Week of April 10th, 2017

Parents who do not destroy the doll could face two years in jail and a fine of $26,500

You guys have, um, a lot of complaints.

Economists are puzzled by a drop in mobility in the labor market.

But like all movies, good word of the mouth is the best marketing of all.

Tensions can't escalate, says Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute.

Which begs the question: Did he know what he was talking about during the campaign?

We’re diving into the airline industry this week with analyst Henry Harteveldt, and we hear from a flight attendant about what it’s like working with travelers every day. The Los Angeles Times’ Natalie Kitroeff and The Atlantic’s Gillian White go long and short, plus Matt Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center, weighs in on the U.S. relationship with Russia. 

Would you risk a $2,500 fine for a seasonal treat?

The economic policy of the United States today is substantially different than it was at the start of the week. President Trump has flipped on a bunch of stuff, and that’s a big deal. Has his “thinking evolved,” as politicians so often say? Or did he, um, just not know what he was talking about during the campaign? We’ll talk about it in the Weekly Wrap. Then: Americans are moving for work a lot less than they used to, and it’s not clear why. Plus, “Fate of the Furious” will probably dominate the box office this weekend, but it’s also Easter, so we’re going to look into the economics of faith-based films.

There's been a decline over the past 30 years.

It’s the final day of David Brancaccio’s road trip across the Midwest in search of robot-proof jobs. One occupation that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon? CEO. He’s talking to experts who say we could see more and more of them with the rise of entrepreneurialism. Afterwards, we’ll discuss the struggles that U.K. manufacturing companies face when it comes to recruiting workers, and then look at Wal-Mart’s latest discount offering in an attempt to compete with Amazon.

It’s tax season, which means someone might try to rip you off soon. Rick Holland, vice president of strategy at Digital Shadows, joins us to talk about how hackers are targeting people and how the IRS is doing with anti-fraud efforts. Afterwards, we’ll play this week’s Silicon Tally with our very own David Brancaccio, who recently launched a new series called “Robot-Proof Jobs.”

The second episode of a special three-part podcast series on automation and the economy.

Here's what you had to say about George Lakoff and "your brain on Trump."

At Three Weavers in California, Lynne Weaver and Alexandra Nowell are bucking the trend.

The economy is a hot mess and allegiances are shifting.

Even doctors can't afford San Francisco.

Noticed something different about President Trump these past couple days? He’s reversing his positions on some key economic issues. We’ll look at what might be the cause and the implications for the broader economy. Plus, Republicans and Democrats are testing the limits of how far outside money can take them in the race to replace HHS Secretary Tom Price. Cash is pouring into the Atlanta suburbs. Then, we take a break from the news to do a small business story at one of Kai’s favorite types of businesses: A craft brewery.

Opponents say small, rural airports and towns would be hurt economically.

Republicans and Democrats are testing how far outside money goes in the Trump era.

Trump said he wants Democrats to negotiate on health care.

Trump refrains from calling China a currency manipulator.

Samsung’s newest phone, the Galaxy S8, will arrive in U.S. stores next week. But something will be missing: its voice-activated personal assistant Bixby. Ambrish Srivastava, an analyst for BMO, joins us to discuss if Samsung has cause to worry. Afterwards, we’ll hear from Sarah Kunst, the CEO of the fitness app and sports media site Proday, about the NBA’s decision to start tracking players’ stats. And finally, we’ll look at yet another high-profile departure from Uber: the exit of Rachel Whestone, the company’s head of communications.  

We continue our “Robot-Proof Job” series today with a look at one profession that can’t easily be replaced by machines: occupational therapist, a job built on relating to people and solving creative problems. Marketplace’s David Brancaccio visits Illinois to chat with an occupational therapist about the skills that her line of work requires. Afterwards, on the heels of JPMorgan Chase’s earnings report release, we’ll talk about why bank lending growth has stalled.

On a day when President Trump reversed his stance on China’s currency, Fed Chair Janet Yellen, NATO, the debt and a federal hiring freeze, we’re looking to comments from White House budget director Mick Mulvaney to clear up this White House’s economic policy. Then: malls are struggling, but outlet malls are thriving. Why? Plus, with all those vacancies in Trump’s executive branch, who’s actually running the government?

Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal talks about her new book and the danger of all-or-nothing politics.

The Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget head talks about the federal debt, infrastructure costs and lifting the hiring freeze.

There's a lot we don't know about these staffers' roles, says ProPublica's Justin Elliott.

States lured away business from Los Angeles with deals for producers. But some shows are coming back.

In the past five years, sales at the shopping centers have doubled to about $50 billion.

The federal hiring freeze may be ending, but there's a big stipulation attached.

