Author: Marketplace

It’s Halloween, and Bridget and Ryan are trying to answer a question about the national debt while preparing for their town’s giant Halloween extravaganza. The town has taken on debt to make things extra spooky this year and things are starting to get a little out of control! Can Bridget and Ryan help the town navigate their monster debt?

(Grownups: This is episode does contain monsters but no jump scares! You know your kid listeners best, so exercise caution if Halloween is more tricky than treat for them!)

If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s question, check out our website. We’ve got conversation starters and a tip sheet!

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

In his new book, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales writes ”in the early years of the internet, we were right to be bullish about people and the technology. Our capacity for social connection, community and cooperation can deliver amazing things. But the very same human nature can deliver atrocities.”

Wales’s says he wrote this book to help combat a crisis of trust in society that is leading to the rise of authoritarianism. Marketplace’s Nova Safo asked him about the main lessons he learned from building Wikipedia into a highly-relied-upon source of information.

The shutdown has delayed October's durable goods report. But fear not! Michigan-based appliance manufacturer Whirlpool reported earnings today, and they were pretty tepid. What does that tell us about Trump's tariffs, or the housing market? In this episode, corporate earnings act as a stand-in for missing federal data. Plus: There are winners and losers during a period of high beef prices, small business owners scrutinize their staffing strategies, and regional banks consolidate to compete with fintech.

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.

The federal shutdown is already having intense effects on unpaid federal workers. But we could be approaching a tipping point. In a memo, the USDA says about 42 million people will not get their SNAP benefits, starting Saturday. We'll hear more. Also, even if we don't get an inflation report, consumers are still pinched by rising prices. And, will Canada's transportation systems be ready for the FIFA World Cup next year?

Hey Smarties! Today we’re sharing another episode from the latest season of “How We Survive,” Marketplace’s climate solutions podcast. Host Amy Scott and the “How We Survive” crew continue their exploration into the future of climate-conscious food with a look at the cutting edge of meat alternatives. Plus, Francis Lam, host of “The Splendid Table,” joins Amy to put cell cultivated meat to the test and shares some tips for cooking climate-friendly proteins.

Price increases are price increases, and consumers will bemoan inflation no matter the cause, right? Maybe not so much. Research shows that consumers tend to view inflation brought on by tariffs in a different light. Today, University of Chicago economist Alex Imas joins the program and uses behavioral economics to help make sense of it. But first, Louisiana will be building the first “rare earths separation facility” in the U.S.

From the BBC World Service: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit is underway in Malaysia. So far, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia have all struck a series of trade agreements with President Donald Trump. Then, the party of Argentinian President Javier Milei saw major wins in Sunday's midterm elections, despite widespread discontent with deep austerity measures. And we'll learn about preparations for next summer’s FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 16 different cities.

There are a lot of trending videos of people using face recognition tools to find cheating partners on dating apps. On TikTok, for example, videos have gone viral about people explaining how to use the tools like Cheater Buster, plus other staged videos of supposed partners catching their significant other on Tinder.

Joseph Cox, tech reporter at 404 Media, looked into the sudden rise of these services and the risks they pose to privacy.

Consumers everywhere are trying to stretch their dollars to compensate for economic uncertainty and inflation. However, there’s a divide between higher and lower earners. In this episode, we look at how people across the economic spectrum are trying to get more bang for their buck. Plus, one recent college graduate’s decision to leave the U.S. for job prospects abroad, commodity shortages mean less chocolate in your Halloween candy, and a weekly wrap-up of the latest economic headlines.

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.

Chicago has been dealing with a lot these days. The city has been a battleground for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and efforts to deploy the National Guard. On today’s show, Kimberly asks WBEZ’s Sasha-Ann Simons about what it’s like to be there now. And, we’ll get into more economic stories from the Windy City you should know about. Plus, we’ll play a game of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "ICE Is Cracking Down on Chicago. Some Chicagoans Are Fighting Back." from The New York Times
• "Local leaders react to ‘brutal escalation’ of immigration arrests in Little Village, Cicero" from WBEZ
• "Judge’s order blocking National Guard deployment will remain in effect for now, but all eyes on Supreme Court" from WBEZ
• "Coca-Cola taps mini cans and new flavors to spark a fizzling soda market" from Marketplace
• "‘It’s PR, not the ER’: Gen Z is resisting the workplace emergency" The Washington Post
• "Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ Series Finale Officially Coming to Theaters, Despite Previous Statements" from The Hollywood Reporter
• "Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots" from The New York Times 

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