Week of March 20th, 2017

Its latest smartphone is connected to the 10-year-old campaign aimed at fighting AIDS, but the color choice might not just be about charity.

A geologist says mangroves remain soaked in oil from a 2008 pipeline spill.

Economist Marc Melitz says there are common misunderstandings about NAFTA.

Leigh Gallagher of Fortune and Sudeep Reddy of Politico join us to discuss the week’s business and economic news. This week, they talk about the GOP’s health care bill falling apart and what comes next now that President Donald Trump shifts focus on tax reform.   

A lawsuit alleges that Eatsa kiosks aren't accessible to the visually impaired. Company founders say it isn't true.

We have questions about the past, present and future this week. What if NAFTA never existed? What if you could edit your genes? What if you could visit the world’s best museums without leaving your couch? Plus, Bloomberg’s Joe Weisenthal and Marketptlace’s Kimberly Adams go long and short on topics from the week’s news, and the BBC’s Rebecca Jones discusses Laura Mvula’s new score for “Antony and Cleopatra.” 

The remake is smashing box-office records, but it started as something very different.

The identity of your vehicle would be best described as a multicultural collaboration.

Well then. Seven years and one day after the Affordable Care Act became law, after more than 50 votes to repeal and one tense, go-for-broke replacement attempt under President Donald Trump, Republicans backed off their health care plan. We’ll leave the political post-mortems to others, and instead just focus on the economy and tax reform, which the GOP says is next on their agenda. Plus, we have a double-dose of Disney stories (one in the boardroom, another at the theater) and the thrilling conclusion of our NAFTA series.

They spill on everything you need to know about the celebrities you don't.

Hand Drawn Records in Texas wants to press a million records this year on its new machines.

The federal tech workforce is graying, but the clunky hiring process and lower salaries are a turn off to younger workers.

Wells Fargo is going to start letting customers withdraw money from ATMs using their smartphones, no debit card required. We’ll chat with the Tiffany Rad, the CEO and founder of the security firm Anatrope, about whether this method of transaction is actually safe. Afterwards, we’ll play this week’s Silicon Tally with Vanity Fair’s Maya Kosoff, and then look at the Senate’s decision to scrap various user privacy rules for Internet Service Providers. 

The Senate has voted to put a stop to rules from the Obama administration that would prevent internet providers like Comcast and Verizon from selling your browsing data. We’ll look at how these regulations were supposed to protect your privacy. Next, we’ll talk about Wells Fargo’s decision to allow customers to withdraw money from ATMs using their phones, and then explore the federal government’s difficult recruiting young tech workers.

Many of the caregivers in nursing homes can't afford health insurance, Martha Rast says.

The tech industry is 'awful' to women, journalist and author Liza Mundy says.

But that's not attracting native-born American laborers to the fields yet, L.A. Times reporter says.

U.S. manufacturing jobs would still be lost to technology and China, economists say.

His living arrangement with the First Lady is costly too. Are taxpayers on the hook for all of it?

Homeland Security is facing a slew of recruiting challenges, including a high rate of polygraph failure, pay parity and a lack of morale, according to employee representatives.

So, no vote on the big GOP health care bill today. There might be one tomorrow, depending on whether you listen to the White House or to Republican leaders in Congress. The latest carrot they’re using to win votes is scrapping an Obamacare provision that standardized insurance policies. We’ll talk about “health care a la carte.” Plus, a NAFTA thought experiment and the latest in our My Economy series.

There's an alarming increase in suicides among less-educated Americans, the Brookings Institution reports.

If more people lose insurance, hospitals will lose millions of dollars.

The system is expensive and complicated.

The physical sports world is now trying to capitalize on the digital sports world. We’ll look at the NBA’s plan to launch eLeague, a group that’ll feature top-notch video gamers who compete against one another. Afterwards, we’ll chat with author Luke Dormehl about the history and future of artificial intelligence.

The House is expected to vote tonight on the GOP’s health care bill. But opposition is coming from all corners — including hospitals. We’ll look at why executives are against the measure. Next, we’ll explore the complicated H-1B visa program, and the frustrations business owners have with how it selects recipients.

It's hard to assess the trade deal's impact. But that doesn't stop anyone from trying.

Erie's population is declining, and it's relying on immigrants for growth, and the immigrants are relying on each other.

Virtually all tequila in this country comes from Mexico.

We’ve been talking a lot about NAFTA this week, but let’s get down to brass tacks:  What did the North American Free Trade Agreement do? President Donald Trump (not to mention Sen. Bernie Sanders) made NAFTA as a favorite target during the presidential campaign. They’ll both tell you it was a “disaster” for the U.S. economy, that it cost the United States hundreds of thousands of jobs. The reality is not nearly as dramatic or tidy a story. Then, we’ll look at how negotiating NAFTA could affect your happy hour. Plus, the latest on Sears’ financial woes and more from our series in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The program allows employers to hire skilled foreign workers through a lottery system. The next step can take years.