After visiting Pennsylvania and Ohio, Marketplace’s David Brancaccio is now in Michigan as part of our “Robot-Proof Jobs” series. There, he’ll explore how vulnerable teaching jobs are to automation. Afterwards, we’ll look at President Trump’s decision to end the freeze on federal hiring — with a caveat. The Trump administration wants federal agencies to create plans that minimize employment with “surgical” cuts to staff.

President Obama’s FCC had introduced a proposal that would get rid of in-flight cellphone bans. Now the new FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, is striking that plan down, stating that there are Americans who “value a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet.” The Washington Post’s Brian Fung joins us to talk about the controversy and the niche business of in-flight Wi-Fi service. Afterwards, we’ll look at Projekt Red’s attempt to trademark the name of its video game Cyberpunk 2077 — a move that has angered gamers who don’t like the idea of companies trademarking a subgenre of science fiction. We’ll chat with Stanford law professor Mark Lemley about the meaning of cyberpunk and how trademark law works. 

The new secretary of state and administration are finding out 'how hard the world is to bend to your will,' writer says.

A listener asks whether we can compare the median family income in 1980 to the present, since more women are in the workforce.

Was there a better way to handle the situation? Yes, there was. And airlines do it all the time.

Professor George Lakoff explains how political language activates your belief systems, whether you know it or not.

Both President Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan have promised tax is next on their agendas, but the schedule is pretty flexible. We’ll talk about what that could look like, plus the latest from United and Toshiba, and Rex Tillerson’s rocky road from oil exec to top diplomat. Plus, we do the numbers on how family income changed as more women entered the workforce. 

Eagleville, a one-stoplight town is seeing its first major development in about a decade.

Linking infrastructure to tax reform could draw more votes, says Jason Furman of the Peterson Institute.

American ranchers are anxious to export to the growing Chinese middle class.

Problems with Wells Fargo's sales culture dates back at least 15 years, according to a recent investigation.

One of the world’s most-wanted hackers, a Russian man named Pyotr Levashov, was arrested by authorities in Barcelona, Spain. He’s now been implicated in Russia’s interference with the U.S. presidential election. Dustin Voltz of Reuters joins us to give more background about Levashov and how he got brought in. Afterwards, we’ll look at the social contracts that exist between consumers and big tech companies, and then look at Minecraft’s decision to launch its own marketplace: a place where users can buy and sell in-game creations.

The White House is putting trade front-and-center of its jobs policy, but when it comes to issues the American workforce faces, technology may be the bigger challenge. As part of our “Robot-Proof Jobs” series, Marketplace’s David Brancaccio visits Oberlin, Ohio today to meet up with a composer — an occupation that the data suggest is immune to the forces of automation. Afterwards, we’ll look at the future of Toshiba, which has reported a loss approaching $5 billion in the last nine months of 2016.   

Robotics work is a good bet, if you can get it.

… But we are going to talk about the PR nightmare hitting United today, after videos of a passenger being forcibly removed from an overbooked flight went viral, and get to the bottom of why airlines sell too many seats in the first place. Plus, we’ll look at the slew of foreign carmakers reinvesting in American factories just as Washington contemplates tax reform. Then: Five years ago, our own David Brancaccio drove across the country without talking to a single human being. It was for a series all about how robots are taking jobs. This year, he hit the road again to figure out which jobs are “robot-proof,” and they’re not the ones you think.

Now what? Neither Obamacare advocates or critics like the uncertainty as Washington grapples with the issue.

The airline is handling a first-class PR problem, but will it change?

It’s Hannah Palin’s job to keep old films from decaying on the shelf.

Email suggests the head of the EPA ignored staff objections to a measure that could restrict the agency's ability to use the best science

Automation may be killing our jobs faster than you think. What’s a human to do?

It’s part of an outreach and education program that Sesame Workshop has launched with researchers and autism advocates.

The BBC has obtained a secret recording that links the bank to Libor rigging.

Consumers can get information to help them determine if they are at risk of developing Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

We keep talking about the threat that globalization poses to American jobs. But much of the competition for jobs comes from inside our borders, with robots, artificial intelligence and algorithms increasingly entering the workforce. As part of a new series, we’ll hear from Marketplace’s David Brancaccio about his road trip across the Midwest in search of “robot-proof” jobs. Next, we’ll look at the FDA’s decision to allow the company 23andMe to sell home genetics tests for diseases, and then talk about some of the economic concessions China is planning to make to the U.S. following their meeting last week.

Amid Silicon Valley’s rising rent prices, a company called Zapier is offering residents a $10,000 incentive to get out. CEO Wade Foster joined us to talk about how effective Zapier’s experiment has been in recruiting new hires. Afterwards, we’ll explore the English-speaking bias of voice-controlled software, like Siri, with Backchannel’s Sonia Paul. 

The first episode of a special three-part podcast series on automation and the economy.