Week of February 6th, 2017

The chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers is usually part of the cabinet, but not in Donald Trump’s White House. We’ll talk about that demotion, plus the new late-night TV war brewing under Trump. Then, as we consider a leaked border wall budget, we look at policing in both Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico. Plus, as always, we discuss the week in business news.

Republicans take aim at Medicaid, which expanded under the Affordable Care Act

A look at what it's like for members of law enforcement here and in Mexico.

Some of the things we might be talking about on our weekly Facebook Live video next week.

A look at Derek Thompson's new book 'Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction.'

This week, Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams and The Atlantic’s Gillian White go long and short on topics from the week’s news. We revisit interviews with playwright Lynn Nottage and the CEO of the vegan fast-casual chain Veggie Grill. Plus, author Derek Thompson on the science of what makes something — a song, a show, a movie — a hit. 

The post-election political climate has meant big business for 'Saturday Night Live.'

Author Beth Kobliner gives us tips on how to handle the topic.

Fearful workers are reluctant to talk to reporters, leaving that to their union.

Zenefits, a health insurance broker, is laying off 45 percent of its staff. Buzzfeed’s William Alden stopped by to explain the problems plaguing the startup, once valued at over $4.5 billion. Next, we’ll play this week’s “Silicon Tally” with Spencer Soper, an ecommerce reporter for Bloomberg News. Plus: A few days ago, we asked you to send us sounds from where you live and whether you think they should raise or lower your property value. We’ll hear what one Colorado resident had to say.

Markets are back up because of a statement from Trump reaffirming a campaign promise: tax reform. We’ll look at why something like this matters so much to the markets. Next, we’ll discuss the president’s relationship with public employee unions and then talk about the boost in Saturday Night Live’s ratings post-election.

Dan Lin says this time, there's more pressure to build a successful franchise.

Government lawyers argued that the ban was a "lawful exercise" of the president's authority.

The case looks at an alleged bribery in a $1.3 billion oil deal.

Remitly helps people send money outside the U.S., so how is the company dealing with new immigration rules?

Ahead of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit tomorrow, let’s look at our trade relationship with Japan. Then, we check in with Remitly, an app that helps immigrants send money back, to see how business is going since President Donald Trump took office. Plus, we learn how “The Lego Movie” and “The Lego Batman Movie” built the new franchise, and talk about the pressure of making everything awesome again.

Facebook will close hundreds of its virtual reality demo stations in Best Buy stores.

The simple phone call is caught up in economic, legal and prison reform battles.

A earlier migrant deal with Turkey curbed refugee inflows.

Journalist Lisa Napoli joined us to talk about the inaccuracies in Michael Keaton's "The Founder."

Another big Trump meeting: the president is set to chat with the CEOs of major U.S. airlines this morning. He’s likely to get an earful about the feud between American airlines and those based in the Gulf. Whose side will Trump take? Next, we’ll look at plans for another pipeline protest — this time in Pennsylvania — and then talk about a deal between the European Union and Libya over the flow of migrants.

Turns out elections in France also have to deal with issues over fake news. Mark Deen, deputy bureau chief in Bloomberg’s Paris bureau, joins us to talk about how Google and Facebook are trying to stop the spread of these stories. Next, we’ll discuss how computer vision works, and then look at what smartwatches have in common with the Austin Powers movies. 

Changing its business model helped Great Lakes Towing survive and expand.

Though jobs have fallen to their lowest level in 118 years, there is hope that coal production will come back.

Philip Anschutz and Warren Buffett, two of America’s richest moguls, see a greener future for the electric grid.

We’re starting off today with something the president reportedly did at 3 in the morning, and something else he did at 11 in the morning. Welcome to the American economy in 2017. First up, President Donald Trump reportedly called up his national security adviser to ask if a strong or weak dollar was better for the U.S. It’s a good question! And a complicated one. Next, we’ll look at the president’s Twitter feud with Nordstrom and where ethics rules come into play. Plus, a look at Kentucky coal and Great Lakes shipping.

For the Ngalamulume family, the vetting process was difficult. But now two brothers are taking advantage of opportunities their parents never had.

They have more in common than you might think, despite the distance between them.

The company has more than 25 percent of the U.S. tequila market.

There's real value for Americans in importing students from abroad.

The network now faces competition from the likes of Amazon and Netflix.

Workers at the Escondida mine in Chile are set to strike on Thursday, causing copper prices to jump. We’ll explore the conditions that led to their decision. Next, we’ll talk about Jose Cuervo’s plans to go public amid uncertain U.S.-Mexico relations. Finally, we’ll look at the impacts of Trump’s new border policies on international students. 

Ajit Pai has made some fast moves in just his first two weeks as FCC chairman. CNET Editor in Chief Lindsey Turrentine breaks down how they’ll affect you, the user. Afterwards, we’ll look at the growing partnership between two tech-forward communities — Brooklyn, New York and Berlin, Germany. And finally, we’ll discuss YouTube’s decision to roll out mobile live video streaming, 

The president would have more white males on his staff than Obama, George W. Bush and Clinton.

A survey found that reading online posts and talking with co-workers is eating up a lot of time.

The Hardee's and Carl's Jr. CEO reportedly paid back taxes after his nomination.

Despite President Donald Trump's order, rolling back the more-established rules won't be easy.

Employers and educators join forces to build a new pipeline of skilled workers.

Kai and Molly talk with author Tim Wu about net neutrality and his new book "The Attention Merchants."

While President Donald Trump’s travel ban is in court this afternoon, Republican senators put forward another immigration proposal to cut the number of immigrant visas in half over a decade. We’ll look at what that reduction in unskilled immigrant workers will do to the economy. Then: Manufacturing is alive and well in Reading, Pennsylvania, but employers say they can’t find enough skilled workers. Plus, we’ll look at GM’s earnings and Trump’s one-reg-in-two-regs-out executive order.

The cities connect to boost innovation and their emerging tech startup scenes.

Jose Quiñonez, head of the Mission Asset Fund, says hope for an economic turnaround is also helping 'forgotten' Americans survive.

The donations will go to a homelessness outreach initiative run by local nonprofits.

It's unclear if the USDA's removal is permanent.

You’ve likely heard of the big companies — like Facebook and Netflix — that are pushing back against the president’s immigration ban. But Trump’s new policy is affecting startups, too. The CEO of FundersClub, a company that brings together investors and startups, joined us to talk about how tech workers are reacting to his order. Next, we’ll take a look at a system from MIT researchers that can teach an algorithm to recognize whether a conversation was successful. Finally, we’ll look at Vizio’s $2.2 million fine from the Federal Trade Commission over installing software on millions of TVs without consumers’ consent.

Jobs in the solar industry have grown by at least 20 percent in the U.S. for the fourth-straight year. We’ll talk about why there’s been growth in this sector. Next, we’ll look at the USDA’s decision to remove animal welfare reports and enforcement records from its websites. And finally, we’ll chat with Mission Asset Fund founder Jose Quinonez about the effects of Trump’s border policies.

Silicon Valley can use the amicus brief to tell the White House exactly how the policy hurts.

About 200 people are killed at track crossings each year.

In Los Angeles, the owners of The Pie Hole are waiting to find out about the president's plans for small businesses.

Six in 10 Americans aren't on track with their savings.

Nearly 100 tech companies, including giants like Apple, Facebook, Google and Netflix, filed a legal brief Sunday challenging President Donald Trump’s travel ban. We’ll look at what that brief can do and how much of it is symbolic. Plus, it’s no secret that Trump watches a lot of cable news, and advertisers are catching on. Then, we’ll look at two very different crises in this country: a lack of retirement savings and missing railroad crossings on GPS.

The Watson computer knows.

Your kids might not be playing the game the safest way.

Nearly 100 tech companies, including Google and Amazon, have filed a legal brief against Trump’s immigration ban. We’ll look at why the tech industry has rallied against the president’s executive order and what legal steps are next. Afterwards, we’ll look at what a trade war with Mexico could mean for U.S. poultry producers. Finally, we’ll chat with author Sarah van Gelder about the economic innovations she encountered traveling across the U.S.

One journalist trekked 12,000 miles across the U.S. to find out how people are coming up with innovative solutions to economic challenges.

To stoke conversations about privacy and data, Mozilla of Firefox fame has partnered with a nonprofit to create an exhibition called “The Glass Room.” We’ll tour the exhibit, which includes a scale model of Mark Zuckerberg’s $40 million real estate in Palo Alto; bound books filled with millions of pilfered LinkedIn user passwords; and a pair of fake Yeezys purchased by an online bot. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Saron Yitbarek — the founder of the programming community CodeNewbie — about what we get in exchange for giving up our personal data.