Last week was a big one for us. All weekend I had been dealing with reaction to our exposé on the allegations raised by monologist Mike Daisey about Apple’s operations in China, which was just exploding in the media. So imagine my surprise when I come into the office on Monday and hear from our Morning Report Producer Rod Abid: “So Obama’s office just phoned. Do you want to interview the president?” I said, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
We had been trying to land an interview with President Obama — as all news outlets have — for the last 3-and-a-half years. So when the president’s handlers told us if we could be in Nevada at 1:40 p.m. on Wednesday we could have 15 minutes of his time, it was a no brainer. Host Kai Ryssdal, engineer Jeff Peters and myself headed out there early Wednesday morning.
President Obama was in the middle of a two-day energy tour and we caught up with him at the Copper Mountain Solar Facility in Boulder City, Nev. We were standing amongst bajillions and bajillions of solar panels (thus, why our engineer suffered sun stroke), and it was an exhilirating, exciting, and exhausting moment for us. Kai and I talk a little about what the scene was like and what we wish we would have asked during the interview.
It’s hard to top a week that involves a visit with the president, but Marketplace Money had a pretty great week as well. As part of a special partnership The New York Times, Money looked at stories featuring people who hit bottom during the bad times, but managed to bounce back. The story I’m highlighting features host Tess Vigeland visiting with three men in Detroit, Mich. Hear their amazing success stories in this “Motor City” comeback.
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