. >> i'm sylvia hall. still ahead, next year's college freshmen are busy choosing the perfect school and figuring out how to pay for it. but experts say most don't fully understand student loans. >> tom: bonobos may not be a household name. it makes men's clothing and is the biggest clothing brand ever launched on the internet. now it could be coming to a mall near you. bonobos signed a deal with nordstrom today putting its clothes in some nordstrom locations. as erika miller reports, this strategy of going from clicks to bricks could catch on. >> reporter: in this non- descript building in manhattan on the fifth floor lies the only bonobos retail store. and it's by appointment only. many men come for the pants, which are known for solving the problem bonobos calls "diaper butt." >> it falls between, the fit in terms of too fitted-- european style-- and then just baggy and falling off you. >> reporter: customers also like the price point-- less than $100 a pair. >> it's good value for the money. it's somet

i'm sylvia hall. still ahead, we look at a controversial proposal for dealing with that heavy debt load. >> tom: an update tonight on one of the biggest investments ever made by you the taxpayer. we're talking about the rescue programs during the financial crisis. in a report today, the treasury department says the programs should break even, and may even make money. the tarp bailout, originally pegged to lose $341 billion, now may lose just $60 billion. the government may also come out ahead on all of its financial rescue efforts. add up all of the bond buying the federal reserve has done, along with the tarp program and the costs of bailing out fannie mae and freddie mac, and the treasury says the government could see a slight profit. giving out more loans, especially, more home loans helped first quarter earnings at two major banks. both j.p. morgan and wells fargo reported better than expected earnings thanks in part to writing more mortgages. that business was helped by home owners taking advanta

sylvia hall spoke with two women about how they decided whether to rent or buy. >> reporter: i'm sylvia hall in washington. none of the buildings here are taller than the washington monument, but there's no cap on the price you pay to live in them. soaring rent costs are pushing some tenants to re-think their housing choices. 24-year-old kira neal is one of them. she got tired of sky-high rents and bought this condo. >> it's been great to have an investment. and i could put it in the stock market or put it towards a masters degree, but right now, it's nice to have something that i'm living in and working on and decorating it's much more tangible for me. >> reporter: despite the down payment and property tax, she's saving up to $400 each month by owning. but it's a bet that's too risky for 31-year-old writer alexis grant. she's scared if she buys, she'll get stuck with a home she can't sell and a mortgage she can't drop. >> when i feel the need to leave and do something exciting, i don't-- i want to-- i don't want to be tied into a house. and something i have to take care of. >> reporter

but as sylvia hall reports, it may co thesomeustomers. >> reporter: here at reagan national airport, travelers aren't just lining up to board their flights, they're also paying up. airline experts say the higher prices are a long time coming but they could be the secret to industry health. if you haven't shopped for plane tickets lately, take a look. prices for flights across the country are running sky high. industry experts say it's something flyers will have to get used to. >> consumers for years have benefited from low prices that have resulted at least in part from the airlines competing overly hard with each other. there was too much capacity in the market. >> reporter: low airfares didn't work for the airline business. when fuel prices rose, carriers took a huge hit. now they're trying a new strategy to survive high fuel prices: slashing routes and cutting planes from their fleets. >> so they've said, "you know what? the only way we can make money in this environment is if we raise fares. how do we do that? well, we can't just ask people for more money because some people can'

sylvia hall, "nightly business report," washington. >> ringing the bell at the new york stock exchange. natural organic food company, annie. had one of the most successful ipos this year. they came public at 20, and trade over $34. we're with john at the big board. congraltulations on this pop. very successful. you misjudge the market's appetite. would you have sold more? >> no. you can never guess these things. we're mostly excited, at the generally strong reaction to the great food brand coming to market, and organic is mainstream idea now we're gratified with the results. >> in the first days of trading it's successful. how are you going to expand the business? >> l both the retailers have done quite l and we have opportunitys in main stream grocery stores, expand from natural and organic sections of stores where a lot of retailers have sold products like ours into the mainstream aisles which is one of oufr strategies. >> tom: is that significant. due need to get out of the organic aisle and in with the freeto lays and the other snack products? >> we've always priced it to be on the

