Business

Chinese Company Dalian Wanda Buys Legendary Entertainment

4:25pm January 12, 2016

by Elizabeth Blair

Chinese company Dalian Wanda has bought Legendary Entertainment, the film company which made Jurassic Park among many other movies. The move marks one of the largest American cultural acquisitions ever by a Chinese company.

Environmental Agencies Reject VW's Plan For Recall Over Emissions

3:57pm January 12, 2016

by Bill Chappell

The EPA says Volkswagen is responsible for nearly 600,000 diesel-powered vehicles that are now producing harmful air pollution in the U.S.

This Hyundai MOBIS "i-Cockpit Car" simulator let people experience autonomous driving mode at the 2016 technology show CES in Las Vegas.

Self-Driving Cars Are Coming, But Are We Ready For Them?

3:38pm January 12, 2016

by NPR Staff

Automakers and tech companies are racing to develop them. But is the public ready to give up control of their cars? The University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute has been evaluating.

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Obama To Highlight Auto Industry Success In State Of The Union

2:07pm January 12, 2016

by Sonari Glinton

During President Obama's administration, the auto industry hit record sales in 2015. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan, says Obama has a right to a "victory lap."

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David Bowie performs during a concert celebrating his 50th birthday, on Jan. 9, 1997, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

David Bowie, The Internet Visionary

12:23pm January 12, 2016

by Laura Sydell

Bowie was an explorer of what it meant to be human. In a 1999 interview, he predicted the power of the Internet — "an alien life form" — to break down the divisions between artists and the audience.

World News

Rupert Murdoch And Jerry Hall Say They're Getting Married

12:17pm January 12, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Murdoch, the billionaire executive chairman of News Corp., and Hall, the model and former partner of Mick Jagger, have reportedly been dating since late summer.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg notes that while workers in today's "gig economy" may have more freedom than they had in years past, they also have less security.

Economy

Goodbye Jobs, Hello 'Gigs': How One Word Sums Up A New Economic Reality

9:56am January 12, 2016

by Geoff Nunberg

Once used by '50s hipsters to connote a no-strings-attached job, "gig" has been co-opted by venture capitalists hyping the new economic order. Linguist Geoff Nunberg reflects on the word's resurgence.

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ABC Family Channel To Change Its Name To Freeform Network

5:25am January 12, 2016

by Eric Deggans

The cable channel is dropping the word family from its title for the first time in more than 25 years. The move shows how competition has forced TV channels to hone in on their most important viewers.

NPR's Weekend in Washington session at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 31, 2015.

Economy

Richard Thaler: Why Most Economists Might As Well Be Studying Unicorns

12:01am January 12, 2016

by NPR Staff

Shankar Vedantam talks to Richard Thaler — father of behavioral economics and author of Misbehaving -- about why we so often fail to act the way we should and how marshmallows can predict the future.

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One of the banana plants in the collection at the USDA's Tropical Agriculture Research Station in Puerto Rico. It's just one of many banana collections around the world that might just hold the key to stopping a fungus's deadly reach.

Our Favorite Banana May Be Doomed; Can New Varieties Replace It?

9:11pm January 11, 2016

by Dan Charles

The Cavendish banana and other beloved varieties are threatened by a fungus that's spreading around the world. Scientists are trying to find new varieties that will be resistant to the disease.

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