MADELEINE BRAND, Host:
NPR's business news starts with a surprise prediction from General Motors.
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BRAND: Ed Whitaker, GM's chairman and CEO says he thinks the struggling company will turn a profit this year. That would be the first time that's happened since 2004. It's a bold forecast, and it depends on a number of factors outside the company's control. The economy would have to get better and many people would have to go back to work. A profitable year for GM would be a good thing for taxpayers. The company is just out of bankruptcy. It still owes the government roughly $50 billion.