Government work was once synonymous with job security and stability. But these days furloughs, pay freezes and threats of further cuts are fomenting discontent. Some federal employees also say that public criticism of the federal government is also taking a toll.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is beginning work Thursday on a proposal to overhaul the nation's immigration laws. Audie Cornish talks with Adam Davidson of the Planet Money team about what academic research says about the economic impact of immigration.

The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was a sweeping legislative package designed to prevent another financial collapse. Journalist Gary Rivlin says passing the bill was just a first step in a long road to real reform, and the financial system is as vulnerable to disaster it was in 2008.

Portugal's creditors are evaluating the country's latest austerity package, which includes 30,000 public sector layoffs, to determine whether Lisbon might need a second international bailout. The Portuguese government is raising the retirement age and lengthening work weeks to try to squeeze out more revenue, and repay its bailout loans.

Casino gambling is back to pre-recession levels in the U.S., according to a new report from the gaming industry. One in three Americans went to a casino last year, and those who opened their wallets wagered a total of $37 billion, about 5 percent more than the previous year.

With the Senate's passage of the Marketplace Fairness Act, David Greene asks two small business owners what the law could mean for them. The bill would require online retailers to collect state sales taxes. Lundy Wilder and Dave Perry own Villa Lagoon Tile in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Blacks and Latinos lost enormous wealth during the great recession. Hispanic families lost 44 percent of their wealth between 2007 and 2010; black families 31 percent; and white families 11 percent. That's according to a new study by the Urban Institute. Host Michel Martin finds out why it's happening and what can be done.