Week of July 31st, 2017

A roundup of this week's business and economic news.

Today’s jobs report was good, really good. But as with almost all things economic, it wasn’t all sunshine. We’ll talk about why, and recap the rest of the week’s news. Then: Toyota and Mazda said today they’re going to build a $1.6 billion plant in the U.S. in the next couple of years. The news comes amid seven straight months of falling sales for the Big Three American auto companies. Plus: New Yorkers produce a lot of garbage, which is only natural in a city of 8.5 million people. But what’s not so natural is the city’s recycling rate: around 17 percent.

Each state has its own energy sources to power EVs, making the impact different depending where you are.

This isn't the first time the White House has tweeted prematurely about a jobs report.

“They blame me for capitalism,” said Martin Shkreli.

A city plan to increase recycling and food composting is in the works.

We’ve covered a lot of important stories over the past year. This weekend, we’re revisiting some of our favorites. We look back at the key to sonic branding, wedding gift etiquette and the home health aide shortage. Plus, stories about how special investigations work, and a Marketplace Quiz with Eric Andre.

Social media companies are struggling — trying to walk a fine line between cracking down on propaganda from terrorist organizations like ISIS, which are sophisticated at using social media, without trampling free speech.

Make Me Smart listeners debate and defend both ride-sharing and taxis.

However, wage growth remains slow.

U.S. Virgin Islands faces lawsuit over a $25 a day fee to shore up its $2 billion bond debt.

The search for that one great undervalued company is becoming less common.

The government is releasing the July jobs report this morning, and economists expect to see about 180,000 more people on payrolls. We’ll take a look a look at how the labor market is giving a boost to demographic groups that may have had trouble finding work in the past. Afterwards, we’ll look at Amazon’s plans to apply a hassle-free returns policy to all items purchased on the website, and then chat with Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig about the decline of individual stock picking.

U.K.-based hacker Marcus Hutchins has been hailed in the hacking community for inadvertently undermining the massive Wannacry malware. But on his way out of Nevada where two hacker gatherings were taking place, he was arrested for allegedly creating a banking malware called Kronos. Motherboard journalist Joseph Cox joined us to explain the details of the arrest and what the malware actually did. Afterwards, we’ll play this week’s Silicon Tally with Lauren Goode, co-host of the podcast Too Embarrassed to Ask and a senior editor at The Verge.

The senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says lawmakers have to compromise to make it happen.

Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain show signs of economic recovery.

The tight labor market is making it harder to hire without raising pay significantly.

Postville's recovery has been slow after hundreds of workers were arrested and virtually disappeared over night.

Fewer new lawyers are getting the experience they need in arguing a case before a judge and jury.

President Trump has thrown his weight behind a bill that would fundamentally change American immigration policy. It would make immigration skills-based and cut in half the number of people legally allowed to come here. Put another way, it’s a bill that would make the labor force smaller in an economy already pretty near full employment. We’ll talk about it, then look at wages: The tight labor market is making it harder to hire without (finally) raising pay significantly. Plus: In Postville, Iowa, hundreds of workers were arrested in an immigration raid and virtually disappeared overnight. The small town’s economy still hasn’t recovered.

Here is why they shouldn't.

Facebook may be trying to get into the hardware game (again). Unconfirmed reports say the social media giant is preparing to launch a smart speaker like Amazon Echo and a video chat device. Business Insider reporter Alex Heath joined us to explain why Facebook is pursuing these two products and whether the company can succeed. Afterwards, we’ll discuss the potential of using Radio Frequency Identification in retail, which could mean things like getting to walk out of the store without actually having to check out your items.

Economists say the unemployment rate will drop even further in the July jobs report, but even with that good news, the typical paycheck doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Marketplace contributor Chris Farrell stopped by to talk with us about the economy’s issue with compensation. Afterwards, we’ll look at how Kraft-Heinz is being affected by the ongoing Amazon–Walmart price war, and then discuss Mattel’s plans to spend big bucks on online advertising. 

Assuring subsidies for low-income people could help stabilize the market, the CEO of an industry lobbying group says.

David Hagan explains how the company went from charging $74.95 a month to giving away the service and still stayed in business.

… And the economy isn’t the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It’s worth repeating today, when the Dow closed above 22,000 and President Trump is touting the record as a big economic win. We’ll just note that stocks aren’t even the right market to be watching; the dollar is tumbling. Then: Chaos continued in Venezuela today with confirmation that voting machines had been tampered with before last weekend’s election. The U.S. is threatening more sanctions, but they could lead to unintended consequences. Plus: Most people expect public Wi-Fi to be free. So how do you make money providing it? We asked Boingo’s CEO. 

