The Kentucky Derby is the longest running sports event in American history. Now, a cherished pastime is a multi-billion dollar industry. From the champions to the big business of on-line betting, the Run for the Roses has become the icon of American horse racing.

CNBC Originals takes you inside the winner’s circle where legends are born and millions are made.

Catch the special tonight, Thursday, April 30th at 9pm eastern time. If you miss it tonight, check your local listings as CNBC always runs these specials several times over the following days.

From CNBC.

CNBC takes you aboard a city at sea where passengers are enticed to spend big money…but can this fast growing segment of the travel industry navigate the rough seas of a slumping economy and stay afloat? Correspondent Peter Greenberg takes you cruising for profits.

Check your local listings for showtimes.

I lived in California for several years and had no idea that people were growing it in their back yards in the Northern Part of the state, with little, if any resistance from law enforcement. Learn more about what they call the “Marijuana Triangle” tonight on CNBC. Check your local listing for showtimes.

From the CNBC website:

While it may not be traded on Wall Street any time soon, marijuana has become a booming cash crop. CNBC’s Trish Regan goes behind the scenes to explore the inner workings of this secretive industry, focusing on Northern California’s “Emerald Triangle,” now the marijuana capital of the U.S. In this scenic pocket of America, the pot business, much of it legal under state law, now makes up as much as two-thirds of the local economy.

Marijuana Inc [CNBC.com]

Both republicans and democrats seem to be waving flags of surrender and going for the idea of nationalization in droves. According to Republican Lindsey Graham, “We cannot keep pouring good money after bad. If nationalization works, then we should do it.” Ouch.

According to Greenspan, government ownership in the banks would allow the transfer of toxic assets to a bad bank without the problem of how to price them.

Greenspan’s comments came as President Obama signed into law the $787 billion stimulus package and announced another $50 billion in spending for home foreclosure relief.

Regardless of what happens as a result of all the recovery efforts, it’s pretty clear that this will be the defining period of Obama’s presidency.

It’s as easy as asking the right questions

It’s so simple, most people don’t even think about it. Next time you’re out shopping for something, try asking if you can get it for less. What you’re shopping for really determines how you ask, so let me give you an example so simple I almost forgot to do it myself.

I was at Best Buy yesterday to pick up a pair of headphones to replace my 5-year-old ear buds that I just couldn’t bring myself to scrap, that is until they completely died. I listen to music when I run, and I run everyday, so to me, headphones are essential. I swung by Best Buy to see if they had the particular model I was looking for and they did…for $35 more than I saw them online earlier in the day. As I stood there pondering whether or not to spend a relatively large chunk of change on these brand new wireless Bluetooth headphones, with the Best Buy associate standing over my shoulder like some evil version of myself trying to convince me to do it, it suddenly dawned on me that I could just ask if they’d match the price online. I asked and the associate said “yes”. Great, $35 saved and all I had to do was ask for it.

Just ask for the discount

While my example may seem brain-dead simple, a lot of people don’t even try it, and there’s some serious money to be saved. Alternatively, you may be able to find savings even if the merchant doesn’t have a price-matching policy in place just by making an offer. You’re likely to have more success with this strategy at smaller retailers because it’s more likely that someone with some real authority is in the building at that moment. Next time you’re about to buy something, stop, tell the nearest employee that you want to purchase this [insert item here], but you think it’s a bit over what you’re looking to spend. Then ask him or her who you could speak with about working out a small discount.

It can’t hurt to try, and it may save you some cash. I’ve personally saved well over $500 in the past 6 months just by asking. Take charge of your finances and start negotiating…merchants need the sales and you need the merchandise…it’s a win-win.

Washington, in the midst of the mortgage meltdown, has loosened requirements for such loans and it’s Businessweek’s contention that this is where many of the predatory lenders have moved toward.

Businessweek’s article covers one such lender, a company called Premier which, after filing for bankruptcy protection in the wake of federal indictments in 2007, has issued more than 2,000 taxpayer-insured FHA mortgages – $250 million in total.

Apparently, Premier failed to notify the FHA of its bankruptcy filing, which is required by law, but once again, existing regulations are not being followed up on, leaving the bill in the taxpayers lap.

Read the original article here.

December Unemployment at 7.2%

December’s jobless rate came in at 7.2%, up 0.4% from November’s 6.8% rate. December’s number marks the highest unemployment rate in nearly 16 years.

November, October Job Losses Revised

November’s job losses were revised to show a 533,000 loss, and October’s numbers were revised to 423,000 from 320,000.

December Job Losses: 524,000

December saw 524,000 jobs lost, bringing the total reduction in U.S. non-farm payrolls in the four months through December to 1.9 million. The services sector got hit the hardest with a staggering 273,000 jobs lost, contributing a great deal to the 524,000 total.

2008 Totals:

Total jobs lost for 2008: 2.6 million. That number represents the largest decline since 1945.

Forecasts saw the numbers to be a bit better, ranging from 250,000 to 550,000 jobs lost.

Important to note, however, is that December is the first month the ADP has implemented a new methodology, which is supposed to provide a more accurate picture of the labor market.

According to Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, “The new methodology uses the raw ADP figures, plus data on jobless claims and previous payrolls, to model current payrolls, resulting in a much smaller error compared with the previous method which relied solely on the ADP figures.”

While this is so, spokemsan for the ADP report, Joel Prakken, told CNBC that the economy is struggling at a pace not seen since 1981 or perhaps even World War II.

According to the report, the goods-producing sector saw employment declines hit 220,000, the 23rd consecutive monthly decline. The manufacturing sector saw job losses reaching 120,000, marking the 27th month of decline out of the previous 28 months.

Firms with 500 or more employees saw a drop of 91,000 for the month, medium-sized firms saw 321,000 jobs lost, and small firms (those with less than 50 workers) saw a drop of 281,000.

Construction saw its 21st month of continuous decline at 102,000 jobs lost for the month.

ADP National Employment Report

Ringleader Matt Cox made off with around $12 million and, in a telephone interview with CNBC, explains the details of his crime.

Check out CNBCs American Greed site here. Their site lists showtime at 9p | 1a ET, but I’m on the east coast and my guide has it listed at 10:00pm, so you may want to set your DVR so you don’t miss it, or check your guide.

Mat Cox - Mortgage Broker & Ringleader

Alison Arnold - The Ex-Girlfriend

Rebecca Hauck - Partner-in-crime