Author: Marketplace

The high court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to plan out mass layoffs across the government. It's somewhat of a confounding decision, though, in that it appears to say two things at once: the job cuts can proceed, but they may or may not be legal. We'll discuss the implications. And later: Investors take a wait-and-see approach on tariffs, copper futures hit an all-time high, and teachers ramp up their AI skills.

More than 100 people are dead and 170 are still missing in Texas, where, on July Fourth, the Guadalupe River in Kerrville rose more than 30 feet in five hours. Staff shortages at the National Weather Service may have made it harder to coordinate a response, and Texas lawmakers are now reconsidering a bill to improve local governments’ emergency communications infrastructure. Also: the economics of rebuilding wildfire-burnt homes with fire-resistant steel framing.

From the BBC World Service: England's biggest agricultural show has started, but away from the sheep shearing competitions and livestock judging, farmers are talking about international trade — and they’re adamant about not giving ground in any future negotiations. Plus, the U.K. government is capping tax relief on farmland passed down through generations. And, we hear from a Scottish sheep farmer with more than 400,000 followers on YouTube about how merchandise tie-ins are supporting his business.

The National Weather Service lost some 600 positions early in the second Trump administration, through early retirements and layoffs. Now the agency says it’s working to fill some “mission-critical” roles. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has also proposed cutting the greater NOAA budget by more than 25% next year.

A rising chorus of meteorologists and climate experts warn that efforts to shrink the federal workforce and downplay global warming could compromise accurate weather forecasts and climate monitoring.

A tax credit for electric vehicles was killed under the latest GOP tax and spending bill. It's a credit that has existed in some form for nearly 20 years. In this episode, how the tax break supported EV innovation and what might change when it ends in September. Plus: Big retailers eye vertical integration as a salve to supply chain and tariff drama, Canada’s first liquefied natural gas ship sails to Asia, and some employers choose brutal honesty in the recruiting process.

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Republicans’ freshly passed spending bill sets aside $45 billion just to expand immigration detention centers. And a number of private companies are poised to profit from the surge in funding. On the show today, Deirdre Conlon, co-author of the new book “Immigration Detention Inc" explains how immigration detention became dominated by private companies, how local economies have become entangled with the business of detention, and how Trump’s spending law changes everything.

Plus, we’ll celebrate a listener’s cross-country move. And, a reminder to try being a local tourist.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Trump got $170 billion for immigration. Now he has to enact it." from Politico 
• "We Asked Trump’s Former Prisons Chief How $45 Billion Will Reshape Immigrant Detention" from Mother Jones
• "Budget Bill Massively Increases Funding for Immigration Detention" from the Brennan Center for Justice
• "Trump administration seeks to turn mass deportations into an efficient business ‘like Amazon’" from PBS News
• "Unchecked Growth: Private Prison Corporations and Immigration Detention, Three Years Into the Biden Administration" from the ACLU

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

Among the spending cuts in the big tax bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last week: $186 billion over the next decade to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. Community food banks are already strained. Now, many worry whether they'll be able to keep up. Also on the program: Delta tries to crack the "last mile" in parcel delivery, and new tariffs could hit in three and a half weeks.

Today marks six months since the Eaton Fire ravaged the town of Altadena, about a half hour northeast of downtown LA. More than 9,000 structures burned — most of them homes. We'll check in with Lucie Russo of Southern California Radio/LAist about the loss of her home and where rebuild efforts stand. But first: Tariffs and other inflationary pressures are on the minds of shoppers during Amazon Prime Day.

From the BBC World Service: 14 countries received a letter from the White House saying a pause on tariffs due to expire Wednesday will now be extended to Aug. 1. Japan and South Korea are among the countries facing a renewed threat of 25% tax on U.S. exports, with other import duties ranging from 30% for South Africa to 40% for Myanmar and Laos. We hear reactions. Plus, a move to ban employer misconduct NDAs in the U.K.

As technology has advanced, the ways countries fight wars has changed drastically. Now, AI companies are hoping technology can also play peacekeeper and prevent the next global conflict.

Anadyr Horizon, one of the AI startups, developing what many are calling “peace tech,” is doing so through simulating future conflicts and the world leaders they may involve.