Mary Dooe

As the South Carolina primary draws near, four GOP contenders remain. How does Rick Santorum stand out from the pack? Smart phone users continue to eat up data, with no signs of slowing down. IKEA continues to thrive despite the economic problems in Europe. And postage stamps are about to cost just a wee bit more.

Generally speaking, the public in Europe remains committed to the common currency of the euro, even as the region struggles to fight off recession. A major Apple announcement is expected today surrounding e-textbooks. As the South Carolina primary approaches, we speak to a Tea Party supporter about who she will vote for. And what is the significance of the leap second?

News of Jerry Yang's exit from Yahoo after 17 years may mean that the company will have to fine tune its vision. Home Depot has just announced it's going to hire 70,000 seasonal workers over the next few months, but how many of those temps will land permanent jobs? Plus, we look at the true costs of online piracy.

China's GDP growth has slowed, but was still at 8.9 percent for the last quarter of 2011. The upcoming primary in South Carolina will focus more on economic issues than earlier contests this year. Newly appointed CFPB Director Richard Cordray explains his plans for the agency. We take a look at how companies spin news stores for their own advantage, and stock brokers in Hong Kong are fighting for their right to a long lunch break.

World leaders are meeting in Abu Dhabi today to discuss the future of renewable energy, especially in developing countries. What would the the planet look like if other countries caught up to the rate of car ownership we have here in the U.S.? And yet another Standard and Poor's downgrade has hit Europe.

Apple tries to launch its latest iPhone 4S in mainland China to disastrous results. As cash-strapped local and state governments look to raise more money, many are moving toward privatizing things that used to be public -- but is that a good thing? And the University of Connecticut said this week that one of its scientists falsified data in a new study about red wine that claimed the drink slows the aging process.

Top fashion designers launch a campaign today to help raise money for President Obama's re-election, but when fashion gets political, there can be some complications. Marketplace's Economy 4.0 correspondent David Brancaccio explains the Fed's Beige Book. And a look at the Haiti earthquake, which took place two years ago today, shows where all that donation money went.

The morning after the New Hampshire primary, the decisions made by independent super PACS could have the biggest impact on the race going forward. We take a look at how the Glock changed gun culture in America. And John Moe helps untangle what's been going on at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Consumer Electronics Show is all about gadgets, but this year, it's also all about advertising. One organization is making strides to recycle all the unused soap from big hotel chains. And earnings season begins with a poor showing from bellwether stock Alcoa, a major U.S. aluminum producer.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is on his way to Asia today with a goal of getting Japan and China on board with new economic sanctions against Iran, as tensions between that country and the U.S. continue to grow. The Consumer Electronics Show is underway in Las Vegas and there will be plenty of hype and hooey regarding a zillion new tech products being displayed.