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Retirement at Risk? Feb 27, 2009

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In this struggling economy, boomers are rightfully worried about the funds they were counting on to carry them through the rest of their lives. Will they be able to afford their own retirement? NOW turns to two experts for help and insight: Amy Domini, a pioneer in the field of socially responsible investing; and journalist Dan Gross, who covers the economy for Slate and Newsweek.

Is Your Daughter Safe at Work? Feb 20, 2009

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A shocking statistic -- teenagers are in more danger from sexual predators at their part time jobs than through the Internet. It's a vastly underreported phenomenon, but some brave young women are stepping up publicly to tell their stories. NOW collaborates with the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University to bring you an unprecedented broadcast investigation of teen sexual harassment in the workplace. In the program, abused teenagers share their own stories with senior correspondent Maria Hinojosa. We track their legal journeys to justice, and how the issue impacts hundreds of thousands of teenagers across the country -- many of whom don't know how to report workplace abuse, or to even recognize when their bosses cross the line.

Stimulus Roadblock? Feb 13, 2009

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President Obama's stimulus money is nearly out the door and on its way to the states, but will it be spent in the way it is intended? One alarming example: Mass transit. Cities and states, strapped for money, are cutting back on mass transit even as it becomes more popular with Americans. Meanwhile, President Obama is calling for increased mass transit as a necessary step toward energy independence. Will the government's investment dramatically revitalize our national travel infrastructure, or will states spend the money according to 'business as usual'? NOW travels to North Carolina to see what the future holds for mass transit in these troubling financial times. Our investigation is part of a PBS-wide series on the country's infrastructure called "Blueprint America."

Help for the Homeowners? Feb 06, 2009

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Across the country, cities are in crisis because of the fallout from the mortgage mess--property taxes are way down, and abandoned homes are bringing down property values, inviting crime, and draining government coffers. Neighborhoods are being destroyed. Yet the federal bailout money is not going directly to desperate communities and homeowners, but to local and national banks. NOW investigates the innovative way some cities are fighting back. The city of Memphis, Tennessee is suing major national lenders and banks for deceptive and discriminatory lending practices in an effort to recoup the cost of the financial mess. Other cities using this legal tactic include Baltimore, Cleveland, Buffalo, Birmingham, and San Diego. With desperation climbing alongside debt, can the strategy help these blighted parts of America?

Billions in Bogus Bonuses? Jan 30, 2009

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With this week's swearing-in of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, President Obama's economic team is finally ready to tackle the massive challenge before them. One big question: how much control will they wield over America's banks, the first recipients of the federal bailout? David Brancaccio sits down with financial reporter Bethany McLean -- who broke the Enron story -- to look at options on the table for stabilizing the country's financial system. If banks are nationalized, it will have an enormous impact on depositors, shareholders and taxpayers. Everyone agrees that our banks need federal money to avoid even more calamity, but how much is too much, and who's watching how they spend it?

Over Fifty, Overdrawn Jan 23, 2009

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The economic crisis is affecting people in all income and social brackets, but America's baby boomers and seniors don't have the option to wait it out. The housing meltdown, market crash, and rising costs of everything from food to medicine have taken the luster out of seniors' "golden years" or worse, put them into deep debt. Some are reluctantly exiting retirement to look for jobs, while others are falling prey to predatory lending companies. NOW travels to South Carolina, a state where many retirees and winter refugees are being forced to rewrite the last chapter in their lives, to see how they are coping and what options are left.

Power Struggle Jan 16, 2009

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As America looks to dramatically increase its use of renewable energy, an inconvenient reality stands in the way: the need to upgrade the country's antiquated electricity grid. Part of that overhaul involves the construction of gigantic and expensive long-distance transmission lines to carry clean energy from remote sites to population centers. NOW travels to California, which has the most ambitious clean energy plan in the nation. But the state's efforts face stiff opposition from property owners and conservationists who prefer renewable energy from "local sources," such as photovoltaic rooftop solar panels. Complicating the matter are claims that the transmission lines are not actually carrying renewable energy at all, but represent a thinly-disguised strategy to stick to old energy practices.

Sea Change Jan 09, 2009

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A rise in sea levels isn't the only impact global warming is having on the world's oceans. A growing body of evidence suggests that climate change is also affecting ocean currents and the chemistry of the seas, with potentially catastrophic results on the way we live. NOW travels deep into our oceans with scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and help from other researchers for a first hand look at this stunning sea change, and what we can do about it.

Credit Crunch Jan 02, 2009

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With the economy in a downward spiral, more and more people are taking advantage of credit card offers to make ends meet, but are the credit card companies really taking advantage of their customers? NOW meets with families struggling to pay off the credit card debt they've accumulated -- a debt made even larger thanks to questionable industry practices like doubling and tripling interest rates without warning, increasing fees and penalties, and shrinking credit limits. We take a hard look at the small print in credit card offers, and at Congressional legislation aiming to regulate the industry. Are you getting the credit you deserve?

Credit and Credibility Dec 26, 2008

Show notes

What role did the credit rating agencies play in the current economic crisis? A former managing director at Standard & Poor's speaks out on U.S. television for the first time about how he was pressured to compromise standards in a push for profits. Frank Raiter reveals what was really going on behind closed doors at the credit rating agencies the public relies on to evaluate the safety of their investments. "During this period, profit was primary; analytics were secondary," Raiter tells NOW Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa. Who was watching the watchers? Surprising new revelations in the economic debacle.

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