Business

NPR To Drop Call-In Show 'Talk Of The Nation'

11:14am March 29, 2013

NPR executives announced Friday that they will stop production of Talk of the Nation this summer. The call-in program will be replaced with Here and Now, a newsmagazine that will be a co-production of Boston member station WBUR and NPR.

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Farm Bill's Sugar Subsidy More Taxing Than Sweet, Critics Say

11:55pm March 28, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

A government sugar subsidy program is often criticized for keeping sugar prices too high. But now prices are falling and the government may buy 400,000 tons of sugar to help struggling sugar processors. Critics say the government's involvement in the sugar business should end.

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Economy

IMF: Gas Prices Don't Reflect True Costs

9:18am March 28, 2013

The IMF says that price of gasoline in the U.S. covers the cost of producing and distribution gasoline but it doesn't reflect the costs that gasoline consumption imposes on society — in the form of traffic, congestion, pollution and global warming. Linda Wertheimer talks to David Wessel, economics editor of The Wall Street Journal, about a new IMF report on energy subsidies.

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After 2-Week Closure, Cypriot Banks Reopen

9:18am March 28, 2013

by Joanna Kakissis

The Mediterranean island nation's leaders are hoping to prevent a bank run. Customers could see limits on cash withdrawals that could last for months. The terms of the bailout deal are a shocking outcome for a country which built itself on its banking industry.

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Yahoo Buys News App From British Teenager For A Reported $30 Million

5:58pm March 27, 2013

by Jeff Brady

Yahoo has purchased a news reading app from its developer for $30 million. The twist is that the person who created it is 17-year-old Nick D'Aloisio. He lives in England. The acquisition is the latest in a series of high profile moves Yahoo has made recently.

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Some insurers prefer to pay for manual breast pumps, but some working moms prefer more expensive, electric models.

Law Says Insurers Should Pay For Breast Pumps, But Which Ones?

9:30am March 27, 2013

by Kristian Foden-Vencil

Health insurers are obligated to cover pumps to help moms breast-feed. But there is a variety of equipment. Some nursing mothers prefer faster, electric models that cost more. Insurers may say a less expensive manual pump would do just fine.

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Judge Approves Hostess Snack Food Sales

9:30am March 27, 2013

Twinkies, Ho Hos and Ding Dongs will go to a pair of private equity firms. Wonder Bread will be sold to snack food maker Flowers Food. The Beefsteak brand of bread will go to a Mexican company.

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In Long Beach, Wash., Chinook Observer editor and publisher Matt Winters has overseen his paper's transition to the Internet and, more recently, to a pay wall.

Looking For 'Oxygen,' Small Papers Erect Digital Pay Walls

8:38am March 27, 2013

by Ashley Gross

The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle are the latest big newspapers embracing a pay model for Web content that had been free. But around the country, more small papers, like the Chinook Observer in Washington state, have also started charging for their digital content in a bid for economic survival.

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For most Americans, the math for a comfortable retirement may never add up.

Economy

Planning For Retirement When Savings Fall Short

8:04am March 27, 2013

by NPR Staff

For most Americans, the math for a comfortable retirement may never add up. According to recent census figures, Americans ages 55 to 65 had about $45,000 in savings and assets, not including their homes. Morning Edition's Renee Montagne talks to three experts about retiring with little savings.

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The Solar Impulse, a solar-powered plane, flies over Switzerland. The makers will be journeying across the U.S. this spring, hoping the flight helps challenge assumptions about what solar technology can do.

Solar-Powered Plane Uses Its Lightness To Fly In The Dark

7:54am March 27, 2013

by Steve Henn

Creators of a solar-powered aircraft hope to fly it day and night across the U.S. with no fuel, and eventually around the world. It's a quixotic — some might call it nutty — undertaking. But the creators hope the flight helps challenge assumptions about what solar technology can do.

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