Subjects: Business Skills

What role did the credit rating agencies play in the current economic crisis? Frank Raiter reveals how he was pressured to compromise standards in a push for profits, and what was really going on behind closed doors at the credit rating agencies. “During this period, profit was primary; analytics were secondary.” Who was watching the watchers? Surprising new revelations about the economic debacle.

NOW takes a look at hedge funds, the secretive and often risky investment accounts that have brought incredible wealth and power to some, but with the potential to spell dire consequences for ordinary Americans. Billions of dollars are invested in hedge funds, which are not regulated, and there’s a chance some of your retirement money is in one. Hedge fund managers say they won’t tell anyone how they make their money – not even the government.

What role did the credit rating agencies play in the current economic crisis? Frank Raiter reveals how he was pressured to compromise standards in a push for profits, and what was really going on behind closed doors at the credit rating agencies. “During this period, profit was primary; analytics were secondary.” Who was watching the watchers? Surprising new revelations about the economic debacle.

NOW takes a look at hedge funds, the secretive and often risky investment accounts that have brought incredible wealth and power to some, but with the potential to spell dire consequences for ordinary Americans. Billions of dollars are invested in hedge funds, which are not regulated, and there’s a chance some of your retirement money is in one. Hedge fund managers say they won’t tell anyone how they make their money – not even the government.

Five years ago, FRONTLINE, The New York Times and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation investigated one of America’s most dangerous industries – the iron pipe foundry business. One company had more violations than all others combined, the McWane Corporation. Now, FRONTLINE combines most of its original broadcast with what happened after that program aired, what has changed at McWane, and whether the company has become a less dangerous business.

In My Father, My Brother, and Me, Iverson sets off on a personal journey to understand the disease that has taken such a toll on his family. Along the way, he meets some remarkable people–a leading Parkinson’s researcher whose encounter with “frozen” heroin addicts led to a major breakthrough; a Parkinson’s sufferer given a new lease on life by an experimental brain surgery; and a geneticist who helped identify some of the gene mutations responsible for Parkinson’s and who is now working on drugs to fix them.

Meet two executives who know the oil and airline industries from the inside: Gary Kelly, Vice Chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines, has kept his company flying high despite turbulence caused by rising oil prices and cutthroat competition. Bill Greehey, Chairman and recently retired CEO of Valero Energy, has barreled to the forefront of oil refining while making sure his workers aren’t left out in the cold.