Week of December 5th, 2016

The incoming administration pushes for shorter-term funding.

At its peak in the 1930’s, sugar employed 50,000 people across the islands.

Pledging to cut production hasn’t always led to actual cuts.

We talk to a lot of authors on our show. Here are some titles that stood out in 2016.

President-elect Donald Trump has has tapped fast food executive Andy Puzder as his nominee Secretary of Labor. Puzder is Chief Executive of CKE Restaurants Holdings-that’s the parent of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. The fast-food conglomerate has 75,000 employees when you include franchises and more than $4 billion in worldwide sales. Puzder has a track record […]

The plush, cozy fabric has become ubiquitous, and very affordable.

Trump voters in the Midwest weigh in on the next four years.

He steps down in the face of declining soda sales, but will remain in the company as chairman.

The economy is continuing to digest President-elect Donald Trump’s appointments, and Congress is is trying to figure out what he’ll mean for pension funds. We’ll look and both issues as we recap the latest in our Weekly Wrap. Plus: how’d velvet become the festive fabric of choice? 

Bessie Blount Griffin cared for soldiers who lost limbs and was inspired to invent a special tool for them.

Can a work of art capture the feeling of the economy?

This week, Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams and Bloomberg’s Joe Wiesenthal play the Long and Short game. We also stop by the Public Theater in New York to talk with Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage about her new play “Sweat.” Marketplace’s Sally Herships explains why one of the most iconic shopping destinations in the U.S. is also tangled up in politics, and Marketplace’s Scott Tong discusses the future of environmental and energy policy in a Trump administration. Plus, Marketplace tech host Ben Johnson brings us a story of surveillance from the podcast Codebreaker.

President-elect Donald Trump continues to fill out his cabinet appointees (though, remember, these candidates have to be approved by the Senate). Yesterday, Trump announced the CEO of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., Andrew Puzder, as his nominee to lead the Labor Department. The appointment would be consistent with recent Trump nominees. Puzder has long been an […]

A new report out this morning has some surprises about some of the sickest and most vulnerable patients in the country. The Commonwealth Fund survey finds as many as 95 percent of these people have consistent access to care. But many are socially isolated — which means access isn’t enough to improve their conditions. Click […]

On today’s show, we’ll talk about Trump’s choice for Labor Secretary; the difficulties of treating patients who are socially isolated; Italy’s struggles to rescue its third-largest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena; and a new paper that found just over half of 30-year-olds earn more than their parents did at a similar age — down from 90 percent in 1970. 

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed this week to cut production for the first time in eight years. That could mean oil prices will go up. But that depends on whether OPEC can convince a bunch of other non-cartel countries to agree to the cut. The cartel has invited 14 other countries to a […]

The bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena is in trouble. Who should come to its aid?

On today’s show, we’ll talk about a new report from Ford showing that trust is increasingly important for users and that people care less than ever about owning stuff; play this week’s Silicon Tally with Benjamin Ahr Harrison, co-host of “The Greatest Generation” (a podcast about “Star Trek: The Next Generation”); and look at surveillance cameras that are used on…sharks.

After being laid off for 18 months, some mine workers start training for other jobs.

President-elect Donald Trump told Time magazine, as part of its cover story profile of him, that  “sometimes you have to prime the pump” to get jobs and the country going. Trump and his advisers have called for hundreds of billions in tax cuts, and hundreds of billions more in new infrastructure spending, to juice the […]

Jones has been a critic of Trump's deal to save jobs in Indianapolis.

E-cigs are popular among high schoolers, but the government says the nicotine can hurt developing brains.

And the United States can barely get nominated.

Trump’s pick, the Oklahoma attorney general, works closely with oil and gas interests.

Plus, the impact of Trump's tweets on our economy.

