Business

J.C. Penney CEO Johnson Is Forced Out

9:14am April 09, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

The retailer recruited Johnson from Apple to revitalize the company but since his arrival 18 months ago, business has only gotten worse. J.C. Penney has brought back Johnson's predecessor Myron Ullman to once again led the struggling retailer.

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Administration Urges Europeans To Ease Austerity Measures

9:14am April 09, 2013

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is on his first trip to Europe, pushing for leaders to let up on strict steps that were enacted during the financial crisis. His trip comes as President Obama prepares to send his budget plan to Congress. It's said to include cuts to Social Security and Medicare. David Greene talks to Lew, who's in Berlin to meet with Germany's finance minister.

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Electrolux's new plant in Memphis, Tenn., is the Swedish appliance company's most modern and high-tech facility. The factory will open this summer while an Electrolux plant in Quebec, Canada, is being shuttered.

One Manufacturing Giant Creates Winners And Losers

9:59pm April 08, 2013

by Andrea Hsu

Residents in Memphis, Tenn., are thrilled that Swedish appliance giant Electrolux is opening a new factory there this year. The company plans to employ 1,200 people at the new, high-tech facility. But in Webster, Iowa, an Electrolux plant closure in 2011 has left the local economy reeling.

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The 'Alchemists' Who Control The Purse Strings Of The Economy

3:03pm April 08, 2013

In a new book, Washington Post economics writer Neil Irwin looks at an elite group of policymakers from around the world who manage the money supply, and explains how money can come from — and disappear into — thin air based on the decisions of these influential men and women.

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Flamboyant Designer Lilly Pulitzer Dies At 81

10:09am April 08, 2013

Lilly Pulitzer married into the famous Pulitzer media family but her own fame came from her line of screaming pink, lime and fluorescent yellow shift dresses.

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Target Apologizes For Poor Choice Of Words

10:09am April 08, 2013

Susan Clemens was looking at a grey dress on the company's website. Regular sizes were described as "Dark Heather Gray." Plus sizes — in the exact color — became "Manatee Gray." Manatees are known as sea cows. Clemens tweeted her disgust and it went viral.

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Economy

Honda's Growth Helps Tow Ohio Out Of Recession

6:04pm April 05, 2013

by Steve Brown - Host

Honda is moving its North American headquarters from California to Ohio. That's just the latest bit of good news for the Buckeye State and Honda, whose fortunes have been closely tied for decades now.

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Vice founder Shane Smith attends the premiere screening for the MTV series The Vice Guide To Everything in New York City in December 2010. Vice's new documentary series on HBO launches Friday.

National

Is The Company Behind Rodman's Korea Visit The Future Of Media?

3:17pm April 05, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

Brooklyn-based Vice Media has gone from a small Canadian magazine to figuring out the holy grail of media: how to capture an international audience of aloof 18- to 24-year-olds. From magazines to the Web to film, Vice's CEO says, "We do it weirder, and we do it younger, and we do it in a different way and in a different voice."

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The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels soar over the Florida Keys during a March 23 air show. The group has canceled several air shows in April and May, reportedly owing to budget cuts.

Sequester Scorecard: A Month Later, Effects Still Up In Air

10:09am April 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

Automatic federal budget cuts that kicked in March 1 have had little initial impact in many parts of the government. In a few programs, however, the effect has been real and painful as the government has begun cutting $85 billion from its spending through the end of September.

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'A Lovely Feeling': Celebrating Older Women With Fabulous Style

8:50am April 05, 2013

by Ina Jaffe

The fashion industry is sometimes criticized for unrealistic portrayals of young women. But if you're a woman older than 60, there are almost no portrayals, realistic or otherwise. Now a fashion blog called Advanced Style has made stars of some of these older fashionistas, including a 93-year-old who says the spotlight makes her feel like she's "part of the world."

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