but as sylvia hall reports from washington, the next battle is how to pay for it. >> reporter: meet the newest centerpiece of u.s. politics, the american college student. this summer, interest rates on stafford loans, a popular type of federal student loan, are scheduled to shoot up from 3.4% to nearly 7%. house speaker john boehner today said congress has always planned to extend the low rates. >> the fact is that students are already struggling with the cost of college. we do not want to see these interest rates go up, and there was never any thought these interest rates would go up. >> reporter: but it doesn't end there. to pay for the lower rates, republicans want to strip money from part of the health care law that helps pay for preventative care, including mammograms. it's a political sharp edge that has democrats crying foul. >> that's not a serious attempt to pass this student loan bill. they want to make democrats choose between helping students afford college tuition or forcing women to go without mammograms. >> reporter: democratic senators have some tricks of their own. they

sylvia hall, "nightly business report," washington. >> susie: u.s. cattle futures tumbled on word of a new case of mad cow disease here in the u.s. the infected animal was a dairy cow from a farm in central california. the u.s. department of agriculture is investigating. it says the food chain is not at risk. >> this particular animal did not enter the food supply at any time, so there is no concern about that. time since hearing bell mad cow, and the government started testing for mad cow in the u.s. a decade ago. this is only the fourth discovered since then. >> a lot of immediate concern with cattle futures. they tumbled. the biggest drop in sen months. >> tom: before the apple results in the market focus, the focus of the stock market was on earnings, and that still allowed lots of trading certainly, no dount. we have the s&p 500. spent the session in the green, although it wasn't a lot of lift. the index finished up less than 0.5%. earnings from a key apple partner, a.t.&t., helped set the tone early today. it's first quarter was stronger than e

sylvia hall has more from washington. >> reporter: the small business tax plan is simple-- cut federal taxes for one year on all businesses with less than 500 employees. house republicans say it would help the nation's business owners create more jobs. >> in small business, it really is about how do you grow? how do you have the positive cash flow? mr. speaker, to grow your business, to invest in new technology, new equipment, to take your ideas and spin them forward and grow jobs. >> reporter: but house democrats point out not every business with fewer than 500 employees needs a tax break. they referenced celebrities like oprah winfrey and donald trump as business owners who could benefit from the bill. >> this bill provides a windfall tax break to hedge fund owners, to big washington law firms, to the very wealthy, even if they don't hire a single person. >> reporter: but the plan will likely never make it into law. the democrat-controlled senate won't bring it to the floor, and the white house has already threatened to veto it. instead, it can be filed next to the buffett rule, a de

sylvia hall explains. >> reporter: no relief yet for students with stafford loans. while the house approved a plan preventing loan rates from doubling this summer, the white house doesn't like it. the sticking point is over how to pay for it. republicans want to offset the lower rates by taking money from a public health fund created by the health care law. >> if they really wanted to prevent student loans from increasing, they wouldn't seek to cover the cost by cutting funds for cervical cancer screening, but cutting funds for breast cancer screening, but cutting funds for other women's health care measures. they wouldn't push a measure the president has already said he would veto. >> reporter: republicans call the health care money a slush fund for the health department. but the g.o.p. has problems of its own with a different student loan plan in the senate that would raise taxes on some business owners. >> the other side of the aisle's first reaction is to raise taxes for everything. and ours has always been to reduce spending. and we think that this is the way t

sylvia hall, "nightly business report," washington. >> tom: you are going to be hearing warren buffett's name a lot between now and november. not because of his investments. you'll be hearing warren buffett's name because president obama today made it clear the buffett rule is a centerpiece of his re-election. in a visit to south florida, the president laid out his plan to raise taxes on top-earning americans. it's called the "buffett rule" because it insures that millionaires and billionaires do not pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries, as is the case with buffett. >> do we want to keep giving those tax breaks to folks like me who don't need them; or to give them to warren buffett-- he definitely doesn't need them; or to bill gates-- he's already said "i don't need them. " or do we want to keep investing in those things that will grow our economy and keep us secure? that's the choice. ( applause ) >> tom: on the republican presidential trail, rick santorum suspended his campaign today, a move that clears the way for front-runner mitt romney to claim the nomination. >> susie: a bi