Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

Those massive AI data centers going in across the country can use as much energy as an entire city. President Trump said this week he wants tech companies to "pay their own way," and touted a new Microsoft pledge to bear the full cost of their AI energy needs.

Plus, Apple announces its long awaited new AI Siri will be powered by Google.

But first, Nvidia can once again export its second best H200 chips to China if it follows some new security rules and pays the U.S. government 25% of its sales. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Anita Ramaswamy, columnist at The Information, to discuss all these topics on this week’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

In our news wrap Thursday, the Trump administration placed new sanctions on several Iranian officials after a bloody regime crackdown reined in widespread protests, European troops are arriving in Greenland after talks failed to make progress on President Trump's push to take over the territory and federal prosecutors are charging 26 people for allegedly rigging NCAA and Chinese basketball games. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Maria Corina Machado met with President Trump and said she presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize. It came a day after Trump spoke with Venezuela's acting president, a woman who in the past disparaged Machado but is now empowered by the U.S. to lead the country. Nick Schifrin examines Venezuela's leadership, and Geoff Bennett discusses more with Laura Dib. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

President Trump recently ordered government-backed mortgage companies (that’s Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) to buy up $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities. The last time they bought these bonds was the 2008 financial crisis. Will the move actually lower rates? Probably not much. Also in this episode: Venture capital can thank AI for a 2025 rebound, banks fight to block stablecoin interest yields, and more young people are getting prenups.

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Marketplace’s “This Is Uncomfortable” is back with new episodes about life and how money messes with it. Today, host Reema Khrais joins Kimberly to share some of what she’s learned from conversations on how to survive job hunting in today’s brutal labor market and what it really means to have “enough” money. Plus, how anxiety about money can actually hold you back financially.

Check out new episodes from “This Is Uncomfortable:”

• "We're back: How much money is ‘enough’?" from “This Is Uncomfortable”
• "Surviving job hunting hell" from “This Is Uncomfortable”
• "The number of long-term unemployed is growing. What does that tell us about the economy?" from Marketplace 

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

Jan. 15 is the deadline to enroll in health insurance plans through the federal government’s ACA Marketplace at Healthcare.gov. But Illinois residents will have until Jan. 31 to enroll through the state’s marketplace Get Covered Illinois. It announced it will extend the deadline for Illinois residents to enroll in a plan as many are struggling to find one that’s within their budget after ACA subsidies expired at the end of 2025. For the latest on this extension and how Illinois residents can get support, In the Loop sits down with Galo Granda, Access Community Health Network patient benefit specialist and navigator, and Get Covered Illinois director Morgan Winters. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

2025 was a tough year for homebuyers. Two things happened over the last three months of the year that helped people trying to buy a home: Housing prices grew more slowly, and mortgage rates fell. We'll unpack and discuss other housing news. Also on today's program: how the wealth effect is supporting our K-shaped economy, and how the bond market is responding to pressures on the Fed to lower interest rates.

Saks Global — the luxury retail conglomerate that owns brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. But given that higher-income consumers are driving so much of spending, why is a chain of luxury department stores struggling? Then, the Trump administration is ending a special protected status for 350,000 Haitians, and the elder-care industry is expected to lose thousands of workers as a result.

From the BBC World Service: Despite Wednesday’s inconclusive talks between the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland, investors are starting to examine how Greenland’s extensive mineral resources might be tapped. Currently, there are only two active mines on the island, but many investors think there is potential in Greenland for additional commercial projects. Then, thanks to the climbing popularity of Korean skincare, South Korea has surpassed the U.S. to become the world's second-largest cosmetics exporter after France,

Job hunting has a way of testing your limits. It can be hard not to question yourself (or spiral) when the process stretches on far longer than you imagined. 

Reema is joined by career coach Phoebe Gavin and writer Rachel Meade Smith to talk about the emotional side of the job hunt -- practical ways to navigate it, and how to get through it without losing yourself. 

Do you have a job hunting horror story you want to share with us? Or general work drama that you’d want advice on? Give us a call at 347-RING-TIU or send us an email at uncomfortable@marketplace.org.