Business

Rules Could Make TV Commercials Quieter

9:03am December 13, 2012

CALM is an acronym for a new law that takes effect Thursday. It stands for the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, and it means you won't have to jump for your TV remote the second commercials air. The law says the volume of commercials needs to be the same as the programs they're coming out of.

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Erin Kulick can see the animal clinic where she once worked from her balcony in Queens, N.Y. Six weeks after Hurricane Sandy, the clinic is still closed.

Post-Sandy, Newly Unemployed Struggle To Stay Afloat

7:19pm December 12, 2012

by Margot Adler

While the storm did not influence the nation's jobless figures as much as expected, there are still thousands of people who are unemployed in Sandy's wake. Many businesses on the East Coast are still making repairs or have closed entirely, leaving many families in limbo.

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Chinese Firm Buys Massachusetts Tech Company

1:01pm December 12, 2012

by Curt Nickisch

On Tuesday, a federal bankruptcy judge gave the nod to a Chinese firm to buy a Massachusetts technology company. The company, A123 Systems, makes batteries for electric cars, but some in Congress are fighting to block the deal.

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Economy

Do Unions Still Have Clout In Michigan?

7:27am December 12, 2012

The contentious fight over labor rights has been unfolding throughout the Midwest in the last couple years. Michigan becoming a right-to-work state is only the latest example. Over the past two years in Wisconsin and Ohio, Republican governors took on labor unions.

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Is California Up Next For An Oil And Gas Boom?

6:05am December 12, 2012

by Lauren Sommer

The Bureau of Land Management is auctioning off 18,000 acres of oil leases in California Wednesday. The state has one of the largest deposits of shale oil in the country. And it's attracting new attention because of the drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing – or fracking.

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A model at the front entrance to the Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store in New York City.

Mystery On Fifth Avenue: A Constant Line Outside Abercrombie & Fitch

9:34pm December 11, 2012

by Margot Adler

For years, shoppers in Manhattan's Fifth Avenue have lined up in front the store everyday before it opens. The question is why.

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Economy

What Changes In Right-To-Work States?

4:26pm December 11, 2012

The Michigan House approved two measures that would make the state the 24th in the nation to enact right-to-work legislation. Protesters continue to gather at the State Capitol in opposition to legislation that will likely weaken unions in the home of the United Auto Workers.

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Detroit Tries To Stave Off State Takeover Of Finances

10:55am December 11, 2012

by Quinn Klinefelter

If the mayor and City Council can't agree on a plan to reduce the budget deficit, state officials are poised to take away their power over Detroit's purse strings. The mayor and the council blame each other for the impasse. And with the deficit deepening, residents' frustration continues to mount.

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A boy jumps into the sea from high above in the harbor of Mousehole, Cornwall, England.

What Happens If We Fall Off The 'Fiscal Cliff'?

10:55am December 11, 2012

by Tamara Keith

President Obama and congressional Republicans have been trying to negotiate a deal to avert the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff." But what happens Jan. 1 if no agreement is reached? Some experts say not much will happen — at least not immediately.

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Politics & Government

The Lost Art Of Budget Negotiations

10:55am December 11, 2012

Congress and President Obama have yet to reach a budget deal, despite an impending deadline. It's just the latest episode that has caused folks in Washington to reflect that it wasn't always this difficult to make deals inside the beltway. Renee Montagne talks to former Missouri Senator John Danforth about his experience in past budget negotiations, and what lessons they offer for today's discussions.

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