The Trump administration has moved to axe many Biden-era green initiatives. One project impacted is in Middletown, Ohio — the hometown of Vice President JD Vance. Environmentalists had hoped that the conversion of a steel plant there from coal to hydrogen-powered furnaces could be a blueprint for future eco-friendly upgrades, but that project has been canceled. Also on the show: collective bargaining rights for Uber and Lyft drivers in California and a U.S.-Australia alliance concerning rare earth metals.
Marketplace All-in-One - Call it a silver squeeze
Silver hit an all-time high last week. Helping fuel that rally is a physical shortage; global demand for silver has been outstripping supply since 2020. We'll hear about the supply of silver, which has more industrial uses than its flashier cousin, gold. Also, a Brazilian oil giant will start drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River. And coming soon to a convenience store near you: individual mini Coke cans.
Marketplace All-in-One - Record stocks welcome Japan’s first female prime minister
From the BBC World Service: Japan elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and the Nikkei 225 index surged to a record high. But the conservative leader, who models herself after former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, will have to tackle a range of economic challenges: a falling population, a rise in the cost of living, and sluggish growth. Plus, a federal green tech funding pullback in the U.S. is hitting Vice President JD Vance’s hometown.
Marketplace All-in-One - How do stocks make money?
“Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal needs a bit of help doing his classic “The Numbers” stock market segment so Ryan jumps in to save the day. The only problem is, he has no idea what any of it means. Ryan and Bridget head to Wall Street to learn about the stock market and answer Aditya’s question: how do stocks make money? Things get competitive as the duo try investing in stocks for themselves and see who can make more money.
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Marketplace All-in-One - How will AI-led e-commerce affect small businesses?
AI chatbot adoption is moving rapidly. We can already ask the tools to help us find local restaurants, a good deal on an item we’re looking to purchase. And soon, we’ll even be able to buy products from Walmart through ChatGPT. But as more people turn to AI for search and shopping, what happens to small businesses that traditionally depend on web searches and online reviews?
Marketplace All-in-One - How’s that BLS data coming along?
Our picture of the U.S. economy grows fuzzier each day the government shutdown continues. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which publishes the most reliable economic data, has been a barebones operation since the shutdown began. In this episode, how this month’s data from the public and private sectors may be affected. Plus: Recruiters give mixed takes on the job market, oil services companies are up against low prices and a supply glut, and streaming platforms set their sights on video games and podcasts.
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Marketplace All-in-One - Climate adaptation as part of the curriculum
Agriculture is notoriously susceptible to the whims of the elements. Farmers and ranchers can see their entire livelihoods turn on one bad hailstorm or ill-timed heat wave, which are more frequent as our planet continues to warm. Today, we'll head to Colorado to hear about an apprenticeship program that's embedding climate literacy into its teachings. But first: the value of the dollar, this morning's web outages, and pain for small- and mid-sized businesses
Marketplace All-in-One - When a cloud service that powers much of the internet goes down
There's been a major outage of Amazon Web Services, the Amazon system that does computing for other companies. The list of impacted sites and platforms is lengthy: Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Fortnite, Lyft, McDonald's, Robinhood, and Amazon itself, to name a few. We'll hear more. Plus, altcoins are poised to take a step into the financial mainstream, and China plans its economic future as it deals with tariff fallout and slowing economic growth.
Marketplace All-in-One - China’s leaders meet to draw up an economic blueprint
From the BBC World Service: As members of China's ruling Communist Party gather to discuss the country's economic plans for the next five years, news that growth has slowed to a one-year low hangs over proceedings. Then, Bolivia's next president has said a priority will be tackling his country’s economic crisis. And as Diwali — the Hindu festival of light — begins, we'll ask how consumers in India are dealing with the rising price of gold, which is central to gift-giving there.
Marketplace All-in-One - New CA law requires Uber and Lyft to bargain with drivers
California has enacted a law requiring rideshare giants Uber and Lyft to collectively bargain with their drivers. Because the drivers are technically independent contractors, they otherwise would not have federally-protected labor rights like full-time employees. The new state law could be a game changer.
Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Levi Sumagaysay, reporter at CalMatters, who helps sift through the details of the law.