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Many Americans are enduring a brutal heatwave this week. For those who work outside, the heat can be deadly. On today’s show, we’ll check in on a proposed heat safety law that would require employers to offer more breaks when the temperature rises above a certain threshold. Under the Trump administration, the law’s future is uncertain. And, the housing market can’t seem to break out of its slump. Plus, the lengths some Americans will go to score some Indian mangoes.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
"The Perilous Business of Importing Indian Mangoes to the U.S." from The New York Times
Got a question for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.
Two sounds across much of the country this morning: the AC grinding away and the ticking up of your electric bill. With hotter temperatures and AI-driven data centers drawing so much power, investors are putting money into the power industry. Global investments in electricity could reach 50% more than what’s spent on bringing coal, natural gas, and oil to market. Plus, Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified before the House yesterday, and FIFA’s Club World Cup isn’t generating as much hype as hoped for.
From the BBC World Service: We start today's show in the Netherlands, where President Donald Trump is for the NATO Summit. Most European countries have agreed to up their defense spending to 5% of GDP, though Spain has been less forthcoming. Then, India's dark stores deliver to online shoppers in just 10 minutes. What's the impact on retailers? And, demonstrators protest the lavish wedding of Jeff Bezos in Venice by throwing inflatable alligators into some of the city's iconic canals.
Over the last several days, you may have seen the latest examples of a growing phenomenon: satellite images of a conflict zone. This time, they were of Iranian nuclear sites, before and after American bombs struck. Images like these come from commercial satellite companies, a change from our past reliance on government-provided photographs. The shift toward commercial satellites gained steam amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to Mariel Borowitz, an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology who specializes in space policy and the satellite industry.
The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index dropped in June. That’s after a brief reprive in May from a monthslong downward slide. Uncertainty surrounding the job market, tariffs, that GOP tax bill, trouble in the Middle East — what’s not to be glum about? In this episode, we explain what could shift the mood. Plus: Soon-to-be college grads in China prepare for an unwelcoming job market, oil shipping prices grow even as oil prices fall, and Congress considers a new way to regulate crypto.
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