Week of April 24th, 2017

Nela Richardson from Redfin and Sudeep Reddy of Politico join us to discuss the week’s business and economic news. This week, they talk about President Trump’s tax plan. There are still a lot of questions surrounding it, but it aims to cut the corporate tax rate to 15 percent and would benefit the wealthy and corporations the […]

Local police say they won't make arrests based on legal status, but there's state and federal pressure to change that.

Government contract employees are on the losing end of a new federal contract.

Just ahead of his 100-day mark, President Trump had one of the bigger economic weeks of his young administration. This week had it all: Tax policy! Trade policy! A narrowly avoided government shutdown tied to the budget and health care! Plus, capping it all off, a lackluster GDP report. We’ll try and figure out what it all means in the Weekly Wrap. Plus: Trump just signed an executive order allowing more drilling in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans with the premise it will create jobs. But with crude at $50, is that really going to happen? Then: another visit to Erie, Pennsylvania, for our series “The Big Promise.”

“It’s every man for himself.”

How do the three branches of government run when things aren't going according to plan?

A mother and son sit down to discuss their financial anxieties.

All those selfies paid off.

Cast your vote and get reading!

Ryan McKnight believed his church needed greater transparency.

Should we be able to access academic articles without paywalls?

Activists are using technology, sometimes illegally, to promote social and political change. What kind of legal backlash do they face?

It’s been a busy past few days in the tech world, so we’re going to kick off the show by playing “Silicon Tally” — the game where were try to stump people with numbers from the week’s tech news. Our guest this Friday: Melissa Kirsch, editor in chief of Lifehacker. Afterwards, we’ll look at virtual reality’s strong presence at the annual Tribeca Film Festival, and then chat with researcher Molly Sauter about the laws governing cyber crime.

As Congress gets ready to vote on a stopgap funding bill that would prevent a government shutdown, we’ll get you up to speed on where things stand. Afterwards, we’ll talk about the country’s economic growth as President Trump approaches his 100-day milestone, and then look at how many immigrants are starting to stay home due to increased fears of deportation.

Hackers are 'the best parts of science and information sharing,' research scientist Chester Wisniewski told us. It's part of our special series.

“Did I help the cause or did I hurt the cause?” asks Hector Monsegur, otherwise known by his hacker handle Sabu.

Many Latino immigrants in Austin, Texas, are frequenting local businesses less on fears of arrest and deportation.

A few areas are caught up in a real estate boom. But the community still bears scars from 25 years ago.

Our latest Marketplace-Edison Anxiety Poll found that 18- to 24-year-olds were feeling pretty stressed about the economy. So we asked you to tell us about what was giving you anxiety, and you had a lot to say. Plus: we explore the branches of government and what happens if they fail to do what they should. Then, BuzzFeed’s Doree Shafrir talks about her new novel “Startup,” which casts a critical light on the tech world. Finally: We’re making a Marketplace Weekend playlist on Spotify! Send us your best weekend jams and we’ll add ’em.

'There just is no easy or cheap way to reduce the size of government workforce,' public policy expert says.

Creator and showrunner Bruce Miller wants you to watch the program for its heavy but hopeful themes.

The settlement amount will remain confidential.

Eighty percent of respondents to the Marketplace-Edison Research Poll say manufacturing is "very" or "somewhat" important to their local economy.

After a flurry of reports that President Trump was weighing an order to pull out of NAFTA, he now says he’d rather renegotiation. But improving the trade deal could mean exhuming Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership. Then: Republicans haven’t given up on repealing and replacing Obamacare. The latest twist is an amendment that would let states decide whether insurers can charge people with pre-existing conditions. We’ll try to game that out. Plus: Our latest Marketplace-Edison Research poll found that even though most Americans don’t have factory jobs, a lot of people agree about the primacy of manufacturing to the economy.

Instagram-friendly foods are starting a trend even Starbucks can't ignore. Is it a trend or a fad?

BuzzFeed writer Doree Shafrir explains the mostly 'macho' startup culture.

The 'No Maiz Gringo' campaign is putting pressure on Mexico's government to restrict imports of corn from the U.S.

The internet will tell.

United Airlines is rolling out a series of 10 changes to “improve customer experience” — a move that follows the forcible removal of a passenger on one of its flights. Among those changes: an offer of up to $10,000 to passengers if they give up their seat. CEO Oscar Munoz stopped by to discuss these new policies, regrets over his initial response to the dragging incident, and why the airline is still overbooking flights. Plus: a status update on reports that President Trump would withdraw the U.S. from the North American Free Trade Agreement.

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai wants to put an end to net neutrality rules, a move that shouldn’t be surprising given the position he took on the issue during the Obama era. But why? Recode’s Tony Romm is here to explain why Pai is so against these regulations. Afterwards, we’ll look at Amazon’s new Echo Look, a device that can snap photos of you and provide some fashion advice. Zeynep Tufekci, an associate sociology professor at the University of North Carolina, argues this is the latest evidence that suggests “surveillance capitalism” may take over our lives. Plus: Ryan McKnight, an ex-Mormon, talks about his website MormonLeaks — a venue for members of the Mormon Church to post information anonymously.  

CEO Oscar Munoz talks to us about what the airline did wrong and how it's moving forward.

'I don't think we represent ourselves very well,' says journalist Patrick Gavin.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai signaled a rollback of restrictions on internet service providers.

The creators of the beloved mockumentary are taking on Hollywood accounting practices in a $400 million lawsuit.

Poll respondents are cynical about Washington politicians and distrust them.

Those cuts have to be paid for, and the president may have trouble getting Republicans on board.

