Author: Marketplace

We've been looking at how technology is changing agriculture. Last month, we visited Central California where there's new investment in everything from electric tractors and leaf sensors to upskilling farmworkers.

Today, Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams visits our neighbor to the north. Specifically, Canada's first fully-automated greenhouse. It's cost millions to set up, and it's just in time for a trade war.

Provo, Utah, which sits in one of the youngest counties of the U.S., has attracted some major employers in recent years. This week, “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal and ADP chief economist Nela Richardson visit and meet with some employers to find out why Provo’s young population and LDS community make a strong labor pool. Plus, a brief history of “tax the rich” and China curbs rare earth exports.

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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.

The White House triggered a sharp increase in tariffs on imported metals on Wednesday. The tax at the border is now 50%. But one trading partner got an exemption: the UK. Our BBC colleague Leanna Byrne joins us to explain. Also on the program: federal funding cuts hit the arts. We check in with the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music after the nonprofit lost its NEA grant.

Microsoft has unveiled a weather forecasting approach that makes its predictions using artificial intelligence. Google, Nvidia and Huawei are all using AI to try to make weather predictions more precise. And as hurricane season gets underway, we look into what it could mean for the broader economy. But first, how higher steel and aluminum tariffs could hurt U.S. manufacturers.

From the BBC World Service: The U.S. is doubling tariffs on most imported steel and aluminum, raising them from 25% to 50%. The stakes are extremely high — around one quarter of all steel and half of all aluminum used in the U.S. is imported. Meanwhile, the European Commission is unveiling its 2026 budget proposal, and Wednesday marks the deadline the U.S. has set for countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations. Plus, on International Cheese Day, we hear how Gen Z's tastes are changing.

AI-generated deepfakes are everywhere on social media. Now, you can take a test developed by Northwestern University to see how well you spot them. Marketplace’s Nova Safo took the test, sifting through a bunch of real and fake images. He got five out of six right, which is the average in a study Northwestern conducted. Lead researcher Matt Groh also helped develop a litmus test, a series of things to look for to spot deepfakes.

The GOP’s budget bill, now at the Senate, includes proposed cuts to federal statistical agencies. That could make government data narrower and less reliable. And when governments fail to put out dependable data? “It ends up being a real drag on the economy,” said economist Laura Veldkamp. Also in this episode: We visit an entrepreneurship hub in Provo, Utah, experts weight the merits of hard and soft data, and warehouses see a usage boom amid tariff uncertainty.

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.

Money borrowed for hospitalization is seen by many as different from paying what you owe for consumer goods: The debt is seldom from discretionary spending. The Biden-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had moved to protect credit scores from medical debt, but the agency is now reversing course. A nonprofit called Undue Medical Debt, led by CEO Allison Sesso, works to pay off people's medical debt as a charitable endeavor. But first, Trump's spending bill moves to the Senate.

"This Old House Radio Hour" — now a radio show and a podcast — helps listeners tackle home projects both big and small. "Marketplace Morning Report" host David Brancaccio is on that program this week, talking about the process of rebuilding his Altadena home after it was destroyed by the January wildfires.

The world will see lower economic growth due to tariffs and tariff uncertainty, according to the OECD. Global economic growth will fall below three percent this year, and the slowdown is expected to be most concentrated in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and China. Also on the program: how steel and aluminum tariffs could drive up grocery prices, and the economic pros and cons of a small-market NBA Finals.