Morning Edition on NPR & Classical Music

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NPR business news starts with a price hike for Facebook shares.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: OK, they're not even on sale yet, but investor excitement over Facebook's upcoming initial public offering has prompted the company to raise the price range for its shares. Sources say the new range will be from $34 and $38 per share. That's up from a previous range of $28 to $35.

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And our last word in business: the passenger door is now closed. Please make sure all your electronic devices have been switched off.

If you're sick of those rules on planes, well, they may be changing a bit. Virgin Atlantic has announced passengers on their new Airbus will soon be able to chat on their mobile phones.

When Adam Spiegel rolls down the metal security doors at his Medford, Ore., store, a painting becomes visible. Officials told him to clean the graffiti or be fined. He tells the Mail-Tribune it's not graffiti: it's a mural. Some onlookers think the painting resembles a giant bong.

When Gac Filipaj fled war-torn Yugoslavia in 1992, he became a refugee in New York. He took a janitor's job at Columbia University because it included free tuition. But he first had to learn English. After a dozen years, he received a bachelor's degree in classics over the weekend.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The economy of Wilmington, Ohio was devastated three years ago when the shipping company DHL left town, taking thousands of jobs with it. City leaders now want to embrace a rapidly growing industry - unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as UAVs. In popular culture, they're somewhat inaccurately called drones. The Federal Aviation Administration recently gave the Air Force permission to test UAVs at the now largely vacant Wilmington Air Park. Here's Ann Thompson of member station WVXU.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

You know, one of the benefits of starting your own company is that you can pretty much wear whatever you want - up to a point. Our last word in business today is: dress for success.

Just as Steve Jobs was known for his mock-turtleneck, Mark Zuckerberg has become known for his hoodie. Business blogs breathlessly chronicle Zuckerberg's dress decisions and note the fact that he sports the collegiate just-rolled-out-of-bed look, even at important business meetings.

The head of JPMorgan Chase says the trading strategy that cost it $2 billion in a matter of weeks won't really affect the bank's bottom line. But the trade happened during a presidential campaign where the economy and Wall Street are major themes.

Facebook is expected to start selling stock to the public this week. The social networking giant is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on Friday. CEO Mark Zuckerberg will remain the company's biggest shareholder. Steven Levy, of Wired magazine, talks to Morning Edition's David Greene about what that means for the company and potential shareholders.

Morning Edition's Renee Montagne continues her reporting from the Afghan capital Kabul on the future of Afghanistan. She sits down with the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with a Mother's Day shakeup.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: Yahoo says its CEO, Scott Thompson, is out, after a shareholder revealed an in accuracy on his resume. Mr. Thompson had claimed that he held two college degrees. In fact, he only had one. Thompson's resignation is a victory for an activist hedge fund that has been pressing for a shakeup in how Yahoo is run.