Week of May 18th, 2015

Airing on Friday, May 22, 2015: The nation’s poultry industry is facing an unprecedented avian flu epidemic.  Millions of birds have been slaughtered to try and contain the disease, which is causing an egg shortage. Next: consumer prices, as measured by the Labor Department, ticked up 0.1 percent last month — a bit more if you discount big swings in food and energy costs. We look at why some things get removed from the “core” rate and why the Federal Reserve, for example, uses a different measure when trying to assess inflation.  

Consumer prices ticked up just a 10th of a percent last month, the Labor Department reports.

The nation’s poultry industry is facing an unprecedented avian flu epidemic, which has led to a shortage.

Businesses that don't make good on promised jobs are seeing their benefits suspended.

Pepsi was among the first companies to try it.

But 'Mad Max" fills the void.

You may be surprised by the highest-selling suds in the world.

Leigh Gallagher and Sudeep Reddy join Kai Ryssdal to recap the week in business and finance.

Quartz and Marketplace look at the territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

The Wall Street Journal's Elizabeth Holmes says we've reached peak yoga pants.

Why people from exclusive or affluent backgrounds often land the most prestigious jobs.

Musicians play a lot of shows, and they come with strings attached.

How much did that first purchase cost?

Spoiler alert! Sometimes we enjoy knowing the ending in advance.

Airing on Friday, May 22, 2015: The UK wants to rethink the relationship with the European Union. More on that. Plus, in the wake of the Ebola outbreak in Africa, a new plan has emerged to guard against future problems: re-insurance to help protect governments and insurance companies against the costs of epidemics. A San Francisco firm announced $30 million in funding for the idea this week. We explain the concept and investigate whether there’s a market. Next: Many of the jobs created by Baltimore’s Empowerment Zones disappeared when the recession hit and when industry changed. But there are small, shining examples of success. More on that in today’s show.

Flint's 100,000 people now have only one major store within city limits.

The idea is to help protect against the costs of pandemics.

Time will stand still for some financial exchanges preparing for the addition.

Airing on Friday, May 22, 2015: First up on today’s show, Neil MacDonald, vice president and analyst at Gartner research, talks about Hewlett-Packard’s quarterly earnings. Plus, a “leap second” will be added to global timekeeping on June 30th, and while it’s not quite Y2K, it’s causing a stir. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission wants exchanges to submit a plan of action by tomorrow. But globally, exchanges are taking different approaches to dealing with this extra second, which is potentially problematic. And how well have you kept up with the week in tech news? It’s time for Silicon Tally! This week, host Ben Johnson takes on Dan Lyons, a tech journalist and writer for season two of HBO’s Silicon Valley.

Here are the stories we're reading and numbers we're watching Friday.

How well have you kept up with the week in tech news?

On this episode of Marketplace Weekend, we take a look at exclusivity in the economy, our lives and our wallets. Lizzie speaks with Jon Taffer, best known as host of the reality series “Bar Rescue” on Spike about how to build an exclusive bar. Joshua Tilliman, better known as Father John Misty, talks about the exclusive radius clauses in his contracts. Later, Dr. Molly Coye, chief innovation officer at UCLA Health, talks with Lizzie about the changing landscape of healthcare and whether it’s making medicine more accessible, and personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary discusses the best ways to build and maintain a good credit score. Plus, Marketplace’s Tracey Samuelson talks about spoilers (and how to avoid them) and preserving an exclusive story. 

In the time of the ACA, telehealth and concierge doctors, is medicine becoming more exclusive or more accessible?

Changing FICO criteria may benefit renters and those with medical debt.

LinkedIn is not the most popular social media site, but candidates can find a niche.

Defining what a farmers market is can be difficult.

General Motors says your own car may not be entirely owned by you.

The 1969 incident led to the creation of some environmental groups.

CVS wantsto buy the pharmacy services provider that supplies many elderly people .

Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson flew over New York and lived to tell us about it

Airing on Thursday, May 21, 2015: This week’s oil spill off Santa Barbara’s coast may be small, but this is where the modern environmental movement in the U.S. had an awakening. A large oil spill in the region back in 1969 helped spur the creation of groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council. Next: CVS is seeking to buy pharmacy services provider Omnicare for about $13 billion, including debt. We look at the thinking behind the bid.    

A closed down bar, a ton of arrests and a whole lot of hidden weapons.

The gap between rich and poor, and lessons learned in New York City.

Disney thrives on an almost self-sustaining business model.

Airing on Thursday, May 21, 2015: In the housing market, there’s new data that costs related to renting went up more than owning this past year. We’ll talk more about the implications. And speaking of new data, we’ll talk about findings that few Americans are prepared for a sudden change in cash flow. Diana Farrell is President and CEO of the JPMorgan Chase Institute, which did the study, and joins us this morning to talk about the results. Plus, on the eve of Disney’s 60th anniversary, we look at its self-sustaining model: the circular loop of how its movies and characters create theme park attractions which are then translated into merchandise, which then feed back into the movies.

But the Gap retail stores are suffering from an identity crisis.

Airing on Thursday, May 21, 2015: First up, we’ll talk with Marketplace Tech Producer Meg Cramer about Spotify’s foray into video streaming and podcasts. Plus, Dave Sullivan, Auto Industry Analyst with Auto Pacific, talks about why a black market for Prius batteries is springing up in California.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Thursday.

Adding currency rules to the Trans-Pacific Partnership is mired in controversy.

Before dating sites took to the internet, video dating was king.

Airing on Wednesday, May 20, 2015: Five of the world’s largest banks, including Citigroup and J.P. Morgan Chase, have been fined $5.7 billion for manipulating foreign exchange rates. The institutions rigged the benchmark London interbank offered rate, or LIBOR. We look at why LIBOR is important and matters to all of us. Next: One country’s currency manipulation is another’s monetary policy. Adding currency controls to the Trans Pacific Partnership is mired in controversy. We explain why by looking at the arguments for and against the partnership, and why this puts the U.S. in a tricky spot. 

Five of the world's largest banks are being fined billions.

The U.S. Government declassified documents found in Osama Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

Max Dawson's class on the economics of the reality show wins him an invitation.

Thanks to automation, the digital ad business is expected to hit $50 billion.

Airing on Wednesday, May 20, 2015: First up, we’ll talk with Harley Geiger, senior counsel and advocacy director at the Center for Democracy & Technology, about upcoming deadlines for the USA Freedom Act. We’ll also speak with Karen North, professor of communication and director of the Digital Social Media Program at USC Annenberg, about ad companies targeting “Generation Z” consumers by using words like “bae” and “fleek” on social media. And Rich McCormick, a writer for The Verge, joins us to talk about how gamers create “mods,” and why the gaming company Valve is trying to monetize them.

Wall Street eyes the fed, colleges may have to pay up for defaulted loans, and the costs of investing in a hedge fund.

Airing on Wednesday, May 20, 2015: We’ll talk about the high price tag of a possible merger in the cable industry: Altice of France is in talks to buy Suddenlink, a U.S. cable company, for about $10 billion. More on that. Plus, the Senate Education Committee meets Wednesday. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who chairs the committee and is a former secretary of education, has proposed that colleges share in the risk of lending to students. He says this would lead to reduced student borrowing. How would it work if colleges had “skin in the game,” and how realistic is the proposal? We explore. Plus, in our next installment of our series “Pro Tool: Tools of the Professional,” we’ll talk about the notebook one writer says he can’t work without.

A Senate committee is considering changes to college loan default rules.

Insurance plans with high deductibles and co-pays, mean rising out-of-pocket costs.

A writer talks about how his process starts with the paper.

Here are the numbers we're watching and stories we're reading Wednesday.

What it'll take to put America's infrastructure back in the lead.

The mint company will try to stay fresh with its new Tic Tac Mixers.

"Reduce it down and get the real essence of flavor," says a Fed economist.

The production company was crucial when Letterman moved to CBS two decades ago.

