Week of May 15th, 2017

Teens are spending hundreds of dollars on the 'promposal' alone.

It's about the big expenses, not the small ones.

It's expensive for families as well as taxpayers.

There's an emotional and financial cost when a family member is incarcerated.

And explain why oysters are the key to fortune.

Sometimes, you just have to get through it, says Mary Mann, author of "Yawn: Adventures in Boredom."

What to expect from upfronts season? More of the same.

We're in 'tent pole city now' says New York Times culture critic Wesley Morris.

Rachel Abrams of the New York Times and Sudeep Reddy of Politico join us to discuss the week’s business and economic news. This week, they talk about how the latest revelations from the White House will affect Donald Trump’s economic agenda ahead of his trip to Saudi Arabia. Plus, with the controversies surrounding Trump and former […]

The campaign against Ringling Bros. is over. Now activists have more energy to take on Hollywood.

"I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created."

Betting on the economy's big and small changes

What’s it cost to send someone to prison? We asked University of California Irvine professor Charis Kubrin and talked with a woman about her experience with the criminal justice system after her brother was given a life sentence. Then, the Atlantic’s Gillian White and the Los Angeles Times’ Natalie Kitroeff look ahead to upcoming news in Long and Short. Plus, the band Phoenix takes the Marketplace Quiz.

Honestly, what’s there to say at this point? There was even more news related to President Trump, Russia and ousted FBI Director James Comey this afternoon, to cap off a relentless week of compounding scoops and scandals. We’ll do our best to figure out the economic effects of it all during the Weekly Wrap. Then: Trump was on his way to Saudi Arabia this week, the first stop in a nine-day trip abroad. He’ll be bringing with him a $100 billion deal with the Saudis to buy American planes, ships and munitions, and they’re not the only ones. We’ll talk about the delicate balance between arms deals and diplomacy. Plus: Uber for trucks and the lay of the land for this summer’s movie season with The New York Times’ Wesley Morris.

They could try to win the loyalty of business customers.

They expect more publicity than sales of toasted grasshoppers or a patty melt on a funnel cake bun.

Similar tactics to hide money are taking place in states like Delaware.

Google and Apple are making their own chips, a move that could have long-ranging effects on smaller chip-focused firms like Nvidia and Imagination Technologies. We’ll take a look at why these two tech giants are dipping their toes in this area, and then play this week’s Silicon Tally with the Financial Times’ San Francisco correspondent Hannah Kuchler. 

President Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia today, a trip that’ll include a number of American CEOs. The reason they’re tagging along: there are deals to be made. On today’s show, we’ll take a look at the state of trade between the Gulf kingdom and the U.S. Afterwards, we’ll explore the meal-kit war between startups like Blue Apron and major supermarkets like Kroger. Plus: Author Laurence Cockcroft explains rising corruption in the West and how the Trump administration is trying to roll back rules aimed at combating the issue.

The smart cans are meant to save time and money, but some trash collectors are skeptical.

It's time to take away the 'distracting toys and get back to work,' says Lisa Goldenberg of the Delaware Steel Co.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin believes a GDP of 3 percent is achievable and cutting regulations is one way to get there.

So, what next?

Gabriel Sherman of New York Magazine says Fox News trying to find its identity.

On the eve of his first trip abroad since taking office, President Trump took the first formal steps of renegotiating NAFTA. But is it the right time? And what will the U.S. get out of it? That’s what we’re talking about today before turning to Saudi Arabia. It’s Trump’s first stop on a whirlwind nine-day trip, and he’s bringing a lot of CEOs with him. Plus: Roger Ailes, the founder and former CEO of Fox News, died today at 77. Ailes was, according to more than a dozen women, a serial sexual harasser who enabled others to do the same. But he was also a man who changed the United States and propelled Trump to the White House. We’ll talk with Ailes biographer Gabriel Sherman. Plus: We covered stocks and currency under Trump already this week. So why not try to predict the future and complete the trifecta with a look at the bond market?

Ailes was a former GOP operative to candidates including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

'Uncertainty means that you can’t hire people or you can’t start a new project,' one researcher says.

Networks and cable channels are selling a 'safer' medium to advertisers at the upfronts.

Word is that your phone may soon be able to identify items it’s pointed at thanks to Google Lens. On today’s show, we’ll look at the latest updates coming out of Google’s I/O developers conference with Farhad Manjoo, a tech columnist for the New York Times. Plus: 60dB co-founder Steve Henn talks about the ways we can combat “filter bubble” — the idea that the internet keeps you in the dark about opinions you disagree with.

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. On today’s show, we’ll look at news that the European Union is fining the social media giant $122 million following its purchase of the messaging service WhatsApp back in 2014. This marks the first time a company has been penalized by the European Commission’s merger regulation law. There are also reports that the company has mischarged advertisers for the 10th time in less than a year. Marketplace’s Molly Wood explains how this incident illustrates the uncertainties in digital advertising — and how television advertisers might use this to their advantage. Plus: We discuss whether it’s a good or bad thing that Americans are borrowing at record levels. 

Individuals are bearing the risk of the economy, 'Financial Diaries' authors say.

David Mitchell's advocacy group aims to bring down prescription prices by harnessing the power of patient stories.

Despite low network television ratings, advertisers will spend big money this year.