The company says technology will help it deliver 700 million packages

Trump says he wants to “prime the pump” and with infrastructure spending, but what happens when you stimulate an economy that’s already stimulated? For that matter, how will an attorney general who’s spent his career fighting the EPA run it? We look into both questions, plus vaping and the Oscars for money.

A lot of U.S. manufacturers are holding back on investing in the latest technology. That’s according to a new report from the Boston Consulting Group. Companies are coming up short on investments in what’s called Industry 4.0 — an umbrella term for advanced robotics, augmented reality, big data and analytics, and other tech. This lack […]

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said pizza, unlike coffee, is a commodity. You guys weighed in.

Our interview with Johnson on Starbucks' recent tech deals, how the company is doing, and his relationship with CEO Howard Schultz.

Sears Holdings is expected to report its latest quarterly earnings before the markets open on Thursday. And expectations are low. The owner of Sears and Kmart stores has lost more than $8 billion in the last five years, as it has struggled to compete with the likes of Amazon and Wal-Mart. Sears has lost two […]

Schultz joined us to talk about Starbucks' high-end coffee pursuits, the incoming CEO, and whether he wants to get involved in politics.

Trump has chosen Oklahoma’s attorney general, Scott Pruitt, as the new director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt is a friend of the fossil fuel industry and a skeptic about human-caused climate change. We take a look at his background in Oklahoma. Plus, we’ll interview Starbucks’ outgoing CEO, Howard Schultz, about the company’s shift in power and its pursuit of the high-end coffee market.

On today’s show, we’ll talk about a new report that says U.S. manufacturing is underinvesting in technology that could increase productivity and revenue; a Wikipedia edit-a-thon to improve the visibility of women on the site; and how surveillance can change our behavior.

A post-election poll gives Trump benefit of the doubt.

Half here, half in China.

China’s Foreign Ministry today welcomed President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as the next ambassador to China. Branstad is a long-time friend of Chinese President Xi Jinping. And, as a farm-belt governor, he knows the value of agricultural trade with China, one of our top agricultural export markets. Last year, China imported […]

The latest on Trump's administrative appointments.

The internet radio pioneer will launch a subscription service in early 2017.

A federal judge's injunction put the rules on hold, but some employers have raised salaries and reclassified employees to receive overtime anyway.

A new poll found most Americans give President-elect Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt on potential conflicts of interest. Meanwhile, Trump selected a China ambassador today, and many workers are getting overtime pay even though the White House’s new rules are on hold. Plus: Silicon Valley thinks it may have a solution for the job destruction it helped create. 

In a world of streaming, video stores preserve films that will likely never make it online

Tech elites are experimenting with a basic income to subsidize those left behind.

There are five Saturdays in December this year. Why is that significant? You get an extra day for last-minute shopping. But if the holiday sales season feels extra-long this year, it’s not just because of the calendar. Stores are offering deals earlier. But is that sustainable? Click the above audio player to hear the full […]

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday on the proposed merger of AT&T and Time Warner. The deal is worth about $85 billion. President-elect Donald Trump attacked it on the campaign trail. Now his administration will likely decide its fate.  Click the above audio player to hear the full story. 

The National Park Service doesn't keep records on how many Japanese tourists come to Pearl Harbor, but visitors can take guided tours, and find Japanese-language headsets and brochures.

Working-class residents aren't sharing as the tech boom spreads to Oakland.

On today’s show, we’ll talk about the Supreme Court’s recent insider trading ruling; the European Commission’s decision to fine three banks that participated in price collusion; and a tech group that’s testing the idea for a universal basic income in Oakland, California. 

On today’s show, we’ll talk about Samsung’s victory in a Supreme Court battle against Apple over patents, and what that means for the future of design. We’ll also chat with Hadi Partovi, CEO and founder of the nonprofit Code.org, about why he thinks it’s important for kids to get the opportunity to learn code. 

A small city known for its Amish population and surveillance cameras, an old lady in Northern Ireland who watches video feeds in Brazil and getting footage from the fin of a shark.

