Author: Marketplace

It’s been a year since the Eaton and Palisades fires swept through Southern California, taking 31 lives and destroying over 16,000 structures — including the homes of “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio and his neighbors in Altadena. On the show today, David joins Kimberly to talk about the road to rebuilding the community and the complicated, costly task of rebuilding with fire resistant materials.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "How my Altadena neighbors are rebuilding, one year since the Eaton Fire" from Marketplace 
• "L.A. wildfires broke record for costliest in the history of the planet" from the San Francisco Chronicle 
• "These numbers tell the story of the Los Angeles wildfires, one year later" from AP News
• "Marketplace’s David Brancaccio on community, loss and rebuilding in Altadena" from Marketplace
• "To rebuild homes cheaper, faster and safer, some want new rules" from Marketplace

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Dustin Kunkel is a father of two, works in the solar panel business, and is a neighbor of "Marketplace Morning Report" host David Brancaccio. Kunkel lost his Altadena home in the Eaton Fire and, since then, spoke to 30 contractors before finding someone to rebuild the house. We hear what the process — and pricing — has been like. Also, the realities of this economy continue to diverge for lower- and higher-income households.

Today, we have the story of one burned block: that of "Marketplace Morning Report" host David Brancaccio. Last year's wildfires in California were the costliest in history, with more than 16,000 structures destroyed and over 30 deaths. Fifteen of the houses destroyed in the Eaton Fire sat on a single street in Altadena. A year on, we check in with Brancaccio's neighbors to hear about life, loss, and efforts to rebuild.

From the BBC World Service: Delcy Rodríguez, who had served as vice president under President Nicolas Maduro, has promised stability amid economic uncertainty. After taking an oath of office, she vowed to guarantee the peace of the country, including "the economic and social tranquillity of our people." This morning, we recount the history of how Venezuela got to this moment. Plus, Nestle recalls baby formula products in Europe over concerns of food poisoning toxins.

Artificial intelligence isn't just chatbots. The technology is being integrated all across our economy and our lives. And that convergence of AI and robotics, biology and more is likely to be the most important tech trend in 2026, according to Futurist and CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group, Amy Webb.

Disruptive geopolitical events often push investors to jump into bonds or sell off stocks temporarily. But when the U.S. military captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and President Trump declared control over the oil-rich nation, neither of those happened. In this episode, markets are largely unmoved by Trump’s military intervention. Plus: Experts say jobs data is most important for predicting where the economy is headed, and Landon Derentz at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center gives context to Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.

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Investors see some oil companies as big winners with the U.S. forcing a change of leadership in Venezuela. This morning, we'll hear how U.S. oil companies are faring in light of the news. Then, we'll provide some context for oil production and chat about global demand, what it'd take to develop Venezuela's infrastructure to help spark production, and learn how long it would take for U.S. oil companies to be reimbursed for investments.

Oil markets and financial markets seem to be shrugging off the major geopolitical story out of the weekend: the U.S. arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. "Investors are looking at the situation and not seeing a dramatic change in the state of affairs that could alter global markets in a major way," said Julia Coronado, founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives. "What makes most sense ... is to wait and see what unfolds," said Ben Kumar, head of equity strategy at investment management business 7IM. On today's show, we unpack it all.

From the BBC World Service: After a rocky 2025, many analysts expect a similarly unsettled 2026. Plus, a new study indicates faster weight gain after quitting GLP-1 drugs, and X has failed to meet a deadline to address explicit content generated by its AI chatbot Grok.

From the BBC World Service: The U.S. stunned the world with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend. Donald Trump has said U.S. companies will fix Venezuela's badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country. We’ll hear more about reactions on the ground in Venezuela and learn more about its role in the global oil supply chain. Also: an allowance for Iranian citizens and a meeting between the leaders of China and South Korea.