Plus, how to use artificial intelligence to tackle income inequality.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit that works to protect historic sites and buildings in the United States. We talked with CEO Stephanie Meeks.

The White House unveiled a one-page set of bullet points today, outlining President Trump’s long-touted tax plan. We’ll run through those points while looking at what could actually happen once lawmakers start actually fleshing things out. Then FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made a big announcement of his own on net neutrality. Molly Wood is here to make us smart. Plus: more from our Marketplace-Edison Research Poll and the controversy around the White House Correspondents’ dinner.

Why is the packaging so difficult to reuse?

Going into the Panic of 1837 the market was booming and credit was flowing from banks. Sound familiar?

'It’s just another punch in the gut,' one enrollee says.

Alphabet’s self-driving car unit, Waymo, will now expand its operations in Phoenix, Arizona — a city where Uber has also tested its autonomous vehicles. Why Phoenix? Well, it’s in a state that appears friendlier than others to self-driving technology, and there’s a growing tech scene going on there. Brian Sherman, a senior vice president at Arizona Commerce, shares what exactly his organization is doing to support innovation in the region. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Hector Monsegeur, co-founder of the hacking group LulzSec, about the value of hacktivism and whether he considers LulzSec to have been a hacktivist organization. 

President Trump has been talking about tax reform for a little while now. Well, today’s the day we’re getting a roll out of his plan. We’ll dive into the proposals we might see from the White House, which could include a call for lower corporate tax rates and a re-adjustment of the country’s income tax brackets. Afterwards, we’ll look at how previous presidents have attempted to reform the American tax system, and then explore a radical proposal in Wisconsin that may increase the state’s monthly health care premiums. 

Marketplace polling shows views differ by age, gender and party

'The Circle' imagines a worst-case scenario for the connected world.

#%*#!

Is reversing the regulation within the FCC chairman's power?

The company raised over $100 million from venture capitalists, but why?

What will Westinghouse's bankruptcy mean for its nuclear projects in the U.S.?

Most Americans feel left behind by government.

President Trump’s tax plan will either be the best thing for the economy since sliced bread (or something), or it’ll blow the deficit to kingdom come. It kinda just depends on your perspective right now. We’ll look at the arguments for the sliced bread side ahead of the president’s announcement tomorrow. Then: Did anyone expect Canada to attract Trump’s trade-policy wrath? Wilbur Ross said today there won’t be a trade war, but there’s gonna be collateral damage. Plus, we’ll talk with Dave Eggers about his book “The Circle” as the movie version heads to theaters.

We're looking at you, Gen Z.

A new Marketplace-Edison Research poll finds a persistent gender gap.

The U.S. Commerce Department has announced a new set of tariffs to raise the cost of wood produced by several Canadian lumber companies. Turns out lumber pricing has been a source of tension for decades. We’ll take a look at how much these tariffs will increase by and what this could mean for the future of NAFTA. Afterwards, we’ll discuss why not all of President Trump’s policies are sitting well with farmers. And finally, we’ll chat with former New York Times columnist Bob Herbert about his new documentary “Against All Odds,” which examines how discriminatory policies in the U.S. have made it much harder for African-American men and women to enter the middle class.

On the website Twitch, video game fans get to watch popular video game players stream footage of their game play. Now Twitch is going to allow users to make money from their own streaming. We’ll dive into reasons for the company’s move — which may include a fear of YouTube — and the pitfalls of this business model for gamers. Afterwards, as part of our “hacktivism” series, Science magazine’s John Bohannon shares the story behind the site Sci-Hub, which was created by grad student Alexandra Elbakyan after she became frustrated with the paywalls placed in front of research papers. Plus: we ask futurist Garry Golden whether flying cars are in our future. 

Discriminatory employment and housing practices have made it difficult for black men and women to enter the middle class, according to a new documentary.

In Europe, privacy laws are a 'starting point' instead of a secondary principle.

The majority of Americans give thumbs down to the president's first three months in office.

After leaving Paramount, she followed another passion — philanthropy.

The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee believes the government won't shut down Friday.

It’s a big week for the American economy. Forget that much-rumored but unlikely vote on the GOP health care plan for a minute. Let’s talk about something that’s at least somewhat in the White House’s control, kind of: Is the government going to shut down Friday night? What’s going on with tax reform? We talked with Kevin Brady, Republican congressman from Texas and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Plus, what’s ahead for net neutrality under this administration. Then: We have the latest numbers back from our Economic Anxiety survey. Turns out Americans are less anxious overall, but millennials are the big exception.

People feel like they're on the "razor's edge" when it comes to health care, says Larry Rosin of Edison Research.

Some of the latest findings from our Marketplace-Edison Research Poll highlight the prevalence of party lines.

As we approach the president's 100th day in office, Americans tell us they are less anxious about the economy. But, there's still a disconnect, according to our latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll.

There’s been a big shake-up in Europe. Two outsiders have taken the lead in France’s presidential election: Centrist Emmanuel Macron and the far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen. We’ll look at how the news has affected global markets, and what France’s election could mean for them in the coming weeks. And in news across the pond, we’ll examine the latest results from our Marketplace-Edison Research Poll, which finds that nearly three-quarters of Americans — regardless of party — feel the government in Washington has forgotten them.

Science fiction novels are getting the Hollywood treatment. Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” is coming to Netflix, while Dave Eggers’ “The Circle” will hit the big screen later this week. Amy Webb, futurist and head of the Future Today Institute, explains why we seem to be so into dystopian fiction right now. Afterwards, we’ll look at the meaning behind the word “hacktivism,” and get a brief history of the term from Chester Wisniewski, a cybersecurity researcher for Sophos.