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Business

A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending

Defense Secretary Robert Gates talks with troops during a visit April 7 at Camp Victory in Baghdad. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Federal Budget Crunch

A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending

April 30, 2011 • As Congress and the White House set a higher priority on cutting the budget deficit, a retired military man sees ways to reap major savings. In a plan he acknowledges as "somewhat radical," former Army Col. Douglas Macgregor proposes slashing the defense budget by 40 percent in just three years.

Wisconsin's Political Split Hardens Into Great Divide

A Tea Party supporter, left, argues with a critic before a rally where former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spoke at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison on April 16. Darren Hauck/Getty Images hide caption

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Darren Hauck/Getty Images

National

Wisconsin's Political Split Hardens Into Great Divide

April 30, 2011 • No state may be more polarized right now than Wisconsin. That follows the effort by Republican Gov. Scott Walker to eliminate the collective bargaining rights of most public workers there. The gap is most apparent between Wisconsin's biggest cities and its smallest towns.

PlayStation Aftermath: Hackers Claim To Have Credit Card Data

PlayStation

The Two-Way

PlayStation Aftermath: Hackers Claim To Have Credit Card Data

April 29, 2011 • A security analyst says hackers are trying to sell 2.2 million credit card numbers they say come from Sony's database.

The Upside Of A Weak Dollar

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Planet Money

The Upside Of A Weak Dollar

April 29, 2011 • "Weak dollar" doesn't have a nice ring to it — particularly if you have a bank account full of dollars. But a weaker dollar is good for U.S. exports, which are key to economic growth.

Energy

Electric Car Gets Its 'Revenge'

April 29, 2011 • The 2006 film Who Killed the Electric Car? implicated oil companies, car companies, government and consumers alike in the failure of electric vehicles to reach mass market. Director Chris Paine returns to talk about his follow-up film, Revenge of the Electric Car, which celebrates the ultimate success of "EV's."

Energy

Cape Wind Project Wins Construction Approval

April 29, 2011 • A 130-turbine wind farm proposed by Massachusetts' Cape Wind Associates has won construction approval from the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. Cape Wind's CEO Jim Gordon discusses when construction will begin and who will buy the power the farm supplies.

National

Forget Bake Sales: Schools Turn To Luxe Auctions

April 29, 2011 • Cash-strapped schools across the country are staging swanky events to auction off everything from weeklong Italian vacations to an unwashed Lance Armstrong jersey, which sold for $110,000. "Probably the strangest thing," says one auction organizer, "was the vasectomy for you and your cat."

Peter, Deborah Popular Names For CEOs

April 29, 2011 • If your name is Peter or Deborah, you're more likely to be a CEO. That's what the social networking site LinkedIn found. Other top CEO names: Bob, Jack, Cynthia and Carolyn. It turns out shorter names for males suggest friendliness. For women, full formal names evoke a professional image.

Storms Cripple Businesses In The South

April 29, 2011 • A number of car factories and aerospace plants have shut down temporarily, and some coal mines have suspended production. At a Mercedes Benz plant in Alabama, the damage wasn't bad, but managers closed the plant so workers could take care of their families.

News Corp. Likely To Take A Loss On Myspace Sale

April 29, 2011 • Bids to buy Myspace from News Corp. are due Friday. The parent company will likely be selling the site for hundreds of millions of dollars less than it originally paid. MySpace, the one-time social network powerhouse, was eclipsed in recent years by Facebook.

NASA Contest Searches For Endeavour's Song

April 29, 2011 • The space agency invited the public to submit original songs to be played for Endeavour's crew. More than 1,000 entries came in and a shortlist was put to a public vote on the Internet. Two songs are tied. The tune that gets the most votes will be played on the last day of the mission when the crew wakes up for landing.

Warren Buffet Hosts 'Woodstock For Capitalists'

April 29, 2011 • The annual shareholders meeting of Berkshire Hathaway takes place this weekend in Omaha, Neb. The company is run by Warren Buffet, and the meeting is referred to as the "Woodstock for Capitalists." Financial journalist Roger Lowenstein talks to Renee Montagne about why the faithful come from far and wide to hear from the Oracle of Omaha.

The Federal Budget Crunch

Debt Crisis Hangs Over Washington Politics

April 29, 2011 • Vice President Joe Biden begins negotiations next week with House and Senate leaders on a deficit reduction framework. The White House hopes the talks will persuade Congress to raise the ceiling on the federal debt. If the debt limit isn't raised by early July, the U.S. could default on its financial obligations for the first time in history.

Studies: Rich Don't Flee High-Tax States

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Planet Money

Studies: Rich Don't Flee High-Tax States

April 29, 2011 • Governors in both parties worry that high taxes on the wealthy may prompt them to move. But the evidence suggests otherwise.

As Gas Prices Rise, Oil Company Tax Breaks Debated

Exxon said its profits soared 69 percent during the first three months of 2011. Donna McWilliam/AP hide caption

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Donna McWilliam/AP

National

As Gas Prices Rise, Oil Company Tax Breaks Debated

April 28, 2011 • With gas prices mounting in recent weeks — in some states, they top $4 a gallon — the large tax breaks offered to oil and gas producers are falling under tighter scrutiny from Washington.

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