Business

A DJI Phantom 2 flying camera is presented at the media event prior to the International CES show opening in Las Vegas.

CES 2014: Toothbrush? Bed? Car? Put Some Internet On It

11:18am January 07, 2014

by NPR Staff

The Consumer Electronics Show is the tech industry's annual electronics showcase in Las Vegas, where companies are showing off their latest and greatest gadgets, like Internet-connected toothbrushes (ideal for hygiene-concerned helicopter parents) and cars that come equipped with a 4G cell connection.

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To help cut down on fraud, Congress is limiting access to the Social Security Administration's data about people who die in the United States each year.

Tighter Access To 'Death Master File' Has Researchers Worried

10:51am January 07, 2014

by Brian Naylor

The Social Security Administration has long kept track of deaths so it can stop checks when recipients die. And while researchers have used the file for years, fraudsters have, too. So Congress is limiting access to the data — and that has everyone from bankers to genealogists concerned.

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Financial Benefits Of A College Degree Accumulate

8:03am January 06, 2014

by Ina Jaffe

It's been said that having more education usually leads to higher pay. A study suggests the advantage continues even into retirement years. That's in part because those with more education tend to stay in the work force longer.

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Sports

Costs Climb As Sochi Winter Olympics Approaches

6:55pm January 05, 2014

The Sochi Winter Olympics are on track to being the most expensive games in Olympic history. A $265 million ski jump, 42,000 hotel rooms and a $51 billion budget. It's been called a financial fiasco, as Josh Yaffa of Bloomberg Businessweek tells NPR's Arun Rath.

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Economy

Piedmont Business Leaders to Watch in 2014

8:42pm January 02, 2014

Strengthening the Piedmont's economy will require a new vision on multiple levels.

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For The Unemployed, Ideas To Help Bridge The Gap To Work

8:01pm January 02, 2014

by Chris Arnold

More than 1 million people lost their unemployment benefits as 2014 began. Whether or not those benefits get extended, economists say there are ways to change the program that will make it work better. One suggestion is work sharing, which has helped reduce Germany's unemployment.

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The Widening Wealth Gap: Bringing Income Inequality Into Focus

6:18pm January 02, 2014

The widening gap between the rich and poor in the U.S. has become a central touch point for economists, pundits and politicians across the U.S. New York City's newly sworn-in mayor, Bill deBlasio, was elected after campaigning against a city divided between the haves and have-nots. President Obama has called tackling inequality the defining challenge of our time, saying that growing inequality and a lack of upward mobility jeopardizes the American dream. But what, exactly, is income inequality? Audie Cornish puts that question to Drew DeSilver, a senior writer for the Pew Research Center's Fact Tank blog.

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National

Is It Legal For Undocumented Immigrant To Practice Law?

3:44pm January 02, 2014

by Emily Green

Opponents argue that admitting Sergio Garcia to the bar would violate a federal law prohibiting entities funded with state money from granting undocumented immigrants professional licenses. The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on Wednesday.

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Fiat Pays $4.3 Billion To Get Complete Control Of Chrysler

7:52am January 02, 2014

The Italian automaker already held a majority share of the Detroit automaker that produces Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles.

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National

Colorado's Turning Over A New Leaf: Recreational Pot

11:42am January 01, 2014

As of Wednesday, licensed stores in Colorado can sell recreational marijuana, making it the first state to control and regulate a legal recreational marijuana industry.

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