Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

As another holiday season kicked off on Black Friday, finding the perfect gift is top of mind for many. But how much will weary American consumers be willing to spend this year? Based on early data … it’s a lot! Marketplace’s Kristin Schwab joins Kimberly to explain why the K-shaped economy may explain the contradiction and why AI is making its way into Americans’ shopping habits. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s what we talked about on the show today:

• ”September retail sales fail to impress” from Marketplace
• ”Black Friday, Cyber Monday spending expected to top records” from Marketplace
• ”Black Friday Sales Spike Despite Economic Uncertainty, Study Shows—Here’s Why” from Forbes
• “‘Tis the season for credit card debt” from Marketplace
• ”How are retailers benefiting from the "buy now, pay later" boom?” from Marketplace
• ”What is your Spotify listening age?” from Marketplace
• ”More than 8 in 10 Americans are more likely to purchase secondhand gifts this year” from Retail Brew
• ”Target Launches New AI-Powered Features to Make Holiday Shopping Easier, Smarter and More Fun” from PR Newswire

Missed Giving Tuesday? It's always a great time to become a Marketplace investor. Give now: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson battles alders over a competing budget proposal. Northwestern agrees to pay $75 million in a deal with the federal government. A new independent candidate enters the race for retiring Congressman Chuy Garcia’s seat. Gov. Pritzker signs legislation allowing Illinois to set its own vaccination guidelines. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd, WTTW Chicago politics reporter Heather Cherone and Chicago Sun-Times politics reporter Mitchell Armentrout. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

How wired into your brain are tech companies? Spotify offers us a clue. The streaming company runs its Spotify Wrapped marketing campaign every December, taking user data and AI to create a personalized year-in-review for every listener — and it's an incredibly effective marketing move that consumers want to be a part of. Also: a preview of the last Fed meeting of the year and a manufacturing CEO's thoughts on tariffs and factory activity.

Following a fierce bidding war, Netflix announced this morning that it’s buying Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal worth more than $82 billion. The deal still has to be approved by regulators, and some lawmakers are already raising antitrust concerns. We learn more. Then, as part of our lunar economy mini-series, we hear what a lack of private interest oversight could mean for an economy beyond the clouds.

Note: This morning’s podcast has been updated following the official announcement of a Netflix-Warner Bros. deal.

From the BBC World Service: Major airports in India have descended into chaos after the airline IndiGo either canceled or delayed hundreds of flights for the fourth consecutive day. IndiGo says there have been technical issues with aircraft or winter schedules that have delayed some flights, but the biggest reason is a pilot shortage. Also, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a peace deal, and some countries are boycotting Eurovision over Israel's involvement.

The Trump administration has been trying for months to ban AI regulations at the state level. And its latest gambit to roll such a measure into the congressional National Defense Authorization Act appears to have failed. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Tuesday that GOP leadership is now “looking at other places” to include that measure after reportedly facing pushback from both parties.

Plus, New York recently became the first state to enforce an AI law designed to protect consumers from "algorithmic pricing." And Amazon pulled back on AI dubbing for some international content after anime fans complained.

A new bipartisan divide has broken open after senior U.S. military officers showed Congress video of multiple strikes on a boat in the Caribbean in early September. Republicans backed the decision by a Special Operations commander to target survivors of the first strike, while Democrats accused the commander of targeting a shipwreck. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

A classified briefing on the Pentagon's strike of an alleged drug boat opened partisan divides over whether the act constituted war crimes. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee. He was among the members of Congress briefed by military leaders. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

A sprawling energy-sector scandal is rocking Ukraine. Last week, the country was shocked by the exit of President Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. Ukraine's second most powerful man resigned after the state anti-corruption body raided his home. As Jack Hewson explains, it's a crisis striking at the heart of the government as the country fights for survival against Russia's invasion. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Ukrainian officials met with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff to continue negotiations over an American plan to end the war. Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week, where the Russian president said he endorsed only parts of the plan. Amna Nawaz discussed the latest with Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy