Marketplace

Is the sky blue? Kai catches us up on our current trade relationship with China and all the events that got us here. We follow that up with the Weekly Wrap. This time we're joined by Rachel Abrams from the New York Times and Dion Rabouin from Yahoo Finance. And in non-trade news: We talk to director Hiro Murai. You probably know him from his collaborations with Donald Glover on FX’s “Atlanta” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” (06/15/18)

The trusty sedan might not be enough for Americans these days. Sales have been tanking the last few years, giving way to bigger trucks, SUVs and crossovers. We find out why. Also on the show, we talk with Politico’s Annie Karni about her reporting on the how the White House was looking for new employees at a job fair. Plus, we ask, "Is there a way for a country to engage in 'good' protectionism for its own interests?" Short answer: Well, it depends. Just give it a listen. (06/14/2018)

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates today, and Chair Jay Powell took some time to explain the economics of the decision. We thought that was our job. Anyway, we'll bring you the highlights, plus the latest in corporate mega-mergers as Comcast makes a bid for Fox. Then: A lot of us still feel the effects of the financial crisis, but there are places where you can actually still see them. Houses that got stuck in foreclosure limbo, abandoned by their owners and are still sitting empty years later. They're called "zombie homes." We'll take you to Long Island, which has more than anywhere else.

President Donald Trump vowed back in 2016 that his presidency would block the mega-merger between AT&T and Time Warner. Today, a federal judge decided otherwise. We'll talk about how we got here and what happens next. Plus, in light of the historic summit in Singapore and the Fed meeting today and tomorrow, we'll put the American and North Korean economies in context. 

Those might sound the same, but in practice they're very, very different. Under President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission mandated that internet service providers treat all internet traffic the same. Today, those net neutrality rules were officially rolled back. We had Chairman Ajit Pai on to talk about what will change, how he measures success and what happens if his vision for an open internet doesn't work. Plus, it’s been a year since Amazon acquired Whole Foods. How has Amazon’s entry changed the grocery business?

Ronald Reagan said that 30 years ago in a weekly radio address about protectionism. For decades, the global economy has trended toward more free trade, not less. We're going to spend a few minutes today charting how we got here, from that speech through the next four administrations and up to our current moment, on the brink of a trade war. But first, we'll talk about the gathering of world leaders in Canada this weekend and America's place in it. Is it really the G-7? Or the G-6 plus one? We'll talk about it. Plus: The job market is the tightest it's been in decades, but transgender Americans say they've been denied work or promotions because of their gender identity. As employers hunt for workers, we'll look at whether things are improving. (06/08/2018)

You hear a lot on our show about corporate profits, quarterly earnings reports and how companies beat or missed expectations. Warren Buffet and Jaime Dimon spoke out about this kind of quarterly forecasting this week, on the grounds that it fosters too much short-term thinking. We'll talk about it. Then: steel and aluminum tariffs are the headline trade news, but what about solar panels? Solar tech is subject to 30 percent tariffs right now, and the resulting hit to the American solar energy industry might outweigh any benefits. Plus: The Tony Awards are this weekend, but Broadway already has a lot to celebrate. We'll talk about the economics of the Great White Way.

If only. President Donald Trump likes to talk about the trade deficit, the difference between what the United States sells to other countries and what it buys from them. It shrank between March and April, according to the latest report, something the White House would say is good news. But it's still higher than it's been in years, and when you take a closer look at the numbers, you can see how the current trade disagreements are changing the global economy. Then: What the bond market has to do with Republican tax cuts. Plus, the barbecue problem: Wild hogs. (06/06/2018)

A year-plus into NAFTA negotiations, President Donald Trump might be considering a new tactic: Split up the whole thing into two bilateral deals with Mexico and Canada. We'll take a look at what that would look like. Then, we hear from more businesses feeling the effects of the brewing trade war and looking for exemptions. Plus, 10 years and an internet economy explosion later, the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are taking stock of real estate data and broker commissions. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin got the cold shoulder at the G-7 finance ministers meeting this past weekend, and as President Donald Trump heads to Quebec for more meetings, Canada, Mexico and the European Union are issuing blistering responses to his tariffs. We'll kick off today's show looking at the potential political costs and economic benefits of all this. Then: We'll take apart a bunch of big tech stories from today — and see what you can learn about our relationship with the Chinese by literally taking apart a ZTE phone.