The deal between the government and guerrillas is expensive and challenging.

Leaving aside some late-breaking special (counsel) announcements, stocks seemed pretty immune to the chaos in Washington until today. But the dollar? Different story; it’s at a seven month low, in fact. That’s not to say currency traders are more on the ball than the folks in equities but… if the shoe fits? We’ll talk about it, and today’s big sell-off. Then: TV upfronts are wrapping up this week. All the networks are showing off their fall schedules which look… a lot like stuff we’ve seen before. Finally, we follow a cancer patient who’s devoting his life to making drugs more affordable.

US and European officials are meeting to discuss the possible action.

The celebration, like a small wedding, takes months to plan and can cost a few thousand dollars.

So far, the state has upgraded more than half of its 130 sites to federal standards. Enabling screen readers is one improvement.

The Windy City is becoming one of the top tech destinations in the U.S.

Google’s developers conference I/O kicks off in San Francisco today, and while many of the announcements are geared toward, well, developers, they can provide hints about what consumers can expect down the line. Some stuff it looks like we’ll be getting: a new Android operating system and hands-free mobile payments. Plus, we’ll explore Chicago’s growing prominence as a tech hub and one food startup that’s found a home there: the meal-delivery service Tovala.

Amid news that ISIS may have devised ways to conceal bombs in laptops, U.S. and European officials are meeting Brussels today to discuss a laptop ban from some airports. We’ll take a look at the ways this new policy could impact passengers. Afterwards, we’ll examine a new law in New York aimed at protecting freelancer pay, and then discuss effort in Georgia to improve website accessibility for disabled men and women.

Maybe the cutest government infrastructure project.

Hackers are holding up businesses for ransom. To pay or not to pay? That is the question.

'The reality is that the sides are a long way apart,' says David Horovitz, editor of The Times of Israel.

Brick-and-mortar stores are plagued by closures and job loss post-election.

The agency still needs letter carriers, but the benefits aren't what they used to be.

It is must-see media consolidation.

In the past week, the president of the United States shared highly classified information with the Russians after he fired the director of the FBI. That whole affair was still roiling as we taped this show. Before that, Congress pulled a major piece of legislation affecting almost 20 percent of the American economy off the House floor before a vote, then passed it by the thinnest of margins. In different times, all this chaos would have spooked traders, shaken up markets and maybe Washington in the process. So it’s worth hitting pause and asking: What did the markets know? And when did they know it? Then: What you need to know about Ford’s plan to cut 10 percent of its global workforce, and the U.S. Postal Service’s bid for millennials. Plus, as the WannaCry cyberattack fades, a new story is emerging: Hollywood films held by hackers for ransom. What would it take for studios to pay up? Should they?

Amazon has agreed to collect sales tax on all its transactions. Now states are targeting all other online retailers.

For live-event outlets like ESPN and news channels, this data is critical.

Ford could lay off about 10 percent of its workforce worldwide, most of whom may be salaried workers. On today’s show, we’ll discuss one of the issues the company is grappling with: its investment in the future, a move that comes at the expense of high costs in the present. Afterwards, we’ll look at a new Trump administration policy that will deny funding to foreign nongovernmental organizations that promote abortion, and then explore how ESPN will try to use its out-of-home audience numbers to court advertisers. 

By now, you’ve likely heard about the malicious ransomware that spread like wildfire across computer networks using Microsoft’s products. Matthew Green, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, joins us to talk about how users can keep safe and the primary motive behind the hacker(s) actions. Plus: Imraan Ismail, co-creator of the new virtual reality film “The Protectors,” on why the medium hasn’t become all that common yet. 

The evolution of the Strip's architecture reflects how U.S. leisure trends have changed in the last several decades.

Why is it that rental car companies don't penalize customers for flaking at the last minute?

As a PhD student, David Kuhns found an "internship" that matched his skills.

We're looking for your stories of prom, "promposals" and prom prices.

Restaurant owners in Nashville have a lot of competition these days, and that's good news for workers.

Here’s the thing about WannaCry, the ransomware attack much of the planet was dealing with today: it’s been remarkably unprofitable for the perpetrators. Hackers asked for as much as $300 worth of bitcoin per infected user, and they’ve only netted about $55,000 for their efforts. Why use bitcoin as ransom payments? We’ll talk about it. Then: 2017 is gonna be written about in the history books for a whole lotta reasons, one of which might be as a tipping point in the global economy. Following China’s big infrastructure summit we’ll sort through the state of negotiations around the world. Plus: why it’s a good time to be a restaurant worker in Nashville. 

The story of one U.S. gym chain illustrates the perils of this type of bankruptcy for consumers.

GM is launching a new service called Maven, which will allow drivers to rent cars by the hour. We’ll discuss how Maven is different from the competition and GM’s future in the self-driving landscape. Afterwards, we’ll look at President Trump’s decision to sign an executive order asking government branches to report on their security challenges — a move that coincided with a global ransomware attack. 

Countries around the world, including Russia and China, have been hit by a cyberattack that erupted on Friday. We’ll look at how it’s affected some businesses, and the demands that were put forth by the ransomware. Plus: a look at the differences between Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcies. 

The ransomware known as WannaCry has affected individuals and companies worldwide. Could it have been prevented?