Author: Marketplace

This week, Ryan and Bridget are answering a question about why athletes get paid what they do. In this bonus mini-episode of “Million Bazillion,” Bridget and Ryan hear from Colin Hufman, who competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics with the U.S. curling team. Curling is a sport that’s played on ice, in which players slide granite stones toward a target area. We’ll learn about Colin’s experience earning income as an Olympic athlete, including payments for medals, monthly stipends and promotional endorsements. The hosts realize that making a living as an Olympian involves a lot more than just training and competing in sports.

“Million Bazillion” listener Alistair wants to know how professional athletes get paid. Bridget and Ryan prepare for the semi-annual Public Radio Foosball Tournament, but their star player is drafted to the opposing team. The hosts have to scramble to assemble players for their dream team in time for the big tournament. In this episode, they learn about labor unions, player trades and statistical analysis strategies used in the movie “Moneyball.”

If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check out our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

Today, we take a deep dive into the provisions affecting small businesses and taxes in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which aims to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives in May, and the U.S. Senate released its proposed version of the bill on Monday. The Senate’s draft upheld many policies from the House of Representative’s version, including cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. We explain how the ripple effects of those cuts could affect small businesses such as grocery stores and farmers. Also, we dig into the implications of the Senate’s proposal to make permanent several business tax breaks.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Here’s what’s in the Senate GOP’s version of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’" from The Hill
• “Senate Republicans seek tougher Medicaid cuts and lower SALT deduction in Trump’s big bill” from The Associated Press
• “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: A comparison for businesses” from the Internal Revenue Service
• “The Farm Safety Net: A Closer Look at ARC and PLC” from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

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

The Trump Organization, the president’s family business, is getting into mobile phones. The company is promising a new wireless service — called Trump Mobile — and releasing a new, gold smartphone. The Trump Organization says the phone will be made in the U.S., but industry experts are skeptical about whether that’s even possible. Also on the show: how one sneaker broker turned his hobby into a full-time job.

First, we'll take a closer look at Senate Republicans' version of the mega tax and spending bill, which differs from the House-passed version on some flash-point issues. Then, we’ll discuss a new study examining the impact of traveling to music events from Reverb, a nonprofit working to create a more environmentally friendly music industry. It finds a lot of interest among music lovers in more sustainable transportation options. But is the infrastructure there?

From the BBC World Service: Chinese carmaker BYD has been slashing prices at home to dominate the market. BYD only relatively recently expanded into international markets and, last year, sold more electric cars worldwide than Tesla. This all has existing established manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere very worried. Plus, we'll head to Spain to hear how the country's olive oil and Iberian ham producers are thinking about American tariffs.

Data analytics company Palantir has many contracts with federal government, just as the Trump administration is reportedly trying to construct a centralized database combining information from various agencies. That's brought Palantir renewed scrutiny. Joseph Cox has been following all of this at the tech news site 404 Media.

The Federal Open Market Committee meets later this week, and it’s pretty likely they’ll examine why tariffs didn’t drive inflation up in May. The good news? A slew of economic data coming out this week could clear things up, and help them make an interest rate decision. Also in this episode: Other central banks have June meetings on the books, domestic steel production ramps up under tariffs — but steel jobs don’t — and Halloween came early this year. Like, really early.

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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.

Every day this week, we’re going to take a closer look at the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which aims to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda. It proposes a tax cut and increased spending for border security and the military. It also includes cuts to health, nutrition, education and clean energy programs. Today, we explain the rules around what provisions can go into reconciliation bills, and where the bill currently stands in the legislation process now. Plus, we answer questions from listeners on how the bill could affect their student loans and access to higher education.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Senate sidesteps parliamentarian, widens reach of CRA” from Roll Call
• “Republicans face critical week on Trump megabill” from The Hill
• “The Senate is assessing the "Big Beautiful Bill" line by line to eliminate non-budgetary measures” from Marketplace
• “Senate Republican education plan may trigger ‘avalanche of student loan defaults,’ expert says” from CNBC

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

Despite continued protests over immigration policy, President Donald Trump in an online post yesterday directed immigration enforcement to deport more people in the country illegally, specifically those in major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Today, we're continuing to track what more restrictive immigration policy could cost the U.S. economy. But first: What's the biggest risk to the economy right now? The Federal Reserve has to decide.