This week on Corner Office, we've pulled an interview with the fashion icon from the archives.

Guess how the U.S. economy has changed since the trade agreement was established.

Paul Manafort secretly worked for a billionaire to advance the interests of the Russian president.

Stock index futures are down again this morning. What could be giving investors pause? Economist Jeffrey Cleveland from Payden and Rygel stopped by to explain the economic data that shows how optimistic Americans are really feeling. Next, we’ll explore the tough market for reused water, and then report on the difficulties foreign men and women have in trying to obtain H-1B visas. 

Ads on YouTube have been running next to videos with content that could be defined as hate speech. After receiving complaints from advertisers, the site is now changing its policies. We’ll take a look at the new settings YouTube will provide companies with to avoid the issue in the future. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Joel Spolsky, the CEO of Stack Overflow, about why some developers feel underpaid and the skills required to succeed in the profession.    

The U.S. produce became cheap and plentiful in Mexico, hurting millions of farmers and leading some to cross the border.

Smartphones will be the only devices allowed on the plane on certain flights.

LIBOR is the interest rate that sets other interest rates. 'The Spider Network' tells how a British banker nudged it to make a lot of money.

Alyssa Mastromonaco tells us about life in the Obama White House and her new book "Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?"

It’s NAFTA week here, so today we’re heading to the Midwest. The trade deal opened up the Mexican market to American farmers, who enjoyed billions in exports. But Mexican farmers couldn’t compete, and many of them immigrated to the U.S. illegally after going out of business. Then: We’ll talk with the American and Canadian architects of NAFTA about how they negotiated the agreement in the first place. Plus, we’ll unpack the latest travel restriction’s impact on business travelers and look ahead to the House’s big health care vote.

Carla Hills of the U.S. and Michael Wilson of Canada helped broker what Hills calls the 'premier trade agreement for its time.'

A vote on the amendments is expected Thursday.

Are virtual exhibits close to replacing real life ones?

Students protest the school's decision, but the careful language may keep it from losing state funding.

African citizens who were trying to attend an economic development conference in California were recently denied U.S. visas. We’ll look at the possible reason behind the denial and its consequences. Next, we’ll explore a new study that says the percentage of people dying at a hospital drops when inspectors show up, and then discuss the rise of virtual reality exhibits at museums. 

FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers sat in front of the House Select Intelligence Committee this week for a hearing on Russia’s interference in last year’s presidential election. Patrick Tucker, tech editor for Defense One, joins us to talk about the role of technology in the hacking scandal. Afterwards, we’ll look at how the Nintendo Switch console is performing on the market and what its release says about the larger video game business.    

Uber's new president is leaving. He joins former leaders at Reddit, Yahoo, Twitter and others who served abbreviated terms.

Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal explains the history of the North American Free Trade Agreement. 

The uber-rich ride-hailing company is in the middle of a perfect storm that's been brewing for years.

The U.S. resists anti-protectionism agreement.

Your blue jeans and the price you paid for them has a lot to do with the North American Free Trade Agreement.

It must be 'aesthetically pleasing.'

We’re kicking off a new series today, explaining the North American Free Trade Agreement and what could happen if President Donald Trump renegotiates it. To start off, we have to talk about your pants. Where they were made and what you paid for them are essential to understanding how NAFTA works. Then, we’ll talk with Jaime Serra, one of the agreement’s architects in Mexico. Plus, the latest on Brexit negotiations and Uber’s scandal-filled year. 

Jaime Serra was part of a trio that put the deal together. And he doesn't take the president's critiques personally.

'Support the Girls' encourages donations of products women need, like feminine hygiene supplies and bras.

The bank is making a risky bet on something far from its comfort zone.

Anne-Marie Slaughter says that diplomacy isn't just taking place in oak-paneled rooms anymore.

All iPhone users will soon be able to access Amazon’s voice assistant software through the main iPhone app. We’ll look at how the tool functions and the strategy behind Amazon’s decision to enable this feature. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Annie-Marie Slaughter about the changing nature of diplomacy in the digital age.  

The world’s top finance leaders met in Germany this weekend for the latest G20 summit, with signs indicating that the U.S. is backing away from globalization. Stephan Richter, editor in chief of the Globalist, joins us to discuss what went down at the meeting. Next, we’ll talk about why early advocates of AZT, the first treatment for HIV/AIDs, began lamenting its rapid approval. And finally, we’ll look at Goldman Sachs’ new online platform, Marcus, for providing small loans.