Author: Marketplace

As the Trump administration heads into a weekend of trade talks with Chinese officials, the President is floating a new tariff rate on Chinese imports: 80%. While it’s much lower than the current tariff rate of 145%, it’s still far too high for many businesses. We’ll get into it. And, a recent legal win for Epic Games could shake up Apple’s App Store. Plus, we’ll weigh in on mass producing orchids and going cashless during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "DOJ, FTC open inquiry into the concert industry" from The L.A. Times 
• "Fortnite applies to launch on Apple's App Store after Epic Games court win" from CNBC 
• "How Apple Created a Legal Mess When It Skirted Judge’s Ruling" from The New York Times 
• "Ahead of China-US talks, Trump says 80% tariff 'seems right'" from Reuters
• "Revenge RTO: Workers are coming in late, leaving early and stealing snacks as they find small ways to get back at their bosses" from Fortune
• "Trump Revives Push for Higher Taxes on the Rich" from The New York Times
• "How the Exotic Orchid Became a Mass-Market Commodity" from The Wall Street Journal 

• "The drawbacks of an increasingly cashless society" from Marketplace

  
  

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This week, the Federal Reserve opted to leave short-term interest rates alone, despite concerns about the rising risks of a weakening U.S. economy. In this episode, we speak with Sudeep Reddy of Politico and Courtenay Brown of Axios about the Fed's latest decision and the current state of trade negotiations. Plus, why NOAA is retiring its billion-dollar disaster database and how New York City is moving to decarbonize its pension fund.

Most consumers are a lot more hesitant to book vacations these days. At least that's what travel companies are telling us — Marriot, Hilton, Hyatt and a slew of airlines all cut revenue expectations for 2025. But one segment of the market is expected to remain strong: luxury travel. We'll hear more. But first: the details of the U.S.-U.K. trade deal and the impact of Bill Gates giving away $200 billion by 2045.

The federal government will no longer track the cost of the most expensive disasters in the country. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will stop adding dollar damage tallies to its database of events that cause over $1 billion in damage. The move comes as billion-dollar disasters have become more frequent. Plus, as college-bound students look to decide where to go, we'll hear how colleges come up with the price of admission.

From the BBC World Service: Yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled an agreement that will reduce import taxes on some British cars and metals and open up the British market to some U.S. beef. Plus, China says its exports to the States fell by 21% in April compared to the previous year. And, the owner of Zara wants the EU to close a tax loophole that favors exporters of cheap goods into Europe.

On this week’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” OpenAI retreats from its pivot to profit after its plan to restructure the business hit some snags. Plus, we say goodbye to the old-school internet phone call platform - Skype. But first, the Department of Justice pushed for breaking up part of Google's advertising business by selling off two of its ad tech products, which Google says would be nearly impossible. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at the Wall Street Journal, to discuss all these topics and more.

The latest consumer expectations report is out and Americans are feeling much worse about their own personal financial situations than they were in March. Their inflation expectations though, haven’t budged much. In this episode, we look at why that might be — and whether these surveys correlate to economic reality. Plus: tariffs dampen hobby splurgers’ spirits, labor productivity drops and we nibble on the U.S.-U.K. trade deal.

 

Following Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs, the United States has now struck a trade deal (sorta) with the United Kingdom. We’ll get into it. Plus, childcare costs a lot – and in some places, more than rent. Then, we’ll smile at the unexpected joy of “swole culture.” And what if, instead of sports metaphors, we used makeup lingo at work?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Trump unveils United Kingdom trade deal, first since 'reciprocal' tariff pause” by CNBC
• “U.S., Britain strike first major trade deal of Trump tariff era” by Axios
• “Sending 2 Kids to Daycare Costs More Than Rent in Most Major U.S. Metros” from Redfin
• “Head Start avoids Trump’s cuts, but advocates are ready to defend it: ‘There’s too much good in this’” by The Guardian
• LISTEN: “Will you be my nanny?” from “This Is Uncomfortable” 
• “Life of the Mother” by ProPublica
• “Finding Strength in a Bigger Body” from The Cut
• “How one writer quit dieting and discovered her strength through weightlifting” by NPR

Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

After decades of trying to make it as an actor and comedian in Hollywood, Claudette Powell felt deeply unfulfilled. So she set her sights on a radically different life -- one that required her to pay off nearly $150,000 of debt. When she finally wrote that last check, she took a vow of poverty and entered a convent. 

But leaving behind her material life wasn’t as simple as it sounded. This week: how paying off debt was only the beginning – and how money still finds a way to complicate life within convent walls.

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UnitedHealthcare is facing a lawsuit claiming it defrauded shareholders — by denying fewer claims but not warning ahead of time that its profits would decline. The nation’s largest health insurer has been under heightened scrutiny following the killing of its then-CEO in New York late last year. And later: President Donald Trump is expected to announce a trade deal with Britain, and consumer advocate Ralph Nader reflects on the drawbacks of going cashless.