Whether the economy goes into recession depends on consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. Boston Globe reporter Jenn Abelson gives us some perspective.

With the end of the cold war, and post-9/11disillusionment, spies are increasingly leaving the government to work for corporations. We look at how the techniques they bring are changing the nature of business competition. Our guest is Douglas Frantz, co-author "The Nuclear Jihadist." He has an article about corporate espionage in the January issue of Portfolio Magazine.

We talk about medical clinics that are popping up in retail stores. Regina Herzingler of Harvard Business School is our guest.

Immigration could be a hot button issue in tonight's Republican Presidential debate in South Carolina. The debate is being held in Myrtle Beach, the state's largest tourist market, which is heavily dependent on seasonal workers, many of them immigrants. Business groups are concerned that thousands of jobs will go unfilled unless caps on temporary visas are lifted. We speak to Pauline Levesque, chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association.

Singer and guitarist Sara Tavares grew up in Lisbon taking in the sounds of American pop, the Cape Verdean rhythms of her parents, and Portugal's soulful Fado singers. She won an American Idol-style contest by singing a Whitney Houston power ballad. Now, she looks to her native Portuguese and African roots for her new CD, "Balance."