Business

News Brief: Iowa Results, Trump Speech, Educational Redlining

6:13am February 05, 2020

Iowa caucus results are still not final. President Trump used the State of the Union to make a case for reelection. And, graduates from historically Black colleges may pay more to borrow money.

Queue Listen Now

Davon Artis holds a pair of Kobe 6 Grinch shoes, released in 2010. The shoes more than doubled in value within hours of Bryant's death.

Kobe Bryant Merchandise Increases In Value But Not Everyone Is Cashing In

5:11am February 05, 2020

by Austin Cross

Shops that sell Kobe Bryant merchandise have seen a spike in sales in the wake of his death. Now they're making a choice: profit from tragedy or keep Bryant's merchandise accessible to the public.

Queue Listen Now

Des Moines City Councilman and a precinct chair Carl Voss shows the app that was used for caucus results reporting on his smartphone after he unsuccessfully attempted to drop off a caucus results packet from Precinct 55 at the Iowa Democratic Party headqu

What We Know About The App That Delayed Iowa's Caucus Results

10:11pm February 04, 2020

by Avie Schneider

Iowa Democratic Party officials said a new smartphone app designed to speed the results actually ended up delaying them. Last month, NPR reported on security and other concerns with the app.

National

Thanks To Coronavirus, Disaster 'Prepper' Business Is Booming

5:08pm February 04, 2020

by Heath Druzin

Businesses that sell emergency "prepper" food and other supplies are booming in response to coronavirus fears. It's especially true in places where Mormon church culture encourages preparedness.

Queue Listen Now

National

Business Is Down At Travel Agencies Specializing In China Due To Coronavirus

5:08pm February 04, 2020

by Robert Garrova

Travel agencies that arrange trips to and from China are taking a hit from the coronavirus. The CDC's recommendation to avoid non-essential travel there means tourism business is at a standstill.

Queue Listen Now

Doughnuts with a receipt made of fondant were on display last week at a bakery in Moosinning, Germany. These Kassenbon Krapfen — receipt doughnuts — are a reaction to Germany's new receipt law.

World News

Germany Has A New Receipt Law — And Bakeries Are Getting Sweet Revenge

3:51pm February 04, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

The policy is known as Kassengesetz, and it's meant to increase transparency and prevent tax fraud. Critics say it just creates mountains of wasted paper, and shops are complying in creative fashion.

The documentary McMillions explores, using both archival footage and recreations, the story of the fraud uncovered within the McDonald's Monopoly game.

Arts

Crooks Go All-Out To Take Home The Grand Fries In 'McMillions'

1:57pm February 04, 2020

by Linda Holmes

HBO's latest documentary series explores an enormous conspiracy to steal the winning game pieces from McDonald's' best-known promotional game.

Poverty In Iowa: Why The Poor Often Don't Participate In Caucuses

9:38am February 04, 2020

by David Greene

Some Iowans who live below the poverty line feel disillusioned by national politics and don't feel as if they have the knowledge to participate in the caucus process.

Queue Listen Now

James Mark (center) inside his restaurant Big King, along with cooks (from left) Oscar Lange, Emily Joslyn, Peter Kachmarsky and JC Kuvaszko. Mark employs fewer than 50 people so isn't required to provide health benefits. But it helps with staff retention

Health & Safety

A Top Restaurateur Thinks Single-Payer Health Care Could Boost His Bottom Line

8:50am February 04, 2020

by Shefali Luthra

Offering health benefits can help elite restaurants hire and keep ace employees. But owners would rather focus on great food, they say, than drown in administrative costs. Is single-payer the answer?

When McDonald's Was A Road To Black Liberation

8:02am February 04, 2020

by Gene Demby

The historian Marcia Chatelain's new book, Franchise, outlines a forgotten history of McDonald's as a site of social protest and a mechanism black entrepreneurs hoped might spur black liberation.