Many generic drugs have become so cheap, they have pencil-thin profit margins.

What determines whether a restaurant stays open after a minimum wage hike? New research suggests it could be customer satisfaction levels, as measured by Yelp.

While U.S. Senators are piling out of Washington for their postponed summer recess, there’s still work to be done for some Capitol Hill staffers on tax reform. On today’s show, we’ll take a look at some of the numbers that could be tossed around. Afterwards, we’ll discuss reports that the Trump administration may sue some colleges and universities over what they see as “reverse discrimination.” Then, we’ll look at how Yelp ratings may predict how a restaurant does after it undergoes a minimum wage increase.

Congress has wanted company executives to testify about net neutrality, but but they’re just not that interested. What’s going on? Recode senior editor Tony Romm stopped by to chat wit us about the fear companies on both sides of the issue have. Afterwards, we’ll look at the increasingly long transaction times for Bitcoin transfers — an issue that a group of techies tried to solve yesterday by splitting the currency in half. The New York Times’ Nathaniel Popper explains what this means for companies that use the currency.  

IBM has a special program to hire people without four-year degrees.

Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff makes us smart about the consequences and rewards of endless economic growth.

Fewer Americans are hunting as a hobby, but those that are still hunting, are spending more money doing it.

How do you prepare for this costly spending season?

The Trump administration has been pretty distracting. White House comings and goings, tweets, health care, all of it. So today we’re bringing you a few stories you might have missed recently. To start, we’ll talk car sales, which are tanking, and the bond market, which may or may not be in a bubble. Then: Wells Fargo is somehow still in trouble for something else. Plus: Just a couple generations ago, hunting was a way of life for some families. It put food on the table. Now fewer people are getting up early and putting on camo — but those who do are spending more.

After asking LGBT voters for support in 2016, Trump administration withdraws support for expansion of Civil Rights protections.

Here's how the VPN ban will affect businesses' bottom lines — and user browsing.

Walmart among the businesses stepping up as government retreats on climate change.

Jean sales dropped 4.5 percent in 2014 and 3.4 percent in 2015 but are on the upswing this year, thanks, in part, to stretchier fabrics.

The rate at which the U.S. approves H-1B visas for skilled foreign talent has dropped by almost 30 percent since last year. But as America gets stricter with its visa program, Canada isn’t. On today’s show, we’ll talk about the efforts Canada is making to capitalize on its neighbor’s stricter stance on immigration. Afterwards, we’ll discuss the ongoing investigation of British American Tobacco for allegedly bribing regulators, and then look at how denim makers are opting to make their jeans stretchier.

As part of China’s tightened restrictions on internet access, Apple is pulling out a bunch of its virtual private network (VPN) services from its App Store in China, and one of those includes VypyrVPN. The president of the VPN’s maker, Golden Frog, joined us to talk about Apple’s decision, which he says suggests they value “profits over human rights.” Afterwards, we’ll discuss two Facebook bots that developed their own method of communication — one that even their own builders didn’t understand. 

Not everyone thinks automatic deductions for state and federal taxes are a good idea.

Long distances to walk, heavy bags to lift, arrival screens to squint at — older flyers face challenges

Here's why there's always (always) so much drama.

We’re starting today with an attempt to bring order out of chaos. We’re not talking about the recent White House staffing changes, but lobbying groups that are moving past health care as Congress turns to tax reform. Millions are set to be unleashed, but what do those groups hope to get for their money? Then: It’s earnings season, and so far things are pretty good, but what does corporate health tell us about the economy? Plus, a history of the income tax deduction, and what “The Emoji Movie” says about Hollywood.

In two years with no budget, Illinois racked up $10 billion in unpaid bills — and now spends $2 million a day on interest.

Off-price retailers have become a bright spot amidst the doom and gloom of widespread closures of brick-and-mortar stores and online shopping’s growing dominance.

The network and on-demand service will simultaneously release episodes.

The U.S. presidential election wasn’t the only race that may have faced Russian interference. Reports say that Russia may have also attempted to sway the recent French presidential election toward far-right nationalist candidate Marine Le Pen. We’ll chat with Joseph Menn, an investigative reporter with Reuters, about Facebook’s role in all of this, and what these recent events say about Russia’s political operations. Afterwards, we’ll look at the business model behind the launch of CBS’ new Star Trek series, “Discovery.”   

Apple is taking some data security software out of its app store in China. Known as virtual private network apps, these services could be used by consumers to thwart government censors. The BBC’s Theo Leggett explains the incentive Apple has to remove these VPNs. Afterwards, we’ll discuss how the EPA’s focus on environmental cleanups may be a way to shift the agency’s focus away from climate change, and then look at the success of discount chain stores as retailers struggle.