Author: Marketplace

“This Is Uncomfortable” returns with four brand-new episodes about life and how money messes with it.

This season: Two best friends, struggling with work and unaffordable child care, come up with an unconventional solution that reshapes their relationship. A woman walks away from a Hollywood career to take a vow of poverty. Our “Money Fight” series is back, following a couple whose search for a dream home turns into a power struggle. And in our new advice series, "Work Drama," we tackle your uncomfortable work questions on toxic offices and pay discrepancies.

New episodes drop starting May 1.

Scientists say they have developed a way to measure how much liability individual corporations have for the economic damage caused by climate change. The total cost over decades is calculated at $28 trillion, with 10 fossil fuel companies responsible for more than half of that amount. Plus, we'll read between the lines of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book and hear how a Baltimore community college is rising to meet a hunger for welders.

The government has moved to give immigration officials access to IRS records. The Trump administration wants to use tax information to find people under deportation orders or who have committed crimes. Critics say this move is illegal and could cost the government tens of billions of dollars in tax revenue. Also on the show: international tourism declines in the U.S. and how tariffs are shaping the toy biz.

From the BBC World Service: Australia is planning to stockpile minerals like lithium, nickel and cobalt, which are vital in modern technology. It comes as countries like the United States aim to counter China's dominance in global processing capabilities. Then, the United Kingdom is closing a tax loophole used by Chinese retail giants Shein and Temu to help keep prices low. And later: a trip to Shanghai's motor.

TikTok is going to be testing a new crowd-sourced fact-checking system called Footnotes. It’s seems similar to the Community Notes systems already in use on other social media, such as X and Facebook.

TikTok is also keeping its current fact-checking systems in place. The way these community systems generally work is, say someone makes a post stating "whales are the biggest fish out there." Another user could add a note saying "actually, whales are mammals, and here's a source with more information."

Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Vanderbilt psychology professor Lisa Fazio about why this model of "citizen fact-checking" is catching on.

Trump’s tariffs will touch the vast majority of industries, but apparel — clothes, shoes, accessories — will be particularly impacted. Around 98% of clothing sold in the U.S. is imported, primarily from China. In this episode, we look at how tariffs have complicated the apparel supply chain. In short? Even fast fashion may no longer be cheap. Plus: The services sector braces for tariff-induced stings, home sales rose in March and a community bank CEO talks handling uncertainty.

 

The Overton Window is a concept that helps explain how the range of policies considered politically acceptable shifts over time. But have you heard of the “Ryssdal Window"? We’ll explain how it relates to what’s happening in the markets right now as president Trump hints at a possible change of heart on China tariffs. Plus, the FDA suspended a milk quality testing program. With less federal oversight, can private industries regulate themselves? And, the physics behind a great cup of coffee.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"White House Considers Slashing China Tariffs to De-Escalate Trade War" from The Wall Street Journal

"FDA milk quality testing program suspended after job cuts" from The Hill

"‘Crazy’: Forest Service cuts ignite fear, fury over wildfire risks" from Politico

"The Physics of Perfect Pour-Over Coffee" from The New York Times

"Hegseth orders makeup studio installed at Pentagon" from CBS News

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

The stock market is open with wind at its back. The Dow is up 2.8%, the S&P 500 is up 3.3%, and the Nasdaq is 4.1%. Market participants attribute this to President Doanld Trump saying he's not going to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. What should we make of this all? Also on the show: a look at Tesla stock movements and an idea to spur spending among China's retirees.

There's no way of sugar-coating it: The numbers from Tesla’s first quarter results were quite bad. That's unsurprising considering the blowback and protests at Tesla dealerships resulting from Elon Musk’s cost-cutting work with DOGE within the Trump administration. Auto sales were down 20%, and profits were down a whopping 70%. Plus, consumer-oriented brands struggle to predict their outlooks amid consumer jitters, and new home construction faces headwinds.

From the BBC World Service: The International Monetary Fund has cut its prediction for global economic growth from 3.3% to 2.8%. In its assessment, it describes President Donald Trump's tariffs as “a major negative shock to growth." Then, China is trying to stimulate its domestic consumption. One idea? "Silver trains." Designed for older people, and offering cocktails and karaoke, these tourism initiatives encourage retirees to travel more inside China.