It's been a while since one of President Donald Trump's tweets made economic news, but today he kind of scooped the rest of the government. "Looking forward to seeing the employment numbers at 8:30 this morning," he tweeted, potentially violating a federal rule against discussing that job report early. We'll talk about why that matters. Then, more from the brewing trade war, including more of your questions and a look at whether rising tariffs will undo recent tax cuts. Plus, an interview with the first American to study at a North Korean university. But first, as always, we'll recap a wild five days gone by on the Weekly Wrap. (06/01/2018)

The threat of a trade war has been looming over this country since President Donald Trump announced steel and aluminum tariffs almost three months ago. But one set of tariffs, and a bunch of exclusions and carve-outs to it, does not a trade war make. But now those exceptions are expiring, countries are retaliating and things are getting real. Today, we'll break down what's happening, talk to businesspeople trying to figure out their place in all this and answer your questions about all things trade. Plus, we're capping off our series on the view of American manufacturing from a Georgia factory town.

Over 12.5 million people in the United States work in the manufacturing sector. That's nearly 12 percent of U.S. GDP. So what we make and how make it matters. We're starting off with the second part in our series about manufacturing in America. Today, we're at a foundry that's seen business improve under President Donald Trump, but its owners are wary of steel tariffs. Then: What do Snapple, Dr. Pepper, Peet's Coffee, Keurig and Panera Bread have in common? They're all owned by one company that's on a buying spree. Plus, a conversation with the James Beard Foundation CEO about restaurants in the post #MeToo era. (05-30-2018)

... unless you're driving. Then honk maybe? At any rate, you're not alone. The White House is back to being the Bad Cop, pushing ahead on tariffs and punishing China for playing unfair with intellectual property. We'll bring you the latest on that and the changes coming to the Volker Rule, starting with what it is. Plus: One of the three last denim factories in the United States is shutting down. We'll visit and look at what it means about manufacturing in this country.

Starbucks stores around the country are closing down next week for unconscious bias training. The programs are getting more and more popular, but is their impact measurable? Plus, we cap of our week covering graduates in the recession with the story of one man who regrets going to college. But first, a look back at the week's business and financial news.

Probably not, to be honest. They have a lot of student loans. But hey, the job market is good! Well, sort of. Listen to the story, we'll explain. Today we talk to Qualcomm CEO Steven Mollenkopf about why he isn't worried about China and why 5G is exciting. Also on today's show, a couple hundred business people lit up Capitol Hill this week for the Cannabis Industry Association’s Lobby Days. They asked the lawmakers to either legalize marijuana or at least ease up on some banking and tax rules so they can do business like everybody else. (05/23/2018)

The House is set to take up a bill today dialing back parts of Dodd-Frank, the law regulating banks after the financial crisis. The bill, which has already passed the Senate, would change mortgage lending requirements and raise the threshold at which banks will be officially big, or "systemically important financial institutions," if you want to get technical. We'll start off by telling you everything you need to know, and we'll also look at the rotating deck chairs on the American CEO cruise ship. Plus, speaking of the recession, we'll look at what it's like to graduate into one. The damage can last well after the economy recovers, and some young professionals never catch back up. (05/22/2018)

After two days of trade talks in Washington and a high-level trip earlier this month, China and the United States have announced a truce in the simmering trade war, with U.S.-imposed tariffs on hold. We'll spend some time a the top of today's show recapping how we got here, what's settled and what's not. Then: We'll talk to the reporter who wrote the book on the failed blood-testing startup Theranos and the "scorched earth" tactics it took to cover up fraud. Plus: What you need to know about the new Supreme Court ruling that says employers can keep workers in private arbitration and out of class-action lawsuits.

We're talking NAFTA. We're also talking tariffs. And China. And trade deficits. Leigh Gallagher from Fortune Magazine and Dion Rabouin from Yahoo Finance join us for the Weekly Wrap to talk about the unforeseen consequences of U.S. trade policy and the latest on the 10-year Treasury note. Also on today's show, we get into the Trump administration's attempt to get China to buy more goods from the United States. Trump wants to lower the trade deficit with Beijing, but is buying more American goods going to solve the problem? We also take a look at apology ads. They're all the rage these days. Facebook, Uber and Wells Fargo have launched apology campaigns in the past several weeks in order to regain the trust of their customers. But does "I'm sorry" make for an effective ad?

