Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

On today’s show, Alaska Public Media reporter Ava White joins Kimberly to make us smarter about Fat Bear Week and the issues that are top of mind for Alaskans right now. Alaska residents receive an annual check funded by the state’s oil royalties. But its purchasing power is lower than ever. We’ll get into it. Plus, we’ll weigh in on AI live translations and a rise in Hamburger Helper sales during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Meet the superfans going wild for Alaska’s fattest bears" from Alaska Public Media
• "Alaska ignored warning signs of a budget crisis. Now it doesn’t have money to fix crumbling schools" from KYUK
• ”The 2025 Alaska Permanent Fund dividend will be $1,000” from Alaska Public Media
• "North Slope leaders applaud tax breaks for whalers in the GOP megabill” from KNBA
• "Why are restaurant chains opening beverage-focused spinoffs?" from Marketplace
• "AI is taking on live translations. But jobs and meaning are getting lost." from The Washington Post
• "Touchscreens in cars are finally on their way out. Good riddance" from Fast Company
• "Hamburger Helper Sales Rise as Americans Try to Stretch Their Food Dollars" from The New York Times

It’s Half-Priced Hoodie Weekend! Give $10 a month to support our journalism today, and we’ll thank you with a cozy Marketplace zip-up hoodie: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

In August, Americans spent more than they made for the third month in a row. Thanks to tariff-induced price bumps, consumers are dipping into savings and using credit cards to keep up with their typical spending. In this episode, how long can consumers stay resilient? Plus: LA businesses prepare for ongoing ICE raids, a ski group vies to manage U.S. surfing at the 2028 Olympics, and an artist’s work changes in the age of e-commerce. 

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.

Chicago schools lose millions in federal grants. Protests gain steam outside the ICE detention facility in suburban Broadview. Chicago’s City Council reaches a compromise on allowing so-called “granny flats.” In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap with WTTW Chicago politics reporter Heather Cherone, Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Tom Schuba. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday that paves the way for TikTok to be controlled by U.S. interests, avoiding a Congressional ban. TikTok's owner, ByteDance, has not acknowledged that this transaction is taking place. We'll parse the details we know of the plan, including who's purchasing, what it means for the app's algorithm, and more. And later, we'll learn why so much foreign investment is still flowing to the U.S.

Earlier this month, a company called Tricolor abruptly filed for bankruptcy. The Texas-based firm offered auto loans to buyers with poor (or no) credit ratings. That so-called “subprime” auto market has grown to $80 billion. But Tricolor's collapse could make it harder for some buyers to get car loans. We hear more. Plus, President Donald Trump unveils a new batch of tariffs, and D.C. braces for more economic pain ahead of a looming shutdown.

From the BBC World Service: President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs, including a 100% levy on branded or patented drug imports from Oct. 1 onward — unless a company is building a factory in the United States. Which countries will be most affected? Then, Ethiopia has opened a controversial megadam built on the Nile River after 14 years of construction. It's at the center of a diplomatic spat with countries that fear their water supplies could be affected.

On this week’s Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review, Nova Safo speaks with Axios tech policy reporter Maria Curi about the details and lingering unknowns of President Donald Trump's new, $100,000 fee on incoming H-1B visas, how secret service authorities dismantled a network of more than 100,000 SIM cards that could have been used to disrupt communications on a massive scale and why French fans of the video game franchise “Tomb Raider” were up in arms over an AI-generated voice.

As the leader of a NATO nation that shares an 830-mile border with Russia, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has been a key voice in Europe’s response to the war in Ukraine. In a speech to the U.N. Security Council this week, he welcomed what he called an apparent shift in tone on Ukraine and Russia by President Trump. Geoff Bennett sat down with Stubb to discuss more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Extremist Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has recently been its highest since the U.N. started recording. Over the last two years, several Americans have allegedly been among those killed there. Amna Nawaz sat down with three American families seeking accountability and justice for the death or detention of their loved ones. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Turns out the economy grew faster than we initially thought in the second quarter of 2025. Between a slowing job market and uncertain trade policies, an upward revision to GDP came as a bit of a surprise. In this episode, a quick lesson on how GDP is calculated and why consumer spending drove the acceleration. Plus: Hiring-related text scams get more believable, the housing market stays stuck, and companies ramp up spending on durable goods.

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.