Latest from Rose Conlon

• Jul 13, 2021

  Why California’s battery-supported grid is off to a slow start

  

  California’s grid operator hoped new battery storage could prevent rolling blackouts in the state, but installation has been delayed. Plus, the digital copyright arrangement that got Google in trouble with France and Marketplace contributor Chris Farrell on why he believes putting cryptocurrency into a retirement portfolio is a bad idea.

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• Jul 13, 2021

  France slaps Google with $600 million fine over news publishing

  

  From the BBC World Service: Google’s news aggregator uses excerpts and headlines from publishers around the world. In France, publishers agreed a copyright deal with the tech giant, and the French competition regulator says Google acted in bad faith in those negotiations. Plus (staying in France), being vaccinated against COVID-19 will be mandatory for the country’s healthcare workers by mid-September. And: As we move towards a lower-carbon world, what’s in store for the global oil industry?

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• Jul 13, 2021

  An experiment to reduce child poverty begins

  

  Starting Thursday, most families will receive $300 per child, per month, from the federal government. Experts estimate the expanded child tax credit can cut child poverty by half. Plus, how inflation can disproportionately hurt retirees on fixed incomes and how to interpret the second-quarter earnings this week of big banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.

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• Jul 12, 2021

  More agreement on global tax crackdown

  

  G-20 finance leaders just backed a proposal for a global corporate minimum tax rate of at least 15%. There’s still a long way to go before that becomes a reality. Plus, a look at an upcoming economic “report card” and the upshot for student borrowers of loan servicer FedLoan’s decision to bow out.

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• Jul 12, 2021

  A used car can now cost you more than a new car

  

  While many new-car assembly lines are backed up, older cars are available … and they’re fetching premium prices. Plus, Caleb Watney, director of innovation policy at the Progressive Policy Institute, on the importance of immigration reform to America’s research and development efforts.

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• Jul 12, 2021

  Cuba’s biggest anti-government protests in decades

  

  From the BBC World Service: Anti-government demonstrators in Cuba are protesting food shortages and calling for freedom, democracy, and a more efficient COVID-19 vaccination program. Cuba’s economy is in crisis due to a combination of tough U.S. sanctions and the pandemic’s disruption to tourism. Elsewhere, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai on why he believes the idea of free and open internet is under attack. And, why Taiwanese tech giants Foxconn and TSMC are buying 10 million COVID vaccine doses and donating them to the Taiwanese government. Correction (July 12, 2021): An earlier version of this podcast misstated the pronouns of Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen. The audio has been amended.

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• Jul 12, 2021

  Boosting American innovation might involve immigration reform

  

  Experts say U.S. progress in STEM fields is closely tied to immigration policy.

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• Jul 9, 2021

  Biden takes up the cause of competition

  

  With an executive order that President Biden is set to sign today, the White House is trying to encourage more competition across the board in the U.S. economy. One part of the executive order tells federal regulators to give greater scrutiny to proposed mergers, including when a Big Tech company wants to swallow a smaller competitor. Plus, a reminder that COVID anywhere is COVID everywhere in a global economy that is so interconnected. Also, how much it costs for businesses to adjust to more extreme weather. And, robots delivering food in Austin, Texas, are competing with humans for space on the road.

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• Jul 9, 2021

  Nothing brings people together like infrastructure

  

  Both labor unions and business groups are uniting to push for the bipartisan infrastructure spending bill on the table in Washington. Plus, as the Olympic flame arrives in Tokyo, an update on the new no-spectator policy for the Summer Games. And, President Biden could sign an executive order as early as today intended to increase competition and cut down on aggressive pricing in the ocean shipping and freight rail industries.

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• Jul 9, 2021

  Chinese companies are some of pro soccer’s biggest sponsors

  

  From the BBC World Service: You’ll see ads and billboards for brands like Alipay, TikTok and Hisense while watching this weekend’s championship game in the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. Why are Chinese firms so keen on reaching sports fans at this international soccer competition? Plus, the Biden administration is expected to add several more Chinese companies to its list of firms that are restricted from doing business with Americans companies. Beijing pledges to take action to protect its interests. And, 10 years since South Sudan became the newest country in the world, what a decade of political unrest has done to its people and economy.

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