015. But Bradford Plumer wonders if this could really offset the company's damage.
National Is U.S. On The Verge Of A Nuclear Renaissance? February 28, 2010 • With concerns over energy costs, diminishing resources and climate control, the Obama administration is pushing for more nuclear power. This month, the president pledged $8 billion in loan guarantees, some of which would go to America's first new nuclear plant in nearly three decades. Host Guy Raz explores what advocates hope will be a nuclear renaissance — and the issues of safety and waste disposal that still concern opponents.
Housing Designer Finds Opportunity In Haiti's Crisis February 28, 2010 • With the rainy season fast approaching, the need for housing in Haiti is nearing a crisis level. An innovative manufacturer and designer of modular homes in Miami plans to begin building homes in Haiti within the next few weeks. InnoVida is shipping 1,000 homes to Haiti that can be assembled in a matter of days. NPR's Greg Allen reports.
Health Care A Health Care Issue Both Parties Can Agree On February 28, 2010 • Thursday's White House summit on health care highlighted the disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, but they do agree on some issues. One of them is that insurers should not be allowed to retroactively cancel health insurance policies.
Food Florida's Deep Freeze Puts The Squeeze On Tomatoes WGCU February 28, 2010 • It's been a tough winter for Florida's tomato crop. A devastating freeze last month wiped out production by 70 percent. The state provides almost all of the tomatoes consumed in the U.S. during this time of year. Farmers are struggling, and soon consumers will notice it too.
Economy Insurance Bonuses: Arguing For Tontines February 27, 2010 • People between the ages of 19 and 29 make up a third of all uninsured Americans under retirement age. And for many of them, that's a choice. But that puts a strain on the health-care system. Host Guy Raz talks to Tom Baker, a University of Pennsylvania law professor who's proposing a 19th-century solution to this very 21st-century problem: tontines. The health insurance policies would pay a cash bonus to people who buy insurance and then don't use it. The practice was outlawed 100 years ago.
Economy Housing Data Highlight Weakness In Sector February 26, 2010 • Sales of existing homes fell in January, fresh evidence of stubborn weakness in the housing market. Sales dropped 7.2 percent, falling to their lowest level since the summer. The big drop follows an equally disappointing fall in new home sales earlier in the week. A rebound in home sales and prices is considered vital to a sustained and solid economic recovery.
Politics Sen. Bunning Blocks Extension Of Jobless Benefits February 26, 2010 • The Senate is gridlocked over extending unemployment benefits for nearly 1 million people because one senator objects. Republican Jim Bunning of Kentucky is blocking the extension — and other measures — because the bill is not paid for. A handful of Democrats led by Majority Whip Dick Durbin kept Bunning on the floor late Thursday. The benefits expire Sunday.
iStockphoto Planet Money How Should Medicare Pay Doctors? February 26, 2010 • The program's payments to doctors will fall by 21 percent starting on Monday, though Congress may soon act to undo the pay cut. It's the latest reminder of a chronic problem for the federal government: figuring out how to pay doctors who treat Medicare patients.
Opinion The New Republic: The Kindle, America's Decline The New Republic February 26, 2010 • Because America couldn't manufacture the Kindle, the locus of future related innovation has potentially shifted abroad. Mark Muro from The New Republic explains the costs of that could be grave.
Johnny Cash Song Download Wins Apple Contest February 26, 2010 • Louis Sulcer, 71, of Woodstock, Georgia, won a $10,000 iTunes gift card. The song he bought, Johnny Cash's "Guess Things Happen That Way" was the 10 billionth song downloaded on iTunes. The grandfather of nine says he was putting together a mix of Johnny Cash songs for his son. Sulcer started downloading music three years ago.
AIG Lost Nearly $9 Billion In 4th Quarter February 26, 2010 • Insurance giant AIG announced Friday it lost $8.87 billion in the last quarter of 2009. In the same quarter the previous year, AIG lost more than $60 billion.
Planet Money Bernanke Sentence Moves Market Higher February 26, 2010 • This week has been a crucial one for the U.S. economy. Chairman Ben Bernanke testified before Congress on the Federal Reserve's exit-strategy. That is: How will officials turn the life support system off for the U.S. financial sector without destroying the system? After one of Bernanke's sentences, the Dow gained nearly 1 percentage point in a few minutes.
GM Repairs Reputation With Word Of Mouth Michigan Radio February 26, 2010 • General Motors hopes to turn thousands of its workers into off-hours advocates for the company's products. GM is letting employees at its Renaissance headquarters in Michigan check out new cars, trucks and SUVs, and drive them for a weekend. GM workers can also volunteer for special advocacy training.
AIG Agrees To Pay Oregon $8 Million Oregon Public Broadcasting February 26, 2010 • Insurance giant AIG admits no guilt in the pension fund settlement. It did agree to pay Oregon's pension fund $8 million for inflating its share price between 2000 and 2005. The state is getting back about 50 cents on the dollar. The agreement is good for state employees, whose pensions get shored up.
