Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

Earlier this week, the July CPI report showed consumer prices remained steady, despite tariff noise. Today’s producer price index tells a different story: Wholesale prices grew a whopping 3.3% year-over-year. When might retailers pass those higher costs on to consumers? We break it down. Plus: Automated applications sow pessimism among job hunters, New York City marks two months of a ban on tenant-paid broker fees, and U.S. oil refineries face regionally different outlooks.

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson answers listeners’ questions about ICE, the National Guard, affordable housing in Chicago, and more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

It’s not just you — we feel the bad vibes in the job market too. On the show today, we’ll unpack how what we’re hearing from those on the job hunt compares to what the data shows about a labor market slump. And, President Donald Trump says he wants to allow riskier assets like crypto and private equity investments in retirement accounts. Plus, mocktails make us smile.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(K) Investors" from The White House
• "Should You Include Cryptocurrency in 401(k) Investments?" from AARP
• "Trump wants your 401(k) to access crypto and private equity. Here's what to know." from CBS News
• "Would you add crypto to your retirement portfolio?" from Marketplace
• "How do hiring sites deal with a slowing job market?" from Marketplace

• "Long-term unemployment is rising as uncertain businesses hold off on hiring" from Marketplace

  
  

  We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

President Donald Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this month, claiming that the monthly jobs numbers — which were revised downward — were “rigged” to make him look bad. Plenty of companies use BLS data to make business decisions. With questions raised about the quality and regularity of that data now, how do alternate data sources compare? Also: a flare of inflation at the wholesale level and a comeback for adjustable-rate mortgages.

In addition to the many considerations surrounding cost, those who lost homes in this year's California wildfires may also be looking for an environmentally-friendly way to rebuild that's able to withstand the next fire. Today, Marketplace's David Brancaccio explores mass timber, which doesn't burn easily, as an option for home reconstruction. But first, New York’s attorney general is suing the company that runs Zelle, alleging its customers were left open to fraud.

From the BBC World Service: Talks on the world’s first legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution are coming to an end, and so far, there's no deal. What are the major sticking points, and what's the likelihood of finalizing an agreement? Then, dairy farmers in the United Kingdom are warning that a chronic shortage of skilled workers is threatening the country's food security. And later, Fortnite could return to Australian smartphones.

A new program is helping Illinoisans of African descent reconnect and reclaim ancestral ties lost due to the transatlantic slave trade. In a period spanning over 400 years, more than 13 million men, women, and children were forcibly transported across the Atlantic Ocean to work in the Americas, devastating familial bonds. Now, the Illinois Family Roots Pilot program is offering free DNA testing so people can trace their roots into the past and connect with living relatives. Reset learns more about the state program and hears from two Chicago-area residents who connected after DNA testing showed they were related. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

China’s labor market is known for being intense, especially in the tech sector. For years high profile tech workers have embraced the “996” schedule – that's 9am to 9pm six days a week.

And recently, Silicon Valley startups have reportedly been leaning in to the “996” grind themselves. So now China is taking it up a notch.

President Trump issued a new threat to punish Russia if it doesn't end the war in Ukraine. It comes two days before a high-stakes summit in Alaska with Vladimir Putin. The president also spoke with European leaders, including Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who said that Trump agreed to their principles on the best way to try and end the war. Nick Schifrin discussed more with Samuel Charap of RAND. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Gaza's health ministry says Israeli gunfire killed at least 25 people seeking aid across three separate sites, wildfires have killed at least three people across Albania, Spain and Turkey, three died in Tennessee after downpours flooded parts of the state and President Trump announced the first class of Kennedy Center honorees since he took over as chairman. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders