Morning Edition

Paul McCartney, Madonna, Doc Watson and Luciano Pavarotti have at least one thing in common: They've all collaborated with Irish folk band

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney made news when he disclosed he had a Swiss bank account. Many affluent Americans do. Now, an AP writer has assembled a step-by-step guide on how you too can stash a million dollars offshore. Step four is choose a country. Switzerland isn't your only choice. Hong Kong is popular too. Step two is decide whether to tell the IRS. But the toughest part is still step one - get a million dollars.

Midwest Property Services is testing the DNA of 200 dogs. Their owners live in apartments around Sioux Falls, S.D. The Argus Leader reports the DNA will go into a database. That will make it possible to identify which owners fail to clean up after their dogs.

Steve Inskeep has the Last Word in business.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The U.S. economy is improving, even though Americans keep having to look over their shoulders at Europe. The state of the economy affects everything in American politics right now, from the presidential election to the budget that the White House lays out today.

NPR's Cokie Roberts has some analysis, as she does the most Mondays. Cokie, good morning.

COKIE ROBERTS, BYLINE: Hi, Steve.

INSKEEP: OK, so what does the president's budget tell us?

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

Even as Greek lawmakers approved another round of austerity, Greek protesters registered their dissent over the weekend. The bailout package is part of an effort by creditors to save Greece from default and a possible exit from the euro. European leaders now need to sign off on the deal, but many people are beginning to wonder if saving Greece is possible. Greeks themselves say austerity is killing them. Joanna Kakissis reports from Athens.

(SOUNDBITE OF EXPLOSION)

The Obama administration has revised a provision of the president's health care law concerning birth control coverage. Now, religious-affiliated organizations may decline to provide the coverage, but allow the employees to get free contraceptives through their health insurer. NPR's Allison Keyes went to a Catholic church to ask parishioners what they think of the debate over birth control in health care coverage.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NPR's business new starts with trouble for Apple in a giant market.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: The trouble for Apple has come as it tries to sell its iPad tablet computers in China. In a city not far from Beijing, authorities have been seizing iPads from shopping malls and other retailers - not because they're fake, but because a Chinese company claims that it owns the iPad name. The company in question is Shenzhen Proview, and it registered the iPad name in China in 2001.

In the Oscar-nominated film Moneyball, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, a baseball manager obsessed with turning his cash-strapped team into a contender. Pitt says that drive is what attracted him to the role that has earned him a best-actor nod.