Buy a $1.2 million condo, share the elevator with federal agents.

We explore cracks in the glass ceiling from a very long time ago.

A look at the department's economic portfolio.

Google and other tech companies are looking at how to lobby a Trump Administration.

Tensions are rising, but their futures may be inextricably linked.

The Concorde may be gone, but the dream lives on.

A look at The Atlantic's series, "Inside Jobs," interviews with people about how they make a living.

Interviews with people from very different corner offices.

We start the show with, yes, a bit about Boeing, Air Force One and governing by tweet. Plus, as tweets come out of Trump Tower, Secretary of State candidates are still filing in. We’ll talk about the economic portfolio of the nation’s top diplomat, plus our relationship with China. Plus, what 100 different jobs tell us about why we work.

What Trump's tweets tell us about his views on defense spending.

Many Washington and Idaho wheat farmers are struggling this year because of a crop problem that’s eating away the starch inside kernels.

Some Mexicans are pressing for the country to be more self-reliant, if the U.S. looks to renegotiate or even withdraw from NAFTA.

But 21st Century Cures Act is not without its critics.

Donald Trump promised big changes in America’s trade policy, and as president-elect he’s busy tweeting about it. Over the weekend, he warned that companies that move production out of the United States could face a 35 percent fine on things they sell here. But now some Republican leaders are suggesting they might not be on […]

The web retailer Amazon has just launched something sure to draw the attention of shoppers — a cashier-free grocery store. It’s called “Amazon Go,” and the big idea is that shoppers can just grab the items they want and leave. Kind of like Uber for grocery shopping. Analysts believe the concept has the potential to […]

On today’s show, we’ll discuss how the Republican leadership feels about Trump’s proposal for a 35 percent tariff; the president-elect’s relationship with corporate America; and news that Lego’s CEO has decided to step down. 

On today’s show, we’ll talk about Amazon’s new cashier-free grocery store; Uber’s purchase of Geometric Intelligence, a company with a multidisciplinary approach to artificial intelligence; and the European Commission’s reminder to companies like Facebook and Twitter that they agreed to curb hate speech on their platforms.

Out with the old, in with the unknown.

They say it's not related to what happened in Indianapolis.

A listener asks why garments of the same size may not have the same measurements, and often don't fit the same way.

President-elect Donald Trump has made many promises about what he’ll do once he’s president when it comes to trade.  He’s doubled down on some of them — for example over the weekend he tweeted that companies that move production out of the U.S. could face a 35 percent tax on the things they want to […]

Silicon Valley's advancements in technology are groundbreaking, but can displace jobs for many people.

Environmentalists hope to block new gas and oil pipelines while renewables catch up.

A new book by futurist Amy Webb explores how we can predict change when it comes to the fast-paced world of technology.

On today’s show: President-elect Trump has talked a lot about changing trade deals and tariffs, we take a look at how much a president can actually change U.S. trade policy with just the stroke of a pen.  Also, why blocking the Dakota Access pipeline is likely to remain a victory for its opponents only until the Trump administration takes office. Lastly, have you ever wondered how apparel companies decide sizes for clothing? We have answers. 

How far can a president go to keep jobs in the U.S.?

Thirty-six people have died in a warehouse fire in Oakland. Authorities say the death toll could rise significantly.

All citizens would get a set amount of money.

Donald Trump has repeatedly said the opposite. Here's why he's wrong.

Italian banks are among Europe's most fragile.

On today’s show, we’ll talk about Facebook’s expansion in Menlo Park and Palo Alto — and how it plans to deal with potentially displaced residents. We’ll also look at algorithms that are being trained to identify different kinds of audio through video footage. 

On today’s show, we’ll talk about the defeat of Italy’s referendum on constitutional reform; Austria’s new pro-European Union president; and Universal Basic Income — a policy in which all citizens would get money from the government.

Trump has just chosen retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson as his pick for Housing Secretary.