Author: Marketplace

On this week’s episode of Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week In Review, President Donald Trump signed the "Take It Down" Act, which requires internet publishers to take down intimate images like revenge porn or deepfakes within 48 hours of a complaint. Google unveiled a suite of new AI products, upgrades and projects at its annual I/O developers conference. And the game Fortnite finally returns to the Apple App Store after a long legal drama. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Paresh Dave, senior writer at WIRED, to discuss all these topics and more.

The supply of homes for sale hit a nearly five-year high in April, but prospective buyers aren’t exactly taking the bait. Some may feel they’re swimming in options, but many can’t afford what’s available. In this episode, why the spring housing market is feeling unbalanced. Plus, online restaurant reservation platforms duke it out with the help of credit card companies, big cities grow bigger and investors see U.S. Treasuries as an increasingly risky option.

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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.

 

It’s Kai’s last day as a regular co-host of “Make Me Smart” and he’s got a solid rant (and two bleeps). We’ll get into the Trump administration’s push to block international students at Harvard, thretening one of American’s biggest exports: higher education. Plus, we’ll unpack the Supreme Court’s 4-4 split over a separation of church and state case. And, could penguin poop be a tool against global warming?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Supreme Court deadlocks, blocking creation of first religious public school” from The Washington Post
• “Trump Administration Halts Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students” from The New York Times
• “Harvard University Loses Student and Exchange Visitor Program Certification for Pro-Terrorist Conduct” from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• “Stop making cents: US Mint moves forward with plans to kill the penny” from AP News
• “Penguin Poop Could Limit Global Warming’s Impact on Antarctica” from Bloomberg

“Make Me Smart” is going on a break! Kimberly and Reema will be back with new episodes June 9. We’d love to hear from you while we’re away. Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

When newlyweds Chantal and Travis Lisback started searching for their dream home in Seattle, they weren’t entirely on the same page. Chantal was eager to settle down as soon as possible, while Travis was more comfortable waiting a few years. As the search dragged on, what began as a shared dream started to feel more like a standoff. 

This week, a story about how a big life decision can bring to light the money and communication issues you didn’t know were there. Plus, later in the episode, Chantal and Travis sit down with financial therapist Aja Evans to unpack what’s happening beneath the surface, and how to approach money fights with more care and intention. 

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In the wake of protests following the murder of George Floyd, corporations made big promises on diversity, equity and inclusion. Now, five years later, some are backing away from DEI commitments. Others are not — including Costco, which is doubling down on diversity. But first: The GOP tax and spending bill passed the House this morning by one vote. It extends the 2017 tax cuts and would also start forcing most adults enrolled in Medicaid to work.

After a white police officer murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis, big banks announced plans to invest millions of dollars in smaller, Black-owned banks across the country to help those banks make more loans to small businesses in underserved communities. We'll hear from one South Carolina bank about how loan efforts are going. Also on the show: OpenAI is investing in hardware, and unions are receiving higher approval ratings.

From the BBC World Service: China might not be the first country you think of when it comes to the Arctic, but it’s staking a claim, calling itself a near-Arctic state. We'll hear how the Arctic has become a battleground for territory, trade and power. Plus, new research shows tropical forests are being lost at an alarming rate, but there’s currently no economic model that incentivizes farming communities to preserve them.

This week, we hit the road to check out California’s Central Valley, where the future of agricultural innovation is taking shape. We visited a farm that’s piloting next-gen tools and a university research center that’s helping develop that tech. Today, we’re at an AgTEC Workforce graduation, a community college program in this region that helps upskill farm workers.

The latest GOP spending and tax bill would add an estimated $3.8 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade. More debt means the government will issue more bonds. But investors don’t necessarily want a flooded bond market — we’ll explain why. Also in this episode: Stakeholders report longer waits for financial aid information since Department of Education layoffs, retailers set their sights on European markets to alleviate tariff pressure and workplace adoption of AI is tricky to track.

Every story has an economic angle. Want ‘em 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 Senate unexpectedly passed the No Tax on Tips Act, one of President Trump’s many campaign promises. We’ll explain what’s actually in the bill and where it goes from here. Plus, the Trump administration has officially accepted a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar for use as Air Force One. We’ll get into the grift of it all. Plus, one man’s search for younger looking skin and a manga story to smile about.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "The Senate passed Trump’s No Tax on Tips Act. Here’s what it could mean." from The Washington Post
• "No Tax on Tips Act: What to know about the bill and what comes next" from The Hill  
• "Republicans Think They Have a Way to Blow Up the Filibuster Without Anyone Noticing" from Slate
• "A Terrible Idea" from Just Security  
• "A 70-Year-Old Man’s Search for Younger-Looking Skin"  from The Wall Street Journal
• "Defense Department accepts Qatari luxury jet for Air Force One use" from The Washington Post
• "Trump Lectures South African President in Televised Oval Office Ambush" from The New York Times
• "How Manga Megastar Junji Ito Makes Terrifying Series Like ‘Uzumaki’" from The New York Times
• "Shark fisherman uses drone to save teenage girl from rip current at Pensacola Beach" from CBS News 

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