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A probe by the European Commission into possible manipulation of oil prices has just gotten bigger. Neste Oil Oyj, Finland's only refiner, has also been asked to help with the investigation. Earlier this week, EU officials raided the offices of three of Europe's biggest oil companies -- BP, Shell and Statoil -- and the oil price reporting company Platts, part of McGraw Hill Financial. So far, only Statoil has responded to the allegations, saying it has done nothing illegal.

From London, Marketplace's Stephen Beard has the latest on the story.

Caleb "Kai" McGillvary became an Internet sensation in February with his colorful account of how he helped save a California utility worker who was being beaten by another man. Now, McGillvary is charged in the murder of a lawyer in New Jersey.

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The revelation that groups applying for tax-exempt status with words like “patriot,” “tea party” and “9/12” in their names were singled out for extra scrutiny has been an embarrassment for the IRS. But for the targeted groups themselves, it’s been free advertising.

The conservative Kentucky 9/12 Project applied for so-called 501(c)4 status back in December 2010. It took more than two years and thousands of pages sent to the IRS, but last month, the group won. And donations poured in.

“We had people coming in that were waiting on the sidelines saying, ‘Okay, where do I send my check now?’” says executive director Eric Wilson, who oversees the group’s modest $16,000 annual budget.

Wilson wouldn’t disclose fundraising details, but he says an even bigger tide of money and support rolled in after the IRS admitted it scrutinized groups like his.

“The reaction’s been amazing,” Wilson says.

For groups still waiting for IRS approval, the effect is more mixed. The Albuquerque Tea Party applied for 501(c)4 status in December 2009, but still hasn’t gotten final approval. Rick Harbaugh, president of the state group, says that instead of fielding new donations, he has been fielding calls from past donors who fear that the IRS will go after them next.

“Our donors are very nervous about getting their name before the IRS if we are getting targeted by the IRS,” he says.

One of the prime advantages of organizing as a 501(c)4, after all, is keeping those donors secret.

Efforts to stop the war between the Assad regime and those trying to topple it could be set back again by Russia's actions, U.S. lawmakers say.

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We're all taught that a free press is vital to a functioning democracy. And an important resource to that free press is the ability to protect the identity of sources. So what happens when, in the age of the internet, it's extremely hard to stay anonymous? The Justice Department says it subpoenaed the Associated Press's phone records to investigate a "national security leak."

Many journalists are up in arms about that. Long-time investigative reporter Kevin Poulsen might hold part of a solution. He created something called Strongbox for the New Yorker Magazine, with the help of the late Internet activist Aaron Swartz.

Google's been making a lot of headlines this week between its new update to its maps and social media services, its introduction of a competitor to Spotify, and its developers' conference in San Francisco. At the same time, the search giant has been engaging in a war of words with Microsoft over the new Windows Phone. Google says Microsoft was not serving ads properly on its YouTube app, opening up the possibility that Windows Phone users will lose the app as soon as next week.

Microsoft representatives have responded to a cease and desist letter from Google. They say they'd be happy to work with the search engine giant to make sure they can deliver the ads.

Mashable's business editor, Todd Wasserman has the latest on the story.

U.S. officials have been warning for months that the unregulated digital currency Bitcoin wasn't fully legitimate in the eyes of the law. Now, the Department of Homeland Security has frozen an account for one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges, a firm called Mt. Gox. The online firm, based in Tokyo, says it handles nearly 80 percent of global trading for this form of virtual cash.

Queena Kim, Marketplace Tech reporter, explains the latest on the story.

Steven Miller, who was forced to submit his resignation as head of the agency this week, is testifying before Congress. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike are angry over the agency's targeting of conservative groups.

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If you have debt that's getting you down, don't worry.  You're not alone. Take a look at these eye-popping statistics from the website NerdWallet.com about the amount of debt American households carry:

• Average credit card debt: $15,162
• Average mortgage debt: $147,967
• Average student loan debt: $33,445

Of course, money woes and music go hand-in-hand and artists have been singing about debt since the first borrower defaulted on a loan.  While you're trying to collect the money your cousin owes you or worrying about whether that's a debt collector ringing your phone, just breathe and enjoy our playlist of songs about debt.  There are some hits on there -- like "Bills, Bills, Bills" by Destiny's Child. I mean, who  wouldn't like this lyric: "You triflin', good for nothing type of brother." Plus, we have some personal favorites from our staff in the playlist, like "Busted" by Ray Charles (our host Barbara Boagaev loves that song!). Take a listen and enjoy the music.

If you have ideas for songs about debt that we missed, please leave us a comment below or Tweet us @radiopiggybank #DebtJams.

Paying for college has practically become synonymous with financial ruin.  

We've all heard the stories of graduates toiling at minimum wage jobs at best, weighed down by student loan debt.

That's given rise to a new strand of conventional wisdom that warns young people to steer clear of borrowing for college. The message: College isn't worth it! You don't want to join the ranks of debt-slaves with a diploma!
 
