Author: Marketplace

COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, and the federal guidelines for who should get vaccinated are in flux. We’ll unpack how it could impact what insurers are willing to cover this fall. And, as President Trump’s federal takeover of Washington D.C. continues, why is the city so quiet? Kimberly shares her take as a local. Plus, The Onion is proving that print publications can still thrive in the digital age.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Why Washington Residents Aren’t Flooding the Streets to Protest Trump" from Politico  
• "Top White House officials turn to public appearances with troops as a tense Washington watches" from AP News
• "JD Vance booed during hamburger handout to national guard troops in DC" from The Guardian 
• "Trump's police takeover of DC has a surprising casualty: restaurant reservations" from Fortune
• "Will I Be Able to Get the New 2025 COVID Vaccine This Fall?" from The Cut 
• "For some, fall Covid shots may come with copays — or no coverage at all" from NBC News
• "The Onion Brought Back Its Print Edition. The Gamble Is Paying Off." from The Wall Street Journal

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President Donald Trump recently demanded that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook resign after she was accused of mortgage fraud. In a statement, Cook said she has no intention of being "bullied to step down" and that she's "gathering the accurate information to answer any legitimate questions." We'll hear more. Plus, a weakening labor market sets the backdrop for the Fed's annual Jackson Hole conference, and Microsoft's AI chief voices concerns about "AI psychosis."

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to speak tomorrow in Jackson Hole, and we'll be watching for hints about the future of interest rates. But one tricky part of the inflation equation? Rent. Higher interest rates have kept many would-be homebuyers in the rental market, which boosted overall demand and pushed rents higher. Then, just how stable are stablecoins? We'll provide an update on the state of play in the crypto market.

From the BBC World Service: The impact of U.S. tariffs is already starting to hit consumers' pocketbooks. Imports from Japan to the United States have been subject to a 15% tariff for three weeks, and now Japanese electronics company Sony is bumping the price of its PlayStation 5 consoles by $50 — but only in the U.S. Also on today's show: concerns over AI psychosis and scrutiny over French mineral water.

Last month, a band called The Velvet Sundown surged in popularity on Spotify with its 70s inflected rock. Yeah, it was all generated by AI.

Synthetic music is getting better and better, leaving a lot of human artists concerned that their original work could be used to feed the machines that might take their jobs. Now some researchers are fighting back with a tool called “MusicShield.”

A consumer vibes indicator, in the form of two Q2 earnings reports: TJX (which owns TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Marshalls) raised its outlook for the remainder of the year after beating expectations. Over the same period, Target reported declining same-store sales. In this episode, today’s consumers are choosing off-price bargain hunting over a big-box staple. Plus: Retailers sneak in price hikes, SPACs make a return, and the labor market’s got some regional variation.

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Ahead of the central bank’s big meeting in Jackson Hole this week, President Trump is ramping up pressure on the Federal Reserve, calling for Fed governor Lisa Cook to resign over accusations of fraud. We’ll get into it. And, SpaceX got a win in federal court that could have lasting effects on the power of the National Labor Relations Board. Plus, what makes a good life?

• "Appeals court says NLRB structure unconstitutional, in a win for SpaceX" from Tech Crunch
• "The Government Just Made it Harder for The Public to Comment on Regulations" from 404 Media
• "Trump Says Smithsonian Focuses Too Much on ‘How Bad Slavery Was’" from The New York Times
• "Trump Considers Firing Fed Official After Accusation of Mortgage Fraud" from The Wall Street Journal
• "There’s a path to a good life beyond happiness and meaning" from The Washington Post 

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

The prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market draws over 1,000 Indigenous artists from more than 200 tribal nations each year, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis artists from Canada. But this year, economic policies from the Trump administration have complicated things for those traveling from north of the border. We'll chat with a few artists. Also on the show: India and China will restart direct flights, and mortgage rates dip, but not enough to boost demand.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has confirmed that the Trump administration is considering taking a stake in the struggling U.S. chipmaker Intel. The arrangement would be unusual but not unprecedented. And Intel was already getting a federal grant under the CHIPS and Science Act, approved during the Biden administration. Also on the show: a dispatch from the annual World AI Conference in Shanghai and a look at the pluses and minuses of retailers using third-party vendors.

From the BBC World Service: Hundreds of thousands of avid video gaming fans are gathering in Cologne for Gamescom 2025, the world’s largest annual video game event. It comes at a time when the industry is struggling with studio layoffs, increased competition in a crowded market, and rising costs. Plus, a centuries-old church in Sweden has begun a slow-motion journey to make way for the expansion of the world's deepest iron ore mine.