Author: Marketplace

Bitcoin hit a record $122,000 this morning as the House of Representatives ramps up for what's being called "Crypto Week," where lawmakers will be taking up three bills that could lay the foundation for how digital assets are regulated. We'll hear more about what to expect. And later, we'll unpack market reactions to daily swings in tariff policy and learn how China's rare earth metal dominance comes at a significant environmental cost.

This week, we get a few snapshots of what inflation is doing. Everyone wants to know when tariffs will start showing up in the overall data, because they mostly haven't yet, partly due to the Federal Reserve's tight monetary policy. But that doesn't mean tariffs aren't affecting the economy. We'll discuss. Also: how Europe is trying to keep U.S. trade tensions from boiling over, and where copper imports are being diverted ahead of looming tariffs.

From the BBC World Service: The European Union is looking further afield for trade agreements after weeks of testy talks with the U.S. We'll hear how European leaders are feeling and discuss the likelihood of any trade deals. Plus, China holds a powerful card in the global economy: control over rare earth minerals, used in everything from smartphones to wind turbines and electric cars. We travel to the country’s two biggest rare earth mining regions.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino speaks with Rebecca Lester, a professor of accounting at Stanford, about a tax provision within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that could further tech R&D and innovation.

The Trump Administration today said it will restrict undocumented immigrants from accessing public programs, including Head Start. Kimberly explains how the move fits into the government’s broader effort to change who’s entitled to services in the United States. And, the Supreme Court gave Trump the green light to continue mass federal layoffs, for now. We’ll get into the emotional rollercoaster many of these workers have been on this year. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "What the Media Gets Wrong About Medicaid ‘Cuts'" from DC Journal
• "Taxpayer-Funded Benefits Are for American Citizens — Not Illegals" from The White House 
• "Trump to cut off Head Start for immigrants in US illegally" from AP News  
• "State Department fires more than 1,300 employees in downsizing plan" from The Washington Post 
• "Federal workers fearful after Supreme Court backs Trump’s mass firings plan" from The Washington Post
• "How Trump’s immigration policies could threaten Social Security" from Marketplace 
• "Tariffs push companies to rethink traditional forecasts" from Marketplace
• "In new food fad, protein products are no longer just for gym-goers" from Marketplace
• "Microsoft Pledges $4 Billion Toward A.I. Education" from The New York Times
• "A 70-hour work week? Some job listings are foregoing work-life balance" from Marketplace

• ”The disturbing parallels between modern accounting and the business of slavery” from Marketplace

  
  

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The Medicaid budget just lost about $1 trillion. Eleven million more Americans will go uninsured, the CBO estimates, and those who remain Medicaid-eligible may lose coverage for "optional" services. That could include in-home health care recipients, like 9-year-old Noah. In this episode, we talk with his mom, who lobbied Congress to vote against the bill. Plus: An environmentalist makes a case for solar power, and why the Fed will rely on data — not the whims of the stock market or President Trump — to make its next rate cut decision.

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A cheap and accessible form of energy lies in a large ball of burning gas 93 million miles up in the sky: the sun. So why haven’t we adopted solar energy more widely? “How We Survive” host Amy Scott recently talked with longtime climate writer and activist Bill McKibben about his upcoming book “Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization.” 

In this exclusive extended interview, McKibben explains how solar power has had explosive growth in the past few years, why it’s not widely adopted in the U.S. (and ways to change that) and offers some hopeful examples of how solar power has been adopted around the world.

What would you do with a million dollars…in crypto? Reema Khrais talks with Marketplace reporter Matt Levin about one man’s journey to becoming crypto rich. Levin’s reporting reveals a complicated picture, not just about the ups and downs of crypto, but also about what it means to chase the American dream when you're living on the margins.

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Medicaid is run by the states, but about 70% of its funding comes from the federal government. Now, given $1 trillion in cuts from President Donald Trump's tax and spending law, states are left trying to fill in the gaps and will have difficult care and coverage decisions to make. We'll unpack it all. Also on this morning's program, we'll learn about higher taxes on Canadian imports and how markets are responding to them.

Back-to-school shopping already? We’re only about halfway through July, but for retailers — and some very organized parents — the back-to-school shopping season is already underway. Thing is, the sales forecast isn't looking so good. We'll hear more. A new survey from Deloitte says school shopping spending is expected to dip this year, when adjusting for inflation. Plus, President Donald Trump threatens new tariffs against Canada, and banks grow more cautious about making new loans.