Author: Marketplace

Just two months ago, the World Trade Organization predicted global trade would grow by nearly 2% next year. Now, it’s revised that forecast down to just 0.5% as the impact of the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs sinks in. We'll hear what's been propping up trade so far and what's on the road ahead. Then, "Marketplace Tech" shares tips for spotting job scams. And later, we'll hear how other countries' "gold card" visa programs fared.

When President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on Chinese goods earlier this year, China ceased crop purchases from U.S. farmers. That hurt American agriculture, so the government hopes to help those farmers out with aid using tariff revenue. Trump did this during his last trade war. Today, we'll outline how it all played out. Plus, the price of gold keeps climbing, and we check in with a tea shop owner about how tariffs are affecting business.

From the BBC World Service: Gold has breached $4,000 an ounce for the first time, following one of its strongest monthly performances and its biggest sustained rally since the 1970s. What's driving the surge? Then, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is attending a two-day summit in India focused on trade, but he's insisting the U.K. won't issue more visas to Indian workers. Also on the show: Trump's "gold card" visas and newly minted billionaire soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo.

Imagine a future where chocolate and coffee are rare and expensive; where cheap, nutritional staples, like corn and wheat, are threatened.

The climate crisis is a food and agriculture crisis. A third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from what’s on our plate. Cow burps, deforestation, water use and food waste all feed into making our planet unlivable. And it’s a double-edged sword, because as the planet heats up, staple crops are withering, soil is losing its nutrients, and droughts and famines will become more common. Our food systems are hurting the planet, and the hotter planet is hurting our food systems. 

To survive, we need to drastically cut down our use of farmland and we need to find alternative meat sources that don’t give consumers the creeps. How will we keep feeding millions of people? And how will we do that with less land? 

This season of “How We Survive,” we’ll take you on a food tour of the future. May we interest you in some lab-grown chocolate or some cell cultivated salmon (that is, if you’re not in Florida)? We explore the uncanny valley of meat and visit farmers in our nation’s breadbasket where hotter, drier, less predictable weather has global consequences. Finally, we’ll take you on the ground into one of the more demonized (and misunderstood) parts of the agricultural system: Factory farms.

AI slop is pointless content shared online like fake images and videos. A new study in the Harvard Business Review wants us to consider a variant: “workslop,” or AI-generated reports, emails and more that are sloppily crafted.

The authors of the study say 40% of workers they surveyed have encountered workslop. And that's costing time and money.

Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with social psychologist and vice president of BetterUp Labs Kate Niederhoffer, who co-authored the study. She said workslop harms interpersonal work relationships, such as when one employee receives an AI written report from another.

The federal government shutdown drags on this week, leaving a labor data vacuum. Private firms are hoping to fill the gap with their own data sets — some are even offering ‘em for free. Unfortunately, that private data is narrower and less comprehensive than typical BLS reports. Also in this episode: The popularity of all-cash home sales, the unique risks and boons AI presents for Indian Country, and the vital role of equipment auctions for small contractors.

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.

A growing list of U.S. cities are set to see National Guard troops in their communities as President Trump explores ways to deploy the military on American soil. But legal challenges are piling up. On today’s show, Kimberly talks with Patrick Eddington, senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute, about the changing role of the National Guard and why Trump’s use of the Guard defies precedent.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "The President’s List of Subversive Organizations" from the Cato Institute
• "Trump’s use of Guard may have lasting impact on cities and troops" from The Washington Post
• "Trump's use of the National Guard sets up a legal clash testing presidential power" from AP News
• "Troops and marines deeply troubled by LA deployment: ‘Morale is not great’" from The Guardian
• "What We Lose by Distorting the Mission of the National Guard" from The Atlantic

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Health care is a major sticking point between Republicans and Democrats in the government shutdown standoff. Congressional Democrats are refusing to endorse a temporary spending bill that allows Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies to expire. Today, we look at what an end to subsidies could mean for your insurance — even if you don't get your health care through the ACA. Also: trade talks between the U.S. and Canada, and a comparison of the AI boom and the dot-com bubble.

Later this week, we’ll learn more about how the Federal Reserve decided to cut interest rates when the Federal Open Market Committee releases the minutes of its most recent meeting. The document will give us clues about what's ahead and where FOMC members' priorities lie. Also on this morning's show: the IRS will now have a CEO, renewable energy becomes the world's largest electricity source, and OPEC producers decide to expand output.

From the BBC World Service: Energy thinktank Ember says that for the first time, solar and wind met all new global electricity demand in the first half of this year. Could this be a turning point for the global energy system? Then, London police dismantled an international gang suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen cell phones. And, Zimbabwe is on a quest to become Africa’s blueberry capital after it signed a tariff-free export protocol with China.