Author: Marketplace

As part of our "Buy Now, Pay Later" series — produced in partnership with Next Avenue, a nonprofit news platform for older adults produced by Twin Cities PBS — we'll hear firsthand from 70-year-old Loreli Taylor, a Social Security beneficiary who took out student loans decades ago and still has debt to pay down. She's not alone; the number of student loan borrowers 62 and older is up sharply. Also, borrowing rates are rising.

Today, to start a three-part series examining America's persistent racial wealth gap, we head to Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, in 1921, a violent white mob destroyed the thriving Greenwood neighborhood — then known as America's "Black Wall Street.” The event wiped out much of the prosperity experienced by the area’s Black residents and, along with it, the opportunity for intergenerational wealth-building. We'll learn about the history and attempts at restitution. But first: a downgrade of the nation's credit rating.

From the BBC World Service: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to unveil the results of a reset in post-Brexit relations with the EU on defense, trade and fishing rights. We'll hear more. Then, Canada is home to 2 million Indigenous people, roughly half of whom say they struggle to afford basics, including food. Historically, Indigenous Canadians were limited from profiting from food production by law, but the government has now pledged to increase food security.

Having a baby in the era of apps, influencers, subreddits and Facebook groups, has its ups and downs.

Journalist Amanda Hess thought she knew all about it as an internet culture writer for the New York Times, but found herself surprised when she was the one expecting.

She writes about how pregnancy magnified her relationship with technology in a new memoir, “Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age.”

It begins, actually before conception — with the period-tracking app, Flo Health.

University retirement communities — where a college partners with a senior living community to provide residents access to classes, concerts, sporting events and more — are rising in the U.S. It's an attempt by some colleges to cater to the growing number of Americans over 65. We'll visit one just outside of Baltimore. Also: what a disconnect between hard data and soft data means for the Federal Reserve and how Chinese exporters are pivoting amid tariff uncertainty.

On today’s show, Kai makes a special annoucement! But first, Moody’s knocked the United States’ government’s credit rating down a peg below Triple-A. We’ll break down what that actually means and why it may not be as dire as it sounds but still matters a lot for the vibes. Plus, we’ll explain why, even with a majority, the House GOP hasn’t been able to pass its budget bill. And, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty and nerd out on “Star Wars” spin-off shows.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "House budget panel rejects GOP megabill amid conservative opposition" from Politico 
• "Army to place large metal plates on DC streets to protect them from tanks during June parade" from WTOP News 
• "U.S. Loses Last Triple-A Credit Rating" from The Wall Street Journal 
• "Airbnb Is in Midlife Crisis Mode" from Wired
• "Why banks still have branches — and why some are motivated to add more" from Marketplace
• "Gen Z's 'conscious unbossing' should be a wake-up call for businesses" from Business Insider
• ​​"Is the Next Great American Novel Being Published on Substack?" from The New Yorker 
• "Warner’s Streaming Service Has New Name: Its Old One. Meet ‘HBO Max.’" from The Wall Street Journal  

Got a message for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The Eurovision Song Contest was started in 1956 as an effort by a consortium of European broadcasters to use culture to unite the disparate countries of the emerging EU. Approaching 70 years of performances, 160 million could watch this year’s Eurovision, even in this age of streaming digital distractions. What's behind the staying power? But first, the WNBA season starts tonight after a breakout 2024, where attendance, viewership, and ad and merch sales all skyrocketed.

Online bookings for travel are down. Major airlines are reducing flight schedules as leisure travelers pull back. And now there’s more bad news for the tourism sector: High-spending business travelers are cutting back, as well. Later in the program: why Bank of America is investing in physical branches and how a technical program near the Texas-Louisiana coast is training young people for "gold-collar" chemical and petrochemical production jobs.

From the BBC World Service: Japanese carmaker Nissan recently unveiled sweeping cost-cutting plans. Now, it says it could share its U.K. factory with a Chinese state-owned company, manufacturing vehicles on their behalf. Plus, Malawi has lost a much-needed International Monetary Fund program worth $175 million. And, the Eurovision Song Contest is back this week. How has Eurovision managed to stay relevant after nearly 70 years?

President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East has prompted a flurry of AI deals worth billions. We'll get into the details on today's “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Stateside, the Trump administration has rolled back a Biden-era “AI Diffusion” rule. Companies involved in the semiconductor supply chain were critical of the rule, though it's still not entirely clear how Trump plans to revamp the regulation.

Plus, what some might call the most obvious rebrand: Warner Bros brings back the "HBO" to its Max streaming platform.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to discuss all of this and more.