Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

This week, the Trump administration was sued for a sweeping pause of immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries. The freeze, which began last month, comes on top of full or partial travel and visa restrictions on citizens from 39 countries. We hear from some of the people left in limbo by the bans and suspensions, and Liz Landers speaks with David Bier at the Cato Institute for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

On the whole, consumers are feeling 20% worse about the economy than they were a year ago, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. High prices were cited as one concern, but that’s been a pain point for years. So what’s new? Also in this episode: Uncertainty in the tech sector drums up investor interest in consumer staples, the federal government yanked over 3,000 data sets from public sites under President Trump, and a dancer-educator discusses the business of ballet.

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.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are now officially underway. This week's episode of our podcast "Settle In" is all about the games in Milan and Cortina, and what you need to know. Amna Nawaz speaks with sports journalist Christine Brennan of USA Today for more on the games, the athletes and the world coming together in an uncertain era. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson defends an executive order that requires Chicago police to help hold ICE agents accountable for alleged abuses. Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman shot by Border Patrol, speaks out in an exclusive WBEZ-Sun-Times interview and on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Reshona Landfair, the Jane Doe in R. Kelly’s infamous tape, is out with a memoir, Who’s Watching Shorty?, where she tells her story and “reclaims her name.” In the Loop goes behind the headlines of those and other state and local stories Better Government Association president David Greising, Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Violet Miller. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Hey Smarties! There won’t be a livestream for “Economics on Tap” today. But don’t worry! “Economics on Tap” will return soon on Feb. 20. For now, we’re sharing a new episode from our friends over at “This Is Uncomfortable.” Enjoy!

“Work Drama” is the “This Is Uncomfortable” advice column, answering your questions about sticky work situations. This week, Reema tackles your questions about workplace tension, co-worker cliques, bosses behaving badly, and some bizarre office policies. And she’s joined by one of our favorite culture writers and podcasters, Sarah Hagi, who hosts “Scamfluencers.”

If you have any work drama going on, we want to hear about it! You can send it to us at uncomfortable@marketplace.org, leave a message at 347-RING-TIU, or fill out the form at the bottom of the page.

The Trump administration has launched the new TrumpRx website, where people can shop for prescription drugs at discounted rates. The site, a hub that points cash-paying customers to five participating manufacturers' websites, went live yesterday. We dig in. Then, it's been a bumpy week for markets. What should we make of it? Plus, we speak with a Minneapolis restaurant owner who says sales are down 50% due to ICE's crackdown in the city.

Software companies are in trouble. Or at least their stocks are. Salesforce is down 25%, and Intuit is down 31%, after startup Anthropic released a new tool sparking fear among investors that software companies are in danger of becoming obsolete. We'll learn more. Then, all kinds of cryptocurrencies are cratering in value, and we'll hear what it's like to be a small business in an anemic job market.

From the BBC World Service: Japanese voters will give their verdict on the government of Sanae Takaichi this weekend after Japan's first female prime minister called a snap election just months into her first term. How is the economy there shaping the election? Plus, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel says his government is trying to solve an energy crisis exacerbated by U.S. sanctions. And we check in with a company on a tiny Scottish island that produces an essential piece of Winter Olympics equipment.

On this week’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we take a look at Nvidia's changing investment relationship with OpenAI. Plus, a stormy start for the new U.S. version of TikTok. But first, SpaceX, one of the world’s largest rocket companies, announced this week that it’s buying xAI, a two-and-half-year-old artificial intelligence startup. Both companies are controlled by Elon Musk. The new company is reportedly valued at $1.25 trillion. It means the chatbot Grok, the satellite internet company Starlink, and the social media firm X are all going to co-exist under the same rocket hangar. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Paresh Dave, senior writer at Wired, about what adding these companies together equals.

In our news wrap Thursday, Trump rejected an offer from Russia to temporarily extend caps on strategic nuclear weapons, Ukraine and Russia wrapped a second day of talks in Abu Dhabi, the Trump administration is stripping job protections from thousands of federal workers, Nigeria is launching a new military operation against Islamic militants, and Vance cheered on U.S. Olympic athletes in Milan. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy