PBS News Hour - World - News Wrap: Starmer calls Trump’s comments on NATO troops in Afghanistan ‘insulting’
PBS News Hour - World - National security experts argue U.S. TikTok deal falls short
Marketplace All-in-One - Your car company also wants to be your bank
The FDIC has approved proposals by GM and Ford to launch their own banking units. That means the automakers will be able to provide their own auto loans to customers. In this episode, a confluence of market conditions drove Ford and GM into banking. Plus: The Super Bowl of livestock shows highlights high cattle prices, changes to online search behavior affects digital ad revenue, and “Marketplace” host Amy Scott talks to Jordyn Holman at the New York Times and David Gura at Bloomberg about the week’s economic headlines.
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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.
Marketplace All-in-One - The infrastructure side of the AI boom
Tech companies are pouring billions into developing the infrastructure necessary to meet the demand for artificial intelligence. But what does that infrastructure look like on the ground? Marketplace Tech’s Meghan McCarty Carino joins Kimberly to share her takeaways after visiting a variety of data centers and reporting on the surge in AI investment. Plus, we’ll weigh in on microdramas and AI slop during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- "Inside the relentless race for AI capacity" Financial Times
- "Redwood Materials built record grid storage project using old EV batteries" Canary Media
- "Just how big is the AI investment wave?" from Reuters
- "YouTube says battling ‘AI slop’ is a top priority" from The L.A. Times
- "TikTok-like microdramas are going to make billions this year, even though they kind of suck" from Tech Crunch
- "Apple to Revamp Siri as a Built-In iPhone, Mac Chatbot to Fend Off OpenAI" from Bloomberg
- "Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT. Here’s How They’ll Work" from Wired
We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons - WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: Jan. 23, 2026
Marketplace All-in-One - TikTok is here to stay
TikTok says it has formed a joint venture for U.S. operations with majority American ownership. The deal is intended to address national security concerns that led to a law that would have banned the app. Then, the world is now holding more gold than U.S. bonds. Is this a sign of changing times? And later, we discuss Americans’ savings rate and the impact of the upcoming cold snap on spending.
Marketplace All-in-One - Economic power as a cudgel
Usually a relatively quiet affair, this year’s World Economic Forum made headlines as President Donald Trump walked in with threatening language over wanting to acquire Greenland and left with what he said was a framework deal that would avoid a new trade war. We'll discuss the lasting impact. Plus, TikTok looks to be here to stay. And, from Marketplace's "This Is Uncomfortable," we hear about the importance of how people feel about their finances.
Marketplace All-in-One - The oil sanctions leaving sailors adrift
From the BBC World Service: Sanctions on the export of Russian oil have left many ships stuck at sea, unable to unload their cargoes. Today, we speak with a captain of an oil container ship that's part of Russia’s shadow oil export fleet. His ship and the crew are stranded, unable to sell or offload their ship's oil. Then, we head to Slovakia, which manufactures more cars per capita than any other country in the world.
Marketplace All-in-One - Bytes: Week in Review – SpaceX eyes an IPO, community members want legal commitments from Micron, and YouTube to ditch AI slop
A Micron memory chip factory in upstate New York is wrangling with local groups who want legal assurances the project will benefit the local community. Plus, YouTube plans to crack down on AI slop.
But first, it's shaping up to be a big year for very big initial public offerings. Elon Musk is reportedly preparing to take SpaceX public at an anticipated valuation of around $1.5 trillion. AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI are also expected to follow suit this year.
Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Paresh Dave, senior writer at Wired, to discuss all these topics on this week’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”
