From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

Is Bitcoin a boom or a bubble?

Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issue to Americans care about most. The price of a Bitcoin has jumped from $13 at the start of this year to more

than a thousand, and it's still rising. There already are Bitcoin millionaires and Bitcoin

criminals, even though most people don't understand what a Bitcoin is. Today, we'll hear about

digital currency controlled and stored in computers and traded across

the internet as a way to make payments. How does it work? Is it really safe? Is the value of

Bitcoin subject to that old adage? What goes up must come down. Today's talking point,

will Brazil be ready for next year's World Cup? First here's the news.

Listen to KCRW's 24-hour all-news channel, stream BBC World Service, NPR and KCRW programs,

continuous coverage and accessible via our smartphone app or online at kCRW.com.

Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International

Program Fund. Hello again, Mar and Ollie, back with To the Point. Bitcoins are now worth a total

of $1 billion. Not bad for a virtual currency that's four years old and not backed by a central

bank. Bitcoins are a way to make payments

on the internet without any fees. They're also a way to lose money fast. We'll hear more about

digital technology and the future of money. Today's talking point, Brazil has only completed

six of the 12 stadiums it promised for the World Cup starting next June, and the pressure is on.

Will the benefits of hosting the Cup be worth the cost of avoiding further delay?

First is news update. A senior commander of Hezbollah was assassinated today in Beirut.

Apparently, another incident of Lebanon's sad history is a battleground for proxy wars.

...