Sears Holdings Closing Dozens of Stores

Sears Holdings has announced that it’s closing around 100 stores, following a rough season for holiday sales. The latest challenges add to the retailer’s previous struggles. Click here to read The WSJ article about Sears, and its discount chain Kmart. Sears released a partial list of closures. Here is the list.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Is Dead

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Is Dead

Kim Jong Il, the dictator who used fear and isolation to maintain power in North Korea and his nuclear weapons to menace his neighbors and threaten the U.S., has died, North Korean state television reported early Monday.  His death opens a new and potentially dangerous period of transition and instability for North Korea and northeast Asia. Mr. Kim in September 2010 tapped the youngest of his three sons, Kim Jong Eun, to succeed him, and North Korean state television on Monday said the younger Mr. Kim will lead the country.  Mr. Kim, who was 69 or 70 years old, according to varying accounts, died during a train ride on Saturday, a weeping television announcer said. He was believed to have been in ill health since suffering a stroke in 2008, and North Korean media said he experienced an “advanced acute myorcardial infarction,” or heart attack. 

WSJ Editorial Board member Brian Carney has the latest.  Download MP3

WSJ’s Jeremy Page tells us how Il’s death may affect China.  Download MP3

Tilting the Holiday See-Saw Back In Your Favor

• Commentary
• Mike Gavin

There is one big reason why kids enjoy the holidays, Christmas specifically, much more than adults do.

When you’re a kid, the entire Christmas preparation/celebration see-saw is tilted completely on the “celebration” side.  Christmas as a young child…

Ceremonies Mark Formal End of War

It’s Tebow Time!

My Tebow-mania is out of control

I know, I know: It’s a little, uh, unbecoming of someone who fancies himself a hard-bitten sports fan and media columnist to gush over the play of Tim Tebow, the unlikely young star who has amazingly led the Denver Broncos on a 7-1 run to put the Broncos in the thick of the National Football League’s playoff picture.  Plus, we here in hipper-than-thou New York City are supposed to be immune to the fads and trends that sweep the heartland. I’m proud to remind you that the Wave, which America thought was a wonderful way to actively support the hometown team, never went anywhere in Gotham.  MarketWatch columnist Jon Friedman tells us we he has Tebow fever.  Download MP3

Cheery Shoppers Mask Perils

American shoppers are keeping the U.S. economic recovery afloat. The question is how long they can continue to do so amid high unemployment, stagnant wage growth and a depressed housing market.  Consumer spending, a major driver of the U.S. economy, is especially critical now. A likely recession in Europe is hurting American exports, budget cuts are driving down government spending, and market turmoil is making companies reluctant to invest. That leaves personal consumption, which accounted for the vast majority of the U.S.’s 2% growth rate in the third quarter.  WSJ’s Ben Casselman tells us how important this holiday spending season is.  Download MP3

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It’s not your fault, Cardinals fans. And, you might even be better off.

• Commentary
• Mike Gavin

When a marriage (any marriage) suddenly breaks up, there’s a tendency in the fallout for the kids to blame themselves.  Maybe if they weren’t so bratty, or didn’t ruin the new sofa with the grape juice they spilled last month, somehow their parents would still be the same happy people…

6 Tips for Outdoor Christmas Decorations

I love Christmas decorations. In fact, each Christmas Eve, my family and I travel about 20 minutes to visit a home that has so many lights that I’d be willing to bet it’s visible from space. Another favorite (closer to home) is a light show set to music, like this one. We find it fun [...]

Dodd-Frank’s Nasty Side Effect

Debit-Fee Cap Has Nasty Side Effect

Just two months after one of the most controversial parts of the Dodd-Frank financial-overhaul law was enacted, some merchants and consumers are starting to pay the price.  Many business owners who sell low-priced goods like coffee and candy bars now are paying higher rates, not lower, when their customers use debit cards for transactions that are less than roughly $10.  That is because credit-card companies used to give merchants discounts on debit-card fees they pay on small transactions. But the Dodd-Frank Act placed an overall cap on the fees, and the banking industry has responded by eliminating the discounts.  WSJ’s Robin Sidel tells us what small businesses are in for.  Download MP3

Sandusky Jailed After New Charges

Former Pennsylvania State University football coach Jerry Sandusky, already facing 21 felony counts of sexually abusing eight boys, was jailed Wednesday after being arrested on new charges involving two more young men.  Mr. Sandusky, who has maintained his innocence since he was first arrested Nov. 5, had been free on $100,000 bail, but was committed to Centre County Correctional Facility when he didn’t post new bail set at $250,000. Terms of release include posting bail, wearing an ankle-bracelet monitor, avoiding contact with minors and staying off the Penn State campus, according to a state court official.  Litigation Attorney, Gregory Gianforcaro gives us some insight into what we can expect from a case like this.  Download MP3

Donkeys Get the Last Laugh

Obama Takes Populist Swing

Adopting a sharply partisan and populist tone, President Barack Obama on Tuesday painted a picture of the American middle class under siege from wealthy interests, drawing an explicit comparison to the industrial monopolies of an earlier era.  In a gamble, Mr. Obama largely put aside optimism about the U.S., a tone he struck at his State of the Union address in January, and instead worked to embrace the anger and skepticism emanating from much of the electorate.  WSJ’s Laura Meckler has the latest.  Download MP3

Hee Haw! Donkeys Get Last Laugh As One Greek Tragedy Ends Happily

The crumbling Greek economy nearly took down Christoforos, a lucky young stud with a shock of brown hair who goes by just one name.  Instead of being thrown out on the street last year—or worse—Christoforos escaped his humble digs on the island of Kos in an unlikely Odyssey that ended in the special wing of an aristocratic U.K. estate dubbed “The Donkey Palace.”  WSJ’s Sara Schaefer Munoz takes us to a donkey refuge.  Download MP3

Pollsters are targeting cellphone numbers, as landline use dwindles.