Author: Marketplace

Dr. Carlos Chaccour, physician scientist at the University of Navarra, noticed something fishy about a letter to the editor the New England Journal of Medicine received shortly after it published a paper of his on malaria treatment in July.

The letter was riddled with strange errors such as critiques supposedly based on other research Chaccour himself had written. So he and his co-author Matthew Rudd decided to dig deeper.

They analyzed patterns of letters to the editor over the last decade and found a remarkable increase in what they call "prolific debutantes" — new authors who suddenly had dozens, even hundreds of letters published, starting right around the time OpenAI’s ChatGPT came out.

Why would academics want to do this? Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Chaccour to find out.

For many people gathering around the table this holiday season, things feel a little different. Maybe it’s the cost of ingredients that’s on your mind, or cuts to USDA funding that have left your food bank running low. Or maybe it’s the simple reality of a packed schedule — there’s a lot to cook, and so little time. 

In this special from Marketplace, we bring listeners a collection of stories on the business and economics of food. Our reporters take us across the country to farms, home kitchens, and restaurants. We visit a refugee farmer in Houston, a chocolate-making lab in California, and stop for a bite at an award-winning restaurant in Portland. 

The holidays are just around the corner. And for many, it might mean being a guest at, or hosting, a friendsgiving get-together or other holiday party. Regardless of which side of the gathering you’re on, it can be stressful. But fret not! Casey Elsass, author of the book “What Can I Bring? Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life,” joins Kimberly from New York City to share tips on how to host and attend a great holiday party without breaking your bank account. Plus, we’ll play a round of This or That!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “What Can I Bring? Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life” from Hachette Book Group
• “Potluck problems solved: Recipes that travel well and always impress” from MPR News
• “Americans Need to Party More” from The Atlantic
• “2024 Is the Year of the Dinner Party” from Eater
• “Song of the Shirt” from Thomas Hood

TJX, the parent company of off-price retailers T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, posted excellent earnings this week, while Target cut its sales forecast. “Off-price” means TJX sells excess inventory at a discount, which may be more attractive to increasingly stressed shoppers hunting for deals. Also in this episode: Political affiliation colors consumer sentiment, USDA cuts end a major revenue stream for small-scale farmers, and supply chains are unusually slow this holiday season.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

The Trump administration has unveiled plans for a huge expansion of offshore oil drilling. Federal law requires the Interior Department to come up with five-year schedules of oil and gas lease sales. The most recent proposal includes as many as 34 potential offshore lease sales, near the coasts of Alaska, California, and Florida. Also on the show: why the Dutch government wanted to take over a Chinese-owned chip company.

After months of ICE raids on the nation’s capital, some construction workers are afraid to go into Washington, D.C. for work, fearing arrest and deportation. Meanwhile, the contractors who need them are struggling to adapt. We'll check in on some of the businesses that are being most affected. But first: why markets ended yesterday on a sour note, and why the housing affordability crisis is accelerating fastest in rural areas.

From the BBC World Service: Japan's cabinet has approved a stimulus package worth more than $130 billion. It's the first major policy initiative of the new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and aims to help households and companies with measures like energy subsidies and tax cuts. Then, the global climate change conference COP30 is drawing to a close in Brazil, and so far, there’s been no agreement on key issues like the fossil fuel phaseout.

The holiday shopping season is here, and AI companies are pushing new chatbot retail partnerships. But, can these tools deliver on their promises to make shopping easier? Plus, the return of Vine, the beloved video app known for its ultra-short absurdist memes.

But first, Meta is not a monopoly, according to a federal judge’s ruling this week in the longstanding antitrust case against the social media giant, which claimed Meta had stifled competition by buying Instagram and WhatsApp.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Paresh Dave, senior writer at Wired, to discuss all of the above on this week’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

The September jobs report finally arrived after a six-week delay, showing employers added 119,000 jobs — well above expectations. The BLS also recorded an unusually strong 80% employer response rate, the highest since 2019. Improved accuracy came as a consequence of the deferred report. Also in this episode: Food service gained 36,000 jobs, America’s brand image hit a new low, and a scholarship celebrated 20 years of supporting Latina students.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

The United Nations’ climate summit, COP30, is underway in Brazil. But one country is notably absent: the United States. On today’s show, climate law expert Jennifer Haverkamp joins Kimberly to share her takeaways from COP30 so far and what the United States’ absence means for the future of global climate progress. Plus, the growing debate over whether climate finance should prioritize adapting to climate change or curbing fossil fuels.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Cop30 live: current climate pathway ‘a death sentence for many’, says UN secretary-general" from The Guardian 
• "Debatable: How to fight climate change" from Semafor
• "With Trump absent from COP30 talks, the world moves on without U.S." from The Washington Post 
• "Brazil Officials Are Divided Over Fossil Fuel Plan at COP30" from Bloomberg
• "India wants COP30 to focus on climate adaptation, but dries up own fund" from Al Jazeera  

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