NPR: Business Story of the Day Podcast

On Saturday, the Senate is expected to lend its approval to a major bill aimed at bolstering the battered U.S. housing market. Economists dislike the bill. Many fear this short-term legislative fix will not address a longer-term problem.

A legendary French winery is purchasing a famous winemaker in California. The deal comes decades after the same California winery beat French wines in a blind taste test. Vic Motto, a wine industry investment banker, says it's "a very important merger of two great wine estates."

The rescue plan for giant mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac promises credit and possible stock purchases. It might cost the U.S. nothing or it might cost $25 billion. Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd says balancing investor confidence and taxpayer exposure is a fine line, but "doing nothing is not an option."

The Senate brings up another bill aimed at lowering gas prices Tuesday, as Republicans tout a new slogan: "Find more. Use less." It's a paradox because finding more oil drives the price down, which encourages consumption. Efforts by Congress to lower gas prices may actually diminish incentives to lower oil consumption.

As traveling becomes more costly and difficult, intercity buses are providing an alternative. Bus companies are enjoying momentous growth as they remake the experience with discount express service and new amenities. But some experts say the new approach will not provide a viable alternative for most drivers.

Campgrounds are a vacation destination that appears to be benefiting, rather than feeling the pinch, from high gas prices. Campground owners nationwide say business is up over last summer.

In the upcoming election, there's now clearly one major issue: the economy. A new poll shows that seven out of 10 voters in two swing states Florida and Ohio say it's a top issue in deciding how they'll vote for president.

Homeowners might think of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as just the big dogs of the mortgage business, but in Washington, D.C., they're known as big players in lobbying. The two companies managed to stave off government regulation for years by lobbying hard and spending generously.

Education budgets are getting hit by higher costs for fuel and food and by lower tax revenues due to the real estate downturn. But some states are trying to protect schools from lousy economic conditions.

The high price of gasoline is fueling a new fleet of social network startups in ridesharing. They're trying to leverage social networks and the ease of technology to make it easier for people to carpool. But some analysts say it will take more than $4-a-gallon gas to get social network carpools firing on all cylinders.

It hasn't been lost on automakers that Americans are looking for cars that are reliable and affordable. In fact, car companies have been marketing their vehicles that way for decades, starting as far back as when Henry Ford's Model T hit the scene.

The introduction in India of the $2,500 Nano soon could put millions behind the wheel of a car for the first time. The country, whose roads are crowded with scooters and motorcycles, is planning a vast national highway project to cater to this new motoring boom.

Amazon's electronic reader, Kindle, is starting to replace paperbacks, but people question how well the device holds up to surf and sand. Can summer reading be done on the device? Lynn Neary finds out.

A French court ruled this week that eBay must pay Louis Vuitton more than $60 million in damages for allowing fake goods to be sold through its site. Co-host Ari Shapiro talks with Chris Sprigman, a professor of intellectual property law at the University of Virginia, about the implications of the ruling.

The Federal Housing Administration says homebuyers who receive down payments through nonprofits are more likely to default on FHA loans than homebuyers who put up the money themselves. Supporters of the assistance program are fighting back.

More and more U.S. companies are outsourcing jobs overseas to cut costs, and that includes newspaper groups. Employees in India are doing everything from writing ad copy to copy editing to writing weekend supplements for U.S. and British newspapers.

The Department of Defense's budget is heavily affected by rising gas prices, especially when it comes to fueling Air Force jets. Some even say that Iraq's oil reserves should help pay the costs.

In a push to sell more of its new Windows Vista software, Microsoft said it plans to stop shipping copies of Windows XP. Lance Ulanoff, PC Magazine's editor in chief, talks about what this means for consumers who use Windows software.

Bill Gates helped bring computers to the masses, creating a company so influential that it was once dubbed "the Evil Empire." On Friday, he moves on to a full-time role as the world's leading philanthropist.

The FBI counts on e-mails to make the first Wall Street arrests related to the subprime mortgage fraud crisis. But critics wonder how strong the case really is and whether Bear Stearns' failure made it an easy target.

The FBI counts on e-mails to make the first Wall Street arrests related to the subprime mortgage fraud crisis. But critics wonder how strong the case really is and whether Bear Stearns' failure made it an easy target.

Domestic sugar producers are reeling from the news that the largest sugar cane grower, U.S. Sugar, is closing. The company is selling its land to Florida to help preserve the Everglades. Domestic producers worry that losing the major ally in their lobbying efforts will sour their ability to shape national sugar policy and set prices.

Domestic sugar producers are reeling from the news that the largest sugar cane grower, U.S. Sugar, is closing. The company is selling its land to Florida to help preserve the Everglades. Domestic producers worry that losing the major ally in their lobbying efforts will sour their ability to shape national sugar policy and set prices.

Political censorship is a way of life in China. Watching pirated U.S. television shows, on the other hand, is one freedom many in China have grown used to and increasingly, the distribution channels are moving online.

Political censorship is a way of life in China. Watching pirated U.S. television shows, on the other hand, is one freedom many in China have grown used to and increasingly, the distribution channels are moving online.

For farmers living along the Mississippi River in Iowa, the flooding has been financially devastating. Thousands of acres of farmland in the Midwest are still underwater. And it couldn't have come at a worse time prices for corn and soybeans are at record levels.

For farmers living along the Mississippi River in Iowa, the flooding has been financially devastating. Thousands of acres of farmland in the Midwest are still underwater. And it couldn't have come at a worse time prices for corn and soybeans are at record levels.

Can you go a day at the office without e-mail? Employees at U.S. Cellular try to do that every Friday. A policy implemented a few years ago gives workers a respite from the e-mail avalanche.

Can you go a day at the office without e-mail? Employees at U.S. Cellular try to do that every Friday. A policy implemented a few years ago gives workers a respite from the e-mail avalanche.

France recently became more competitive in the international arms market. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has cleared away much of the red tape that delayed government approval for weapons sales.