Mar 12th, 2010 · Workers at a Portland, Ore., steel mill soon will be able to pick a new type of health insurance: one with financial rewards to use proven treatments and disincentives to use less-effective surgeries and diagnostic tests.
Mar 12th, 2010 · President Obama delayed his trip to Asia to focus on health care, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) said he would move forward on a financial overhaul bill without Republican support, and Vice President Joe Biden had a rocky visit to the Middle East where he tried to restart peace talks. David Brooks, of The New York Times, and Clarence Page, of the Chicago Tribune, discuss the week in politics.
Mar 12th, 2010 · As the financial crisis grew in 2007 and 2008, the now-defunct banking giant knew it needed to reduce its reliance on borrowed money. But it was a bad time to sell stuff off and pay back debts. So Lehman Brothers made special use of something called the repo market.
Mar 11th, 2010 · Planet Money is committed to following the financial crisis to the bitter end. And what better way to do that than to own a piece of it. We bought one of those things that no one wanted, one of those things that almost brought down the global economy: our very own toxic asset.
Mar 11th, 2010 · The Senate Banking Committee chairman plans to offer his own financial regulation bill without GOP support after a month of talks with Republican Sen. Bob Corker found some common ground but didn't yield agreement on consumer protections and other sticking points.
Mar 11th, 2010 · Senate Democrats and Republicans are trying to work out differences over how to overhaul financial regulations following the financial crisis. One of the big sticking points is the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Democrats, including President Obama, want a separate and independent agency. Republicans want it to be part of an existing agency but Democrats say that's been tried and didn't work.
Mar 10th, 2010 · George Soros has made billions of dollars predicting the ups and downs of global financial markets. Soros speaks to Steve Inskeep about his new book The Soros Lectures: At the European University. It is Soros' dissertation on why the world financial system is so flawed — and what corrective steps will help.
Mar 9th, 2010 · David M. Walker is the former comptroller general of the United States. His book, Comeback America, details the current financial crisis and offers his ideas on controlling spending and restoring fiscal responsibility in the United States.