The White House is calling the recent trove of Epstein documents a "distraction" as both Democratic and Republican lawmakers call for the full release of the Epstein files. In Charlotte, North Carolina, city leaders and residents are scrambling after last-minute notice that Border Patrol agents could arrive within days. And economists warn the government shutdown left lasting scars on the U.S. economy, from lost wages to missing federal data that may never be recovered.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Dana Farrington, Susanna Capelouto, Rafael Nam, Mohamad ElBardicy and HJ Mai.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay Totty
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
This week we learned the Japanese investment firm Softbank sold all of its stake in the juggernaut chipmaker Nvidia. We'll get into why on today's “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Plus, Apple is reportedly pushing back the release of its thinnest iPhone, the Air, and Wikipedia is asking AI companies, once again, to pay for scraping its data.
But first, back to that big move by Softbank and its CEO, Masayoshi Son. It cashed out its stake in Nvidia in October, the same month that the chipmaker hit a $5 trillion valuation. The $5.8 billion it netted will be redirected to OpenAI, part of a promised $30 billion to be invested in the maker of ChatGPT.
Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Anita Ramaswamy, columnist at The Information, about what all this means.
The government shutdown ends after 43 days with federal workers returning and delays expected to linger. In Washington, newly released Epstein estate emails trigger a bipartisan push for full Justice Department disclosure. Southern California prepares for a dangerous atmospheric river storm, while Edison moves toward settlement offers for victims of the deadly Eaton Fire. U.S. Catholic bishops issue their strongest unified criticism in a decade against mass deportations. In business, Downtown L.A. sees new development plans with a proposed 49-story tower at L.A. Live and Apple’s restrained AI spending emerges as a strategic advantage as tech markets tighten.
Drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound have revolutionized weight loss. And starting next year, the drugs are going to become more affordable for Americans because of a deal struck with pharmaceutical companies by the Trump administration.
Eshe Nelson, who covers economics and business news, explains how the change has its origins in a huge business blunder from the creator of Ozempic, Novo Nordisk.
Guest: Eshe Nelson, a reporter for The New York Times based in London, where she covers economics and business news.
In a pivotal court hearing, lawyers for James Comey and Letitia James challenge the authority of new US Attorney Lisa Halligan. Government employees report back to work following the end of the shutdown. And House Republicans sound off on senators who included a surprising provision in their bill.
After two years of war, over 80% of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed. Our correspondent assesses various plans for reconstruction. Do large lay-offs in American firms mean AI is coming for white-collar jobs? And remembering James Watson, the controversial scientist who discovered the structure of DNA.
A 150-year-old bottle of Arctic Ale is being uncapped, which got the team talking about all things related to yeast, beer, and opening things.
First, we hear about a rare condition where the body brews its own alcohol. Next up, we find out that small amounts of alcohol make male fruit flies more attractive.
We’re then joined in the studio by food historian Pen Vogler, who helps us travel back in time to explore beer’s origins.
Next, we discover how air pollution is affecting our brains, and delve into some surprising ways that yeast could help the climate.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Chhavi Sachdev and Candice Bailey
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Lucy Davies and Robbie Wojciechowski
