Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

Online bookings for travel are down. Major airlines are reducing flight schedules as leisure travelers pull back. And now there’s more bad news for the tourism sector: High-spending business travelers are cutting back, as well. Later in the program: why Bank of America is investing in physical branches and how a technical program near the Texas-Louisiana coast is training young people for "gold-collar" chemical and petrochemical production jobs.

From the BBC World Service: Japanese carmaker Nissan recently unveiled sweeping cost-cutting plans. Now, it says it could share its U.K. factory with a Chinese state-owned company, manufacturing vehicles on their behalf. Plus, Malawi has lost a much-needed International Monetary Fund program worth $175 million. And, the Eurovision Song Contest is back this week. How has Eurovision managed to stay relevant after nearly 70 years?

Before Hawaiʻi was annexed by the United States in 1898, the nation was led by a constitutional monarchy and was recognized as an independent kingdom. Before Hawai’i’s last monarch, Queen Lili’uokalani, was overthrown by non-native American businessmen in 1893, the queen sent a royally-charted Hula troupe to the World's Columbian Exposition to share the culture and stories of Kanaka Maoli, or Native Hawaiians. This is just the beginning of the community’s history in Chicago. In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Reset learns more about Hawaiian migration to Chicago, the legacy of Hula and reclaiming the culture with executive director of Aloha Center Chicago Lanialoha Lee, hula teacher, visual artist and co-curator of Chicago's Legacy Hula exhibit at the Field Museum Napuahinano Sumberg and education committee chair of the Ke Ali`i Victoria Ka`iulani Hawaiian Civic Club-Chicago and Associate Director for Outreach & Strategy at the Newberry Library Kahakulani Blaisdell For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East has prompted a flurry of AI deals worth billions. We'll get into the details on today's “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Stateside, the Trump administration has rolled back a Biden-era “AI Diffusion” rule. Companies involved in the semiconductor supply chain were critical of the rule, though it's still not entirely clear how Trump plans to revamp the regulation.

Plus, what some might call the most obvious rebrand: Warner Bros brings back the "HBO" to its Max streaming platform.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to discuss all of this and more.

Retail sales were practically flat from March to April, and consumers are feeling more glum, two recent reports show. Already, one big box retailer has said it will start raising prices in the wake of tariff pressure. In this episode, what happens when stressed shoppers meet higher costs? Plus: Data centers could be key to stabilizing natural gas demand, slashed USDA grants leave small farms scrambling to stay afloat and Trump’s tariffs, ironically, send some manufacturing out of the U.S. and into Canada.

The Trump administration is rolling out a series of proposals aimed at reversing America’s declining birth rate — from a $5,000 “baby bonus” for new mothers to symbolic awards for large families. But critics say these incentives miss the mark, arguing that what families really need is long-term support like paid leave, affordable child care, and access to early education.Reset explores the politics behind the push, what’s driving lower birth rates, and whether government perks can really influence such a deeply personal decision with author and history professor at University of Chicago Peggy O’Donnell Heffington For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In today’s show, Kimber-Kai are answering your questions about all the wild things going on in the U.S. economy. Isn’t the 30% tariff rate on China still crazy high? And, how are local governments preparing for potential federal funding cuts? We’ll discuss how states are weighing their next moves, and how the “Trump Slump” has taken shape in California. Then, we’ll get into the Federal Reserve’s wait-and-see tariff strategy. 

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “State of U.S. Tariffs: May 12, 2025” from The Budget Lab at Yale
• “States, Cities Face Funding Collapse Threat With Trump Cuts” by Bloomberg
• “Higher prices or higher unemployment? The economy could face a no-win dilemma” by NBC News

Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Donate during our May Fundraiser and get a classic public radio thank-you gift: tote bags, mugs, t-shirts, hats, and more! Give now: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn 

Ever wrestled with a work problem and didn’t know where to turn? We’ve got you. In our new advice column, “Work Drama,” we try to find answers to your sticky work situations. 

This week, “This Is Uncomfortable” host Reema Khrais is joined by career coach and podcaster Mandi Woodruff-Santos to unpack your workplace problems -- from messy, toxic bosses to dealing with salary negotiations.

Got workplace drama you need help dealing with? Shoot us an email at uncomfortable@marketplace.org to tell us about it, or call ‪(347) 746-4848‬ and leave a message. 

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Walmart officials are saying the retail giant will raise prices within weeks due to higher import taxes imposed by the Trump administration. The largest retailer in the country released Q1 results today — revenue was up, but the company declined to give profit guidance for the current quarter. Also on the show: busy times for Chinese exporters, proposed changes to Medicaid and a look at the future of interest rates.

Amid the uncertainty triggered by President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcements, many investors started looking for places outside the U.S. to park their capital. One beneficiary? Japan. More foreign money flowed into Japanese stocks and bonds than ever before — about $50 billion worth. Also on this morning's show: a conversation about the value of the U.S. dollar and what happens if it loses its status as the reserve currency.