Hold on a minute. We know few students these days can afford college without borrowing some money, but the average student loan balance is about $24,000. And the median is around $13,000. These are onerous sums for newly minted college graduates in a lousy economy, but they're far from catastrophic.

Throughout our history the American dream has often come with a loan repayment schedule. The Pilgrims were able to settle in Plymouth, Mass., only because they were backed by London merchant bankers.

My fear is that the student loan scare stories will persuade young people to steer clear of college, especially those from low-income families.

Bottom line -- college remains the best investment most people will ever make in their lifetime. Case in point: graduates earn some 50 percent more than their peers with only a high school diploma.

Don't get me wrong. The financial aid system cries for reform. Many college graduates are hurting and tragically, some have borrowed more than they can ever repay. However, the student loan debts will eventually pay off in the form of jobs and wealth.

So, please, borrow sensibly. Go to a college you can afford. Avoid private student loans. And take out as few federal student loans as possible.
 
And by all means remember the Pilgrims. 

Today, Texas lawmakers could give the state's craft breweries a Texas-sized boost. They'll consider a set of bills to loosen the rules for beer makers. Texas is no pioneer in the craft beer movement. In fact, it ranks 45th in the nation in breweries per capita. But that number doesn't tell the whole story. 

To this point, the rule at Texas breweries has been "take only memories." People on a tour couldn't buy beer there. But if approved, this new legislation would let breweries sell pints. And, it would let brewpubs sell their beer to grocery stores. 

"Craft breweries in the state have a hard time getting solid footing because of the restrictions in allowing them to have access to market," says Scott Metzger, who goes by @beermonkey on Twitter, and who negotiated  the bill on behalf of craft brewers.

Metzger says Texans do drink a lot of specialized brews. It's just not beer made in Texas. And come on, there's no shortage of Texas pride.  "It just goes to show that Texans really, really want Texas products," he says. 

Nationally, states are placing fewer restrictions on craft breweries, says Jeffrey Klineman, editor-in-chief of BevNET.com. Compared to other states, he says, Texas is a little behind the curve. 

"It's a really big state, and it's got a more slowly maturing craft beer market," Klineman says.  

This law, he says, would definitely help speed that up. 

Sometimes, having a manageable amount debt can be a good thing. It's an incentive to make a budget and stick to it. Plus, it gives you a sense of responsibility. Facing your financial mistakes can even strengthen your relationships or teach you better habits. We have some listeners who have stories along these lines, and financial adviser Liz Weston talks about possible silver linings of borrowing from and lending money to people important to us.

Weston has lent members of her family money, but she does it with trepidation. She says deciding whether to give money to someone really depends on the situation.

"Almost everything that has to do with money is situational," says Weston, who has also rejected certain requests for borrowing money from members of her family before. "It's really tough to say 'no' to someone who has asked you for help."

Mind Games & Money: A guide to exploring your emotions in personal finance What role do your emotions play when it comes to making financial decisions? To help you gauge how emotional you are about money, we've put together a special grid.

Maggie in Beaverton, Ore., sent us an email with some questions about how to get control over the debt she and her husband have accrued. Combined they owe about $50,000 in student debt and she's borrowed money from her parents as well. She wants to know how to pay off what she owes while saving up to start a family through adoption or fertility treatments.

Our Facebook friend Jeff in San Francisco wrote to us about rekindling a relationship with an ex whom he separated from because of money issues. Jeff feels money is important while his ex didn't. Jeff's ex feels that he treats her like a child when it comes to money. Recently, the two have been seeing each other again and he wants advice on how to know if his partner's outlook on money has matured.

"When you're good with money, you can come off like a parent in a relationship," says Weston. "My focus in this situation would be on myself and make sure that I'm not the parent and make sure that I'm not the one dictating the terms, as it were. One of the best things to do as a couple is simply talk about what are your first memories about money, how did they handle money in your family. So many discussions that you can have."

For more advice from Weston, click play on the audio player above.

While the Senate debates comprehensive immigration reform, hordes of lobbyists are vying for attention. The Sunlight Foundation estimates as many as 3,000 lobbyists have worked on immigration issues in the past few years. There are the usual suspects -- restaurant owners, farmers, and construction groups -- and then there are the not-so-usual suspects. 

You may not expect to find lobbyists focused on immigration issues in Baltimore this weekend at the Pimlico Race Course, home to the Preakness Stakes. But the American Horse Council is lobbying Congress on immigration reform.

“Well, immigration has been an interest for a long, long time,” Jay Hickey says. He’s the group’s president.

The American Horse Council represents horse owners’ interests in Washington. The horse industry is worth $102 billion, and low-skilled workers from overseas are an important part of that.

“We use H-2A agricultural workers on a temporary basis on our breeding farms and our training facilities,” Hickey says.

Those visas are limited, and his group wants more of them. According to Hickey, these workers do jobs that are specialized and physical. Try as horse owners may -- and they do try, Hickey notes -- there aren’t many Americans who are willing do those jobs.

“You just can’t find them,” he says. “And if you can find them, they don’t want to do it, or they’re not qualified to do it.”

You’ll also find lobbyists focused on immigration issues in concert halls.

“Just like music is everywhere in our lives, it also shows up in all kinds of places in national policy,” says Heather Noonan, the League of American Orchestras’ vice president for advocacy.

Noonan says her group cares the most about what are called O&P visas, for soloists, “the non-immigrant, temporary work visas required to bring those artists into the United States to perform.”

It is her job, she says, to make sure visas for those performers are available.

“When the curtain goes up at 7:00 on Friday, the artist needs to be there, and the audience is expecting that they’ll be there.”

The League of American Orchestras is lobbying to make that visa process as efficient, affordable, and accessible as possible.

This week brought some bright news about an uptick in consumer spending -- something which might or might not mean a corresponding rise in credit card debt. Reporter Stacey Vanek Smith joins us to sort things out.

How much more are people spending in the U.S.?

Retail sales rose a tenth of a percent in April. That was a big improvement over what we saw in March, when consumer spending was actually declining.
 
Chris Christopher, director of consumer economics and demography at IHS Global Insight, says this might be a little deceptively positive.  Because of so many months spent saving and scrimping and because of worries about the fiscal cliff and other things, Americans kind of broke down and went on buying sprees.

"It looks like the consumer's doing relatively well. However, a word of caution: it's not like they're opening up the champagne bottles and splurging everywhere, it's a very targeted type of spending," says Christopher.

So what kind of things are people buying?

Americans are actually spending less on necessities -- groceries and on gas. Part of that is that gas prices are lower. What they are spending on are restaurants and a lot of home improvement type things -- Lowe's, Home Depot, some bigger purchases. In any case, we are shopping again and not just for the bare necessities.

Are people using plastic for these purchases?

You'd think so, because some of the items that were selling last month were big ones, but according to IHS Global Insight's Chris Christopher, that's not what's happening.

"What is bought on credit, is a little on the auto side," says Christopher. "However, revolving credit -- credit card debt --  has been relatively flat for a few years. In no way are we returning to our old ways any time soon."

In February 2007, Rick Bounds was diagnosed with a serious liver disease and given eight months to live.

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Demand increased recently, leading to widespread shortages. An economics textbook would say ammo sellers should have raised prices rather than have empty shelves. But that hasn't happened.

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His administration has prosecuted six people for giving reporters information about secret national security operations — twice as many cases as all previous presidents combined. Amid criticism from First Amendment advocates, the White House insists it values both press freedoms and national security.

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City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Greuel are in an all-out blitz for votes ahead of Tuesday's election to replace the term-limited Antonio Villaraigosa. But observers say the race hasn't garnered much interest — even though Greuel could become the first female mayor.

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City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Greuel are in an all-out blitz for votes ahead of Tuesday's election to replace the term-limited Antonio Villaraigosa. But observers say the race hasn't garnered much interest — even though Greuel could become the first female mayor.

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Amanda Husberg laughs when I tell her she doesn't look like she could be seventy-three years old. “It's because I don't have a husband and I don't have kids,” she jokes.

Husberg and I are standing in the narrow hallway of her Brooklyn apartment. It's also her office space. She's remembering a scene from five years ago.

“I came here,” she tells me, “and I caught my toe at the edge of the rug. I went flying, and my right shoulder hit the chair.”

She hit the ground pretty hard, she couldn't get up on her own.

“I banged on the floor,” she says, “with SOS, bum bum bum, dum dum, bum bum bum.”

That SOS message got a neighbor's attention, and that neighbor got her to the hospital. Husberg had a broken shoulder, and ended up in a sling for four months.

Since then she's had a few more falls. She's spent $40,000 to make her home easier to get around. She also now pays for an emergency alert service, they'll send an ambulance any time she pushes the button on her wrist band. But Husberg still worries about falling again.

“My biggest fear,” she admits, “is loss of independence.”

The Center for Disease Control says every year about a third of seniors suffer from a fall. It's the most common injury that causes death for elderly people. Doctor Cathleen Colon-Emeric specializes in geriatrics at Duke University Medical Center. She says there are high costs to these falls.

“There's the cost of going to the doctor, going to the urgent care or emergency room,” she says. There are also costs for things like x-rays and stitches. Most falls add up to around ten to twenty thousand dollars. And a hip fracture?  That's about $18,000.

“And then,” Colon-Emeric tells me, “there are all the indirect costs, lost productivity, or needing more help around the home and having to have somebody else help you.”

Altogether, these losses come to around $30 billion a year in the U.S. Falls are twice as likely to happen in nursing homes. Which can lead to costly lawsuits.  

“Nursing home falls,” Colon-Emeric says, “are the second most common cause for litigation in nursing homes.”

She and her colleagues have come up with a new staff training program. It teaches how to better communicate about risky situations that can lead to falls.

“It may be monitoring their medications,” she explains, “or trying to improve their vision, or changing their environment.”

So far, nursing homes that have used her training have seen a 20 percent decline in fall rates.