A new report shows that Wall Street remains an ethical wasteland.

Amid California's drought, not everyone is happy with the boom in almonds.

Airing on Tuesday, May 19, 2015: The San Francisco Federal Reserve suggests an improved way to crunch official growth statistics. The director of research at the San Francisco Fed says that there should be a second, final seasonal adjustment to GDP data—on top of the seasonal adjustments the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) currently makes. Next: a new report shows that ethics continue to be an issue on Wall Street. Nearly one-third of those making more than $500,000 said they “have witnessed or have firsthand knowledge of wrongdoing in the workplace.” Why do the incentives of finance lure people to do wrong? And why is that so hard to change? We explore.     

The ruling also makes it easier for employees to sue.

401(k)s, the Congressional Budget Office, and the American car industry in Russia.

Airing on Tuesday, May 19, 2015: Wal-Mart announces its first quarter results on Tuesday. We look at what effect recent wage rises for Wal-Mart workers may have had on its bottom line. And the European Central Bank says it’s going to front-load its bond buying stimulus going into summer. We look at what effect that has on the European markets. Plus, “Swatting” isn’t a new prank, but new technologies are making it more common and more attractive to hackers. How big is the problem, and what are police departments and emergency call centers doing to fight it? 

Airing on Tuesday, May 19, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk to Lindsey Turrentine, Editor-in-Chief of CNET.com, about why Chinese electronics company Xiaomi is opening a very limited online store for customers in North America and Europe. Plus, Dale Kunkel, Professor Emeritus of Communication for the University of Arizona, talks about why consumer groups are filing a complaint with the FTC about inappropriate content on Google’s YouTube Kids app. Also joining us is Nathaniel Popper, author of “Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money,” about Bitcoin’s origins in the Cypherpunk community, and how the cryptocurrency’s underlying technology might be adopted by Wall Street.

New CBO head Keith Hall has the tough job of keeping politics out of the agency.

Will the costs of Wal-Mart's much-publicized pay hike hurt its bottom line?

The prank's cost is going up for police departments and emergency call centers.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Tuesday.

BBC journalist Mark Lobel was detained for investigating Qatari labor camps.

Amazon's speaker system allows users to purchase items through voice commands.

Airing on Monday, May 18, 2015: Target is demoting packaged foods, promoting them less as it emphasizes produce and organic foods in its grocery departments. We take a look at how this could affect big food companies and what Target customers might expect to see on shelves. Next: The White House is providing grants to local police departments in exchange for adopting guidelines from President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, including wearing body cameras. We explore whether these departments will accept the grant offers.       

The majority-female audience is responsible for the paradigm shift, analyst says.

Energy company Kinder Morgan says the project would supply future fuel needs.

Target is emphasizing produce and organic foods in its grocery departments.

The White House plans to dole out $163 million in grants to local police.

Counterfeit goods, Calpers sells timberland, and why drought is good for Georgia.

The city has opened a shelter with fewer rules and more open space.

With years of drought in California affecting nut production, some farmers are looking at other places and other nuts to grow.

Timber has been underperforming other investment classes since the recession.

The obesity rate in Mexican children has reportedly tripled in the past decade.

Airing on Monday, May 18, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk about Chinese Premier Li Keqiang‘s visit to South America. Next: The tech sector in San Francisco may be booming, but the city’s homeless are still suffering. And with real estate prices skyrocketing, pressure on  the needy to find housing has intensified. Advocates say there is only one shelter bed for about every six homeless people, and the homeless and their neighbors are clamoring for solutions. So the city is trying something a little different—a shelter with fewer rules and more open space.

Airing on Monday, May 18, 2015: First up on today’s show, Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, joins to to talk about giving people the choice to opt out of being recorded in public on livestreaming apps like Meerkat and Periscope. Plus, Ryan Calo, Assistant Law Professor at the University of Washington and an affiliate scholar at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, talks about testing Google’s driverless cars. And we’ll talk with Martha Sorren, TV Editor at Bustle, about using social media to predict who will win this season of The Bachelorette. 

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Monday.