Author: Marketplace

Just two weeks out from the Trump administration’s tariff pause deadline, no one is quite sure what to expect. In this episode, experts weigh in on what sort of deals the U.S. is likely to make and how businesses are preparing in the meantime. Plus: “Value seeking” consumers want the most bang for their buck, economic uncertainty puts the brakes on RV sales, and Indigenous jewelry makers struggle as silver prices rise.

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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.

Many Americans are enduring a brutal heatwave this week. For those who work outside, the heat can be deadly. On today’s show, we’ll check in on a proposed heat safety law that would require employers to offer more breaks when the temperature rises above a certain threshold. Under the Trump administration, the law’s future is uncertain. And, the housing market can’t seem to break out of its slump. Plus, the lengths some Americans will go to score some Indian mangoes.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings Rulemaking" from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
• "As U.S. Sizzles, Business Groups Push Back on OSHA's Heat Safety Law" from Inc.
• "Heat Safety Experts behind OSHA Rules Were Laid Off, which Could Make It Easier to Scrap Regulations" from Scientific American
• "Trump’s OSHA Nominee Has a History With Heat and UPS Drivers" from The New York Times
• "U.S. New Home Sales Slump as High Mortgage Rates Persist" from The Wall Street Journal
• '"You'll never be ready to buy a home"' from “This Is Uncomfortable”
• "New York City is using ranked choice voting in its Democratic mayoral primary. Here's how it works" from AP News 
• "What you need to know about ranked choice voting" from “Make Me Smart” 

• "The Perilous Business of Importing Indian Mangoes to the U.S." from The New York Times

  
  

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

Two sounds across much of the country this morning: the AC grinding away and the ticking up of your electric bill. With hotter temperatures and AI-driven data centers drawing so much power, investors are putting money into the power industry. Global investments in electricity could reach 50% more than what’s spent on bringing coal, natural gas, and oil to market. Plus, Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified before the House yesterday, and FIFA’s Club World Cup isn’t generating as much hype as hoped for.

From the BBC World Service: We start today's show in the Netherlands, where President Donald Trump is for the NATO Summit. Most European countries have agreed to up their defense spending to 5% of GDP, though Spain has been less forthcoming. Then, India's dark stores deliver to online shoppers in just 10 minutes. What's the impact on retailers? And, demonstrators protest the lavish wedding of Jeff Bezos in Venice by throwing inflatable alligators into some of the city's iconic canals.

Over the last several days, you may have seen the latest examples of a growing phenomenon: satellite images of a conflict zone. This time, they were of Iranian nuclear sites, before and after American bombs struck. Images like these come from commercial satellite companies, a change from our past reliance on government-provided photographs. The shift toward commercial satellites gained steam amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to Mariel Borowitz, an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology who specializes in space policy and the satellite industry.

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index dropped in June. That’s after a brief reprive in May from a monthslong downward slide. Uncertainty surrounding the job market, tariffs, that GOP tax bill, trouble in the Middle East — what’s not to be glum about? In this episode, we explain what could shift the mood. Plus: Soon-to-be college grads in China prepare for an unwelcoming job market, oil shipping prices grow even as oil prices fall, and Congress considers a new way to regulate crypto.

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 United States’ entanglement in Iran and Israel’s current conflict has a long, complicated history. Today we’re looking back at how it led up to the U.S. strikes on Iran over the weekend. Two major factors: Iran’s nuclear capabilities and economic sanctions, which the U.S. used to deter Iran’s nuclear program and to incentivize Iran to sign on to the 2015 nuclear deal. Rose Kelanic, director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities, explains some of the history behind tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the role sanctions played in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and how the deal broke down.

Later, one listener’s take on the Trump administration’s threats to the Pell Grant program. And, a gardening blogger was wrong about DIY plant food hacks.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Strike Set Back Iran’s Nuclear Program by Only a Few Months, U.S. Report Says" from The New York Times
• "Trump tries to maintain fragile ceasefire hours after he announced it" from Politico 
• "Iran’s Nuclear Dreams May Survive Even a Devastating American Blow" from The New York Times 
• "History of US-Iran relations: From the 1953 regime change to Trump strikes" from Al Jazeera 
• "Why Israel will resist any US-Iran nuclear deal" from Atlantic Council 

• "Satellites show damage to Iran's nuclear program, but experts say it's not destroyed" from NPR  

  
  

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

Currently, if you or your kids get into college and don’t have the money to pay for it, you can borrow however much you need from the federal government to cover tuition and living expenses. If the tax cuts and budget bill working its way through Congress passes, that won’t be the case anymore. Plus, some oil experts aren't worried about the Strait of Hormuz and Fed Chair Jerome Powell heads to Capitol Hill.

The situation in the Israel-Iran war is fluid, with Israel accusing Iran of violating a ceasefire that President Donald Trump had announced late yesterday. Israel is vowing firm retaliation. Players in financial markets continue to take a wait-and-see position. We'll discuss the state of play. Also on the program: a preview of consumer confidence and a look at why defense is front and center at this week's NATO summit.