Author: Marketplace

Section 1033 of the Dodd Frank Act was finalized at the end of the Biden administration and would require banks to give consumers free access and control of their personal banking data.

The rule had met legal pushback from the bank industry and the CFPB under the Trump administration planned to scrap it. But last week, the bureau said it will instead rewrite Section 1033.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino discusses the news with Rohit Chopra, who served as the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau when the rule was finalized in 2024.

The latest household debt report from the New York Federal Reserve is in. Delinquencies are on the rise — specifically, student loan delinquencies spiked into the double-digits. Experts say the news isn’t too alarming, even as consumers lean more on borrowing to get by. Also in this episode: Audi might build a U.S. factory to save on tariffs, a drop in international students could cost the U.S. economy, and Tennessee bans community benefits agreements.

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.

Apple today plans to announce a new $100 billion investment aimed at boosting the compan’s production in the United States. It’s the latest in a string of moves by tech companies that could help maintain favor with the president and avoid tariffs. And, the Federal Aviation Administration wants to ease restrictions for drone package deliveries. We’ll get into the pros and cons of more drone-friendly skies. Plus, the origins of Pac-Man and a funeral fit for an AI chatbot model.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Federal Aviation Administration looks to expand drone package delivery" from ABC News
• "Video Shows Drone Rescuing Man During Flood in China" from The New York Times 
• "Trump, Apple to Announce Fresh $100 Billion US Investment" from Bloomberg
• ”Trump to Double India’s Tariff to 50% Over Russian Oil Purchases” from The New York Times
• "'It's a reminder of childhood': How Pac-Man changed gaming - and the world" from BBC News

• "Claude Fans Threw a Funeral for Anthropic’s Retired AI Model" from Wired

  
  

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

More than 3,000 Boeing machinists are striking for a third day at plants in Illinois and Missouri, pushing for better pay, benefits, and scheduling. The walkout comes during the aerospace giant’s turnaround year, thanks to increased defense spending by the Trump administration. Also on today's show: OpenAI is taking another step toward becoming a cash-generating machine, and Thai exporters grapple with the fallout of President Donald Trump's tariffs.

An executive order could be on the way as early as today to push regulators to investigate whether banks discriminate against customers based on politics. The order would follow years of complaints by some conservatives, who claim banks turned them down over their political or religious views. We'll hear more. Plus, we'll learn how compounding pharmacies are competing with brand-name weight loss drugmakers. And, should investors be extra nervous in the month of August?

From the BBC World Service: The Trump administration's steepest tariffs yet take effect against Brazil today. A raft of Brazilian goods, including coffee, will face a 50% import tax in response to what Trump calls a "witch hunt" against the country's former president. We unpack the impact. Then, Thailand managed to dodge the worst of Trump's tariffs, but the lower levies are still going to pack a punch.

Marketplace’s Alice Wilder has been waiting for a love letter from her boyfriend to arrive at her home since March. But it’s not just her — years of financial troubles and political turmoil mean that those still sending letters are experiencing longer delivery times. Today, Wilder explores how email has eaten into USPS’ letter traffic since 2008 and whether a romantic email could ever replace the intimacy of a handwritten letter.

The U.S. oil and natural gas industry is at a crossroads. As oil demand appears poised to plateau, natural gas demand is in a period of tremendous growth. The rub? Most U.S. natural gas is extracted as a byproduct of oil drilling. Can there be one without the other? Also in this episode: The Trump administration considers slapping tracking devices on semiconductors, Yum! Brands reports a spending slowdown, and new data shows a nearly frozen services sector.

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 S&P 500 — a key guide to many savings plans — is up 22% in a year, more than twice the return it averages over time. There's a conviction all of this AI means profits, profits and more profits. Add to that a surge in speculation driven by internet chatter, and it raises the question: Should we worry the stock market is about to bubble over? We ask veteran investor Barry Ritholtz, chairman and chief investment officer at Ritholtz Wealth Management in New York. Plus, hundreds of thousands of refugees are returning to Syria after the fall of the country's dictator last year. And many of those returning are bringing their businesses back with them.

The Trump administration has vowed to roll back all sorts of federal regulations, from workplace safety standards to environmental protections. State and local governments have faced pressure from the White House to comply with this agenda. And it’s turned them into even more important battlegrounds in the regulatory wars. On the show today, Liane Jollon, executive director of Western Leaders Network, explains how local officials grapple with threats of funding cuts coming from the White House, and how you can get more involved in your state and local politics.

Later, listeners share some love for public libraries. And, Steve Pierson, co-host of “The Practivist Pod,” answers the Make Me Smart question. 

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "States Ramping Up Regulations Amid Federal Pullback" from Forbes 
• "Trump administration moves to repeal climate ‘holy grail’" from Politico
• "Texas House issues arrest warrants for Democrats who left state to block congressional redistricting" from The Texas Tribune
• "Donald Trump wants states and cities to do as they are told" from The Economist
• "The Documenters Network" from City Bureau 

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