We're just a couple days away from the royal wedding, and the fashion industry loves Meghan Markle. We'll look at her style and how it might change once she marries Prince Harry. But first, let's talk about the Newtonian law of global trade: For every policy action, there's an equal or opposite reaction. Japan could reportedly be taking the United States to the World Trade Organization over steel and aluminum tariffs, and we'll spend some time at the top of today's show exploring trade's many unintended consequences. Then: Birthrates have been on the decline for a while, and the latest numbers have kept up that trend. So if Americans aren't getting busy, what will happen to the labor force? Plus, hard times in a boom town and the Vatican on economics. (05/17/2018)

That's the name of Ken Langone's new book. He co-founded The Home Depot, and he's been around this economy for a while. We'll unpack that premise, but first we'll talk NAFTA renegotiations. Tomorrow's supposed to be the deadline, but it appears that deadline is malleable as the talks narrow in focus. Plus: the latest from a whole slew of earnings reports, including a big surprise from Macy's. (05/16/2018)

So what are they actually doing about it? Today on the show, we'll do the numbers. The 100 most-common brand-name pharmaceuticals got 232 percent more expensive in the past decade. State lawmakers have filed more than 150 bills this year to rein in costs, something 80 percent of people surveyed by Kaiser agree we need. Some drug companies are starting to feel the squeeze from their own shareholders, too. We'll talk about it. But first: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has more than doubled workplace investigations over last year. Audits and arrests are up, too. We'll look at the economics of these raids. Plus: Uber and Lyft are changing the way they handle sexual harassment and assault claims. (05/15/2018)

It's not all it's cracked up to be. A Tesla Model S rear-ended a firetruck at a red light last night. The car was doing 60, and witnesses say it didn't break. The driver broke his ankle, and now investigators are wondering if the car's autopilot system was active at the time. The self-driving mode has been involved in two fatal crashes, and there are a lot of questions about whether drivers can be expected to take over when self-driving tech is essentially still in the testing phase. We'll talk about that, plus the story of Project Maven, a Pentagon initiative to make drones better at recognizing things. A dozen Google staffers have resigned over it. Plus, the latest from TV upfronts and what you need to know about the Supreme Court's gambling ruling. All that and more on Marketplace for Monday, May 14, 2018.

We packed a lot in the first half of this episode: What President Donald Trump said (and didn't say) in his speech on drug prices today, the looming NAFTA deadline, the swamp and the draining thereof, it's all here. Then: The upfronts are next week. That's the big to-do the major TV networks have every year to show off their new lineups, and, as with most recent years, streaming makes it an uphill battle. Plus, why $5.6 billion worth of U.S. scrap exports to China just came to a screeching halt.

President Donald Trump announced today he's going to meet Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore. There are a whole lot of variables in this equation: What's motivating who to do what? One thing that might have driven North Korea to the negotiating table is its economy. It had been growing amid sanctions, but now? We'll talk about it. Then, another economic story couched in a geopolitical one: Now that the U.S. is re-imposing sanctions on Iran, what will the EU do? Plus: Some 2,300 families fled Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Now, the program giving them temporary shelter on the mainland is coming to an end. So where will they all go? 

The news coming out of Facebook this week is maybe a bit friendlier than it has been: The company announced some leadership shuffles yesterday, along with a new department focused on blockchain technology. We'll kick off today's show with everything you need to know. Plus, we're still talking all things trade, exploring the effects of new Iranian sanctions and a new bill to give companies a break on tariffs on imported goods. Then: Would you subscribe to a car the way you would subscribe to Netflix? Some brands are offering monthly payments that cover the car, insurance and maintenance.

Iran agreed to a slew of limits on its nuclear program three years ago in exchange for lifting decades of international sanctions from the United States and five other countries. The year after the deal went into place, Iran's real GDP grew by 12.5 percent. Growth has certainly fallen off since then, and there were protests in Iran this winter over economic inequality. Now that President Donald Trump has withdrawn from the deal and threatened new sanctions, what happens to U.S. companies doing business there? And businesses of other countries in the deal? That's where we're starting today. Then, we'll examine the story of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who positioned himself as an ally of #MeToo before stepping down today amid allegations of abuse. Plus, the Parkland shooting has renewed demand for a whole range of products and services to make schools safer from gun violence. We'll take a look at that market.

Or maybe it's a grande deal? Whatever. It's a very big deal. The Swiss food brand is paying more than $7 billion for the rights to distribute Starbucks coffee. We'll talk about what Nestle does (or doesn't) get for its money. Probably it means no one will write "Nestly" on their cups again. Then: Tomorrow is the first big primary day for elections in the country and a preview of what may come in November's midterms. A lot of the people running this year are political newcomers from the science community. They worry that the people in power now are discounting science when they make policy, but they're learning that running a lab and running a campaign are two very different things. Plus: Why fast food restaurants like McDonald's, KFC and Taco Bell are experimenting with modern architecture and comfy furniture in their stores.