How much will the government's financial bail-out cost us? Kiplinger's Jim Ostroff joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the total cost of the government bailing out the financial industry. They also talk about several economic indicators, plus the future of electric cars.

What does Howard Ruff think about the economic recovery? Howard Ruff joins Jim Blasingame to explain why he thinks the current economic recovery is not real.

Why is there a small business irony in the current jobless recovery? Jim Blasingame explains some of the reasons why we're in a jobless recovery and the ironic role small businesses play in that.

What is the franchise reality in the wake of the Great Recession? Joel Libava joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the entrepreneurial behavior of franchise owners, plus the landscape for prospective franchisees, especially regarding capital acquisition.

What survival lessons can your small business learn from another? Jay Myers joins Jim Blasingame to talk about about what he has learned from surviving the Great Recession that he wouldn't have learned if it had not happened.

Will allowing the Chinese currency to float improve the U.S. imbalance of trade with China? Bob McTeer joins Jim Blasingame to report on the advantages of China allowing its currency to float with the market, rather than be pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Will the Fed raise interest rates at this meeting? Bob McTeer joins Jim Blasingame to report whether the Federal Reserve Board will raise interest rates and discuss economic factors they will consider.

How does a small business that sells brownies recover from the recession? Eileen Spitalny joins Jim Blasingame to explain how her brownie business recovered from the recession, and how it is using social media to grow the business.

Gerald Celente joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the recent trends in global economics, the lack of political leadership, upcoming elections and the recovery Gerald thinks is not real.

With the May Trending Report for retail activity, Bob Gordman joins Jim Blasingame discuss the how retail is recovering from the recession. They also talk about why discounting without a strategy for sustained sales is dumb.