Latest from Mary Dooe

• Mar 30, 2012

  PODCAST: Foxconn workers get a raise, Quaker Oats gets a makeover

  

  The company that makes Apple products in China, Foxconn, is pledging to improve working conditions at its factories, saying it'll hike pay and limit work hours after an investigation found the firm was regularly violating labor rules. Here in this country, many jobs are being replaced by machines, and Economy 4.0's David Brancaccio is currently driving 3,200 miles across the country without interacting with humans. The amount of outstanding student loan debt in this country has reached $1 trillion, and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is trying to address this issue at the federal level. And the Master's tournament tees off next week at the exclusive Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

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• Mar 29, 2012

  PODCAST: Best Buy closes stores, Prada profits jump

  

  Arguments for and against the legality of the Affordable Care Act wrapped up yesterday in the Supreme Court, and today, in our weekly Attitude Check, we look at how the average American feels about the law. The value of Mega Millions drawing has soared to a half-billion dollars. Lottery officials report strong sales in the 40-plus states that take part in the drawing, but if you go into a pool with co-workers, you might want to take a few precautions.

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• Mar 28, 2012

  PODCAST: Gas keeps rising, Annie’s goes public

  

  Research shows that over a quarter of the population isn't getting enough sleep, but what can be done? Research in Motion reports earnings tomorrow, and despite efforts to revamp the company and its BlackBerry product, the outlook is still grim. The health care debate continues into Day Three, and David Brancaccio continues his cross-country trip looking at robots that are stealing our jobs.

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• Mar 27, 2012

  PODCAST: Southwest raises prices, consumer confidence falls

  

  This week, we're looking at how new technology is changing the American workforce. The series is called "Robots Ate My Job," and David Brancaccio of our Economy 4.0 unit is driving across the country without interacting with a single human being. Today, a look at self-checkout at grocery stores. A couple of congressional panels will look at the military's push into alternative energy. And day two of the Supreme Court arguments surrounding the new health care law begins.

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• Mar 26, 2012

  PODCAST: Ben Bernanke speaks, ‘The Hunger Games’ takes off

  

  It's day one of Supreme Court arguments over President Barack Obama's health care reform law. Twenty-six states are challenging the law — parts of which are already in place. Apollo Group, which owns the University of Phoenix, is expected to announce earnings today, and analysts aren't expecting big things. It's been 10 years since the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School opened a satellite campus in San Francisco. To mark the occasion, the business school has moved to a bigger — and shinier — facility.

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• Mar 23, 2012

  PODCAST: Insider trading bill passes, World Water Day app

  

  Private investors are buying up foreclosed properties by the bushel and renting them out at a profit. Speaking of bushels, the warm weather is tempting some farmers to start planting — but if you plant too early, you won’t get federal crop insurance if something goes wrong. And tax day is just three weeks away. Why is it that so many people want tax reform, but that it just hasn't happened yet?

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• Mar 22, 2012

  PODCAST: Marketplace meets President Obama, Solo cups get sold

  

  The president will be talking energy today in Cushing, Okla. — the starting point for the southern part of the Keystone XL Pipeline. But come Monday, the president will have another issue to worry about: the future of his health care law. Yesterday, Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal sat down with President Obama in Nevada and asked him about it. The president also outlined what he sees as the "recipe for success" for the American economy. One California chain, Umami Burger, is getting ready to test the market for the $15 patty — with all the fixings — nationwide. And we check in with Frank Newport for our weekly Attitude Check.

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• Mar 21, 2012

  PODCAST: Farewell Exxon Valdez, Happy Birthday Twitter

  

  The morning after yet another primary Tuesday, we take a deeper look at the economic policies of Mitt Romney. Is cane sugar really better for you than corn syrup? And as gas prices keep going up, the White House could grant a waiver of what's known as the "Jones Act," which currently forbids foreign cargo ships from moving their goods from one American port to another.

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• Mar 16, 2012

  PODCAST: Crude oil and consumer prices rise, one job where women make more

  

  Apple's latest iPad is released in stores today, but the lines aren't stretching quite so far down the block as they used to. And the company might soon be trying to buy your old iPad back from you, to refurbish and re-sell in other parts of the world. In Arizona, a new line on the state's tax return asks people how much shopping they've done out-of-state. And what is the importance of the female vote in this election cycle?

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• Mar 15, 2012

  PODCAST: China’s ‘hard landing,’ Greg Smith’s shockwaves

  

  As March Madness begins, we talk to L.A. Times consumer columnist David Lazarus about why many who never gamble decide to play the game this time of year. Does premium gas really help you get better mileage in the long run? And lately, some experts have been wondering whether Pinterest users have the right to show off photos that in many cases they did not create.

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