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  • Food Documentary Debate Misses Mainstream Farmers
    Food Inc., a documentary film about the modern agricultural industry, is a hit with big-city movie reviewers, small organic farmers and vegetarians. The movie argues that large-scale agriculture produces inexpensive meat and vegetables, but imposes high costs on the environment and Americans' health. But ordinary farmers — the people who grow the lion's share of what America eats — have largely been left out of the mainstream media debate over Food Inc. Frank Morris, of member station KCUR in Kansas City, drove out to hear what farmers are saying.
  • Will Madoff's Fate Comfort Victims?
    Host Scott Simon talks to New York Times business columnist Joe Nocera about the Bernie Madoff sentencing and what it means for victims of the Ponzi scheme.
  • Apple Warns Some iPhones May Have Heat Issues
    Apple Inc. has issued an advisory that some 3G and 3GS iPhones may not do well in hot conditions. Apple is telling owners to keep the phones in places where the temperature is below 95 degrees.
  • FDIC Closes 1 Banks In Texas, 6 In Illinois
    Seven banks were shut down Thursday — pushing the total number of banks that have failed this year to 52. The year is just half over, and already the figure is more than double what it was for all of 2008. Back in 2007, only three banks failed.
  • Author Offers Advice For First-Time Job Hunters
    David Greene talks with Ellen Gordon Reeves about her new book <em>Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?</em> It's advice for young people who are job searching for the first time.
  • Morgage-Burning Parties Almost Extinct
    When's the last time you went to a mortgage-burning party? Do people even pay off their 30-year mortgages anymore? NPR's Planet Money team went on a mission to find out.
  • Heavy Job Loss Prompts Stimulus Criticism
    The surprising loss of 467,000 jobs in June, far more than expected, is fueling Republican criticism of the Obama administration's stimulus program. After the numbers were announced Thursday, President Obama called the huge job losses sobering. The continuing fallout in the labor market is causing problems in the housing sector, and vice versa.
  • Visiting Sen. Grassley At Home in Iowa
    Congress returns to Washington next week with health care on its mind. President Obama and the Democrats agree with Republicans that legislation overhauling health care should be bipartisan. And there may be no stronger advocate for bipartisanship on health care than Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Finance Committee.
  • For Sale: Your Michael Jackson Memorabilia
    Since Michael Jackson died last week, his trading cards, old albums and autographs are selling for huge amounts of money. A letter Michael Jackson wrote to an unknown "Greg" sold for $20,000, and an album signed by all of the Jackson 5 sold for $27,000.
  • Risks, Benefits Of Securitization Under Scrutiny
    As part of its plan to reform financial markets, the Obama administration will turn its focus to the securitization industry. These days, almost anytime someone borrows money, the debt gets repackaged into a security that can be bought or sold like a stock.
  • New Owner Spurs Optimism At Saturn
    Many Saturn dealers and customers were relieved after hearing that Roger Penske would buy the company from General Motors. Penske has a reputation as a dynamo in his many business endeavors, but the company will be entering uncharted waters with the Saturn venture.
  • Economist: Stimulus Appears To Be Working
    More jobs were lost last month than expected, but the Obama administration's economic stimulus package promises to create 600,000 jobs by the end of the summer. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, says that without the stimulus, the numbers would be worse.
  • U.S. Shed 467,000 Jobs In June
    The Labor Department reported Thursday that U.S. businesses shed a bigger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 9.5 percent, the highest in nearly 26 years. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 200 points on the news.
  • Obama Disappointed By Jobs Numbers
    President Obama said Thursday he is "deeply concerned" about unemployment. The remarks to <em>The Associated Press</em> came after the Labor Department said U.S. businesses shed 467,000 jobs in June and that the unemployment rate increased to 9.5 percent.
  • Report: SEC Official Raised Madoff Concern
    In 2004, an investigator with the Securities and Exchange Commission warned superiors of inconsistencies in convicted fraudster Bernard Madoff's trading practices. She was, however, told to focus on other investigations. Zachary Goldfarb, a business and economics reporter with <em>The Washington Post</em>, offers his insight.

Tune-in to Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal weekdays on KJZZ at 6pm.



 



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