The Russell 2000, a stock index of smaller companies or “small caps,” has fallen behind the S&P 500 over the past few years. A Fed rate cut, which may come as soon as next week, could change their luck. In this episode, why interest rates have an outsize effect on smaller companies. Plus: Homebuilding is harder under President Trump’s tariffs and immigration policies, brands lean into the power of scent, and we recap the week’s economic headlines.
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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.
Today’s news comes with a side of pawpaws. Kimberly is joined by Laura Blessing, senior fellow at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, to break down the moves President Trump is making to exert more control over government spending. As Congress faces the possibility of another shutdown head on, it’s souring the mood. Plus, we’ll play a new game! Can you guess which headline is fake?
Bill McKibben discusses his new book Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, making the case for renewables as civilization’s best hope. He has long argued that we can’t save the planet without a massive overhaul of how we live, but here he answers a challenge to whether that was ever right. McKibben dismisses geoengineering as “junkie’s logic,” yet warns it may be forced if clean energy isn’t embraced quickly. Plus, a reflection on cycles of American political violence—reminders that past eras were bloodier, and that public appetite for violence often diminishes rather than escalates.
Last month, President Donald Trump announced an unusual deal. Intel, the biggest microchip maker in America, had agreed to give the United States a 10 percent stake in its business. That means the U.S. government is now Intel's largest shareholder — and a major American company is now a partially state-owned enterprise.
This deal has raised a lot of eyebrows. The U.S. government almost never gets tangled up with businesses like this. Some have accused the president of taking a step toward, well, socialism.
But the Intel deal didn’t come out of nowhere. It's actually the latest chapter in one of the most aggressive economic experiments the United States has ever attempted. An experiment that Trump is now taking in a surprising new direction.
On today's show, we unpack the Intel deal. Where did it come from, and what does it say about President Trump’s unconventional approach to managing the economy.
This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo and Keith Romer. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Jess Jiang and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Jimmy Keeley with help from Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
US officials say they've arrested a 22-year old man suspected of shooting dead the prominent right wing youth leader, Charlie Kirk. Also on the programme, a Nobel prize-winner weighs in on the Trump administration's vaccine policies; and, a new push to get museum visitors to spend more time in front of art.
(Photo :A Washington County sheriff’s deputy joins Washington City police officers outside a residence in Washington, Utah, associated with Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the fatal shooting of U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, U.S., September 12, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Marcus)
An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
Charlie Kirk shaped modern conservatism and reached youth in ways no one else could—and that’s precisely what made him so dangerous to the Left.
The trailblazing 31-year-old activist and commentator who founded Turning Point USA was regularly smeared as a “fascist,” a “Nazi,” and a “threat to democracy” by the Left. It was only a matter of time until a crazed person put those words into action. On today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” Hanson pays tribute to Kirk and explains how his death is more than just a personal loss; it signals a dangerous new era where political violence is becoming normalized.
“ He connected with people. He had a podcast. He was an extemporaneous speaker. He could ad lib. He wrote columns. He was fearless. He was—he registered voters. He might have been more responsible for winning key states than any other political activists in the 2024 election. I don't think anybody in our generation—I'm speaking my generation—could have done what he did.
“ We are legitimizing political violence. If you call someone day after day after day, "white, white, white, white"; "racist, racist, racist"; "fascist, fascist, fascist"; "Nazi, Nazi, Nazi"—we hear that from Joy Reid. We see it on "The View." We see it on MSNBC. Even just seconds after Charlie died, we had Matthew Dowd go on and basically said that he got what he deserved because he was an extremist, etc., and he and you "live by the sword, die by the sword" sort of argument he used.”
👉He’s also the host of “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” available wherever you prefer to watch or listen. Links to the show and exclusive content are available on his website: https://victorhanson.com
We discuss the potential for another major media merger as Paramount Skydance eyes Warner Bros Discovery, and there’s a new richest person in the world as Oracle tries to take on big tech hyperscalers.
Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rick Munarriz discuss:
- Paramount’s interest in Warner Bros Discovery
- Oracle’s huge deal with OpenAI
- Adobe’s AI story
- Rank media, autonomous vehicle, and restaurant stocks
Companies discussed: Netflix (NFLX), Disney (DIS), Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), Comcast (CMCSA), Fox (FOX), Tesla (TSLA), Rivian (RIVN), Uber (UBER), Mobileye (MBLY), WeRide (WRD), Chipotle (CMG), Darden (DRI), Cava (CAVA), Portillo’s (PTLO), Wingstop (WING)
Host: Travis Hoium
Guests: Lou Whiteman, Rick Munarriz
Engineer: Dan Boyd
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Insights into the Tether's announcing its plans to issue a US Dollar-Backed stablecoin.
In an exclusive interview, CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie sits down with Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino and newly appointed USAT CEO Bo Hines to discuss the launch of their new stablecoin designed specifically for the US market. Plus they discuss how it will work alongside the globally dominant USDT and reveal their mission to provide financial access to underserved communities, reduce transaction costs, and build a more efficient financial system in the United States.
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Help usher in the next generation of blockchain with rational privacy and cooperative tokenomics on the Midnight network. To learn more, visit midnight.gd and prepare for the Midnight Glacier Drop.
P.M. Edition for Sept. 12. After Figma, Circle and Bullish were plagued by big price jumps on their recent first trading days, companies making their stock market debuts this week have opted for a new strategy: creating bigger share allotments for retail investors. WSJ capital markets reporter Corrie Driebusch discusses how it works. Plus, America’s soy farmers are beginning to harvest the tens of millions of tons of crop expected for this season, but China, the world’s biggest buyer of soy, doesn’t want any. We hear from Patrick Thomas, who covers agriculture for the Journal, about why, and what that means for farmers. And authorities have taken into custody 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who is suspected of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Alex Ossola hosts.
