Banks, Taxes, and the Economy

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Results of the Obama Administration’s “stress tests” of America’s biggest banks are due this week. The IMF is estimating that US banks face a trillion dollars in losses over the next two years. So who’s going to pay for it? We’ll speak with New York Times Economics Correspondent David Leonhardt, who recently sat down for an extensive one on one interview with President Obama.

• David Leonhardt’s Interview with the President

Swine Flu Update

Catholic nuns wearing masks as a precaution against swine flu prepare for mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City, Sunday, May 3, 2009. (AP)

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Despite comments from Mexican officials that the H1N1 virus outbreak is on the wane, it continues to spread. A case in Colombia is the first confirmed in South America, where the flu season is about to begin. In Mexico, officials are talking about easing restrictions on public life, but schools and many tourist destinations remain closed. The BBC’s Stephen Gibbs reports that the swine flu outbreak is costing the Mexican tourism industry $100-billion a day.

• More BBC reporting on the swine flu outbreak

Boston Globe

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The largest union at the Boston Globe and the paper’s management have stopped negotiating. The paper wants contract-concessions from the Newspaper Guild; without them, the paper says it will close. The New York Times owns the Globe. Here and Now’s Curt Nickish explains the pressures facing another daily newspaper.

Craigslist and Law Enforcement

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The case of Philip Markoff, who is charged with the murder of one woman and robbery of another, has brought up questions about the online marketplace Craigslist. Markoff met both women through their Craigslist ads for erotic services. We speak with Patrick Black, who operates a website that tracks crime on Craigslist, and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who has been weighing how to work with Craigslist on cases like Markoff’s.

Julian Lage

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We speak with guitarist and composer Julian Lage. At eight, Julian was featured in a documentary film, and now at 21 he’s just released his first solo album, “Sounding Point,” where he’s joined by his band as well as Grammy winning musicians Bela Fleck and Chris Thile.

Music from the show

• Calexico, “Crumble”
• The Wee Trio, “About a Girl”
• Peter Dixon, “Nagog Woods”
• Freddie Hubbard, “Little Sunflower”
• Kar Kar Madison, “Boubacar Traore”
• Joe Jackson, “Steppin’ Out”
• Charles Mingus, “Pedal Point Blues”
• Julian Lage, “All Purpose Beginning”
• Julian Lage, “Familiar Posture”
• Julian Lage with Bela Fleck and Chris Thile, “The Informant”
• Julian Lage, “Clarity”