Business

Astronaut's Video Taken Down After Copyright Expires

7:27am May 14, 2014

Astronaut Chris Hadfield covered David Bowie's "Space Oddity" while he was in space. In the copyright agreement, Bowie said the YouTube video could stay up a year. The year ended at midnight.

Queue Listen Now

Housing Regulator Has Big Plans In Store For Two Mortgage Titans

7:26pm May 13, 2014

by Chris Arnold

A top federal regulator for the U.S. housing market signaled some big changes for government-run mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The changes likely mean lending will be expanded.

Queue Listen Now

Pfizer is pursuing British drugmaker AstraZeneca, in part because it wants to lower its tax rate by moving its headquarters to London.

National

Companies Face Backlash Over Foreign Mergers To Avoid U.S. Taxes

7:26pm May 13, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

Pfizer, the giant drugmaker, is the latest American company seeking a foreign merger to elude U.S. taxes. Public advocacy groups call such deals unfair and want Congress to crack down.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

From B-Boys To Billions, A Brief History Of Hip-Hop As Business

7:26pm May 13, 2014

Apple is expected to buy Beats Electronics for more than three billion dollars, meaning Beats co-founder Dr. Dre would be close to becoming the first hip-hop billionaire.

Queue Listen Now

Facebook Looking To Open A Sales Office In Beijing

7:30am May 13, 2014

The office could open even though Facebook was banned in China five years ago, according to Bloomberg News. A new office would service Chinese businesses wanting to advertise internationally.

Queue Listen Now

Then-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies before the House Financial Services Committee in 2012. He says he struggled with communicating why he had to help the banks during the financial crisis.

For Geithner, Financial Crisis Was Like Landing A Burning Plane

8:27pm May 12, 2014

by NPR Staff

Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner received mixed reviews of his performance during the financial crisis. In his new book, he says he did what was required to "keep the lights on."

Queue Listen Now

This Week Is Screen-Free Week,

3:26pm May 12, 2014

Kids and parents around the world made pledges to stop using TVs, tablets, computers and video games.

Queue Listen Now

Apple Expected To Buy Beats Electronics

3:26pm May 12, 2014

The deal is worth more than $3 billion, according to the Financial Times. The headphone maker and music streaming distributor was founded by hip-hop star Dr. Dre and record producer Jimmy Iovine.

Queue Listen Now

The website RocketHub connects startups with a funding network. Here, the site's founders (from left): Alon Hillel-Tuch, Vladimir Vukicevic, Brian Meece and Jed Cohen.

Crowdfunding Can Help Build Business, But At What Cost?

3:26pm May 12, 2014

by Jim Zarroli

The Securities and Exchange Commission is poised to let small businesses get financed by the masses. Investing in startups is risky, though. Meanwhile, critics are wary of regulation.

Queue Listen Now

Driver In Carpool Lane Pulled Over For Suspicious Passenger

3:26pm May 12, 2014

Cars in that lane outside Boston should have at least two occupants. A mannequin's head doesn't count as a passenger.

Queue Listen Now