Week of August 21st, 2017

Millennials are making libraries cool again. A Pew Research Center study found that 53 percent of millennials in the U.S. had used their public library at least once in the year prior to the survey.

We spoke with Bill Nelson, former deputy director of Monetary Affairs at the Federal Reserve, about the state of the U.S. economy.

His market and business influenced perspective is a change from previous frameworks.

It comes with the territory, and soon every sport could be pay-per-view.

It's a long process that starts 48 hours before the storm makes landfall. Starting back up can take even longer.

What if the way our infrastructure is designed could keep us safe from earthquakes, accidents and from terrorism? Lizzie O’Leary looks at the design of U.S. cities with counterterrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins. Also, ex-Fed economist Bill Nelson talks about the people who are thinking of our financial well-being: the monetary policy leaders meeting at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium. Plus, a visit to places that inspire us — public libraries! — and how they’re changing to meet the needs of the millennial generation that visits them the most. Marketplace Weekend also gets a sneak peak at Marketplace’s Trade Off series on globalization with reporter Scott Tong.

Architectural changes may not be the best way to counter vehicle terrorism.

In "Shooting Ghosts," T.J. Brennan and Finbarr O'Reilly talk about the friendship that helped them rebuild their lives after war.

Remember when the news slowed down? Us too. The government has just five weeks to raise the debt limit and pass a budget, avoiding a government shutdown and potential global financial crisis. Trump and congressional leaders have few months more than that to pass tax reform, according to the latest deadline set by economic adviser Gary Cohn. We’ll talk about the chances of both happening in time, plus the latest out of the Fed, during the Weekly Wrap. Then: Hurricane Harvey is a Category 3 storm as of this taping, and its eye is just off the coast of Corpus Christi, Texas. There are lives at risk, and the region is looking at billions in property damage. But the geography of the American petroleum industry means Harvey’s costs will reverberate throughout the country.

In many ways, globalization has made our world smaller.

Samsung accounts for about one fifth of South Korea's exports.

The Mayweather vs. McGregor fight is expected to generate revenue from everything from pay-per-view to advertising slots on Mayweather's boxing shorts and robe.

Amazon is planning to slash the prices of some items at Whole Foods, like bananas and salmon, starting Monday.

We look at why companies continue to invest in them.

High-rise apartment buildings are a target for the growing home-sharing economy.

It also helps mitigate risk, one expert says.

The app MoviePass allows subscribers to see an unlimited number of films in local theaters for just $10. But is it too good to be true? We’ll take a look at whether a business model like this is actually sustainable. Afterwards, we’ll play this week’s Silicon Tally with Leslie Miley, a tech engineering leader formerly of Slack, Twitter, Apple and Google. 

Shopping at Whole Foods is about to get cheaper, thanks to its merger with Amazon. We’ll take a look at the kinds of items that’ll see price cuts and what this shift means for the supermarket industry as a whole. Afterwards, we’ll discuss news that the head of Samsung is heading to prison for five years, and then talk about the much-anticipated Mayweather vs. McGregor match, which could be the most lucrative boxing fight in history.

The White House has yet to name a director or board of advisers to oversee its initiative.

The Smoot-Hawley story you never learned in high school history class.

It's important to remember that the internet is very physical.

Rodeo still rounds 'em up in rural America.

Natural gas plants are less expensive.

The four-letter word of global trade (so to speak) is “tariff.” There are times when tariffs seem like they’d be a good thing, usually when people with power feel like the economy’s not working for them. But if you bring up tariffs in polite conversation with a bunch of economists, they’re gonna go right to the Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930. Perhaps the most infamous of American tariffs, it’s credited by some with deepening the Great Depression. We’ll talk about it as we continue our series on globalization, “Trade-off.” Plus, we’ll bring you the latest on the White House, Congress and the possibility of a government shutdown. Then: Taylor Swift is putting out a new single tonight, ahead of a new album in November, and you know we found the business angles.

The Amazon-Whole Foods deal is shaking up the retail industry.

Not the Sun. Not Mexico. Not Americans.

Los Angeles is testing out cool pavements on about a dozen blocks around the city.

A new report shows that the main cause of plant closures isn’t wind or solar energy — it’s natural gas. On today’s show, we’ll look at why this energy source is such a threat and where policy goes from here. Afterwards, we’ll discuss NFL’s deal with Chinese internet giant Tencent to stream its games in China, and then talk about how Britain’s “Corn Laws” from the 19th century are playing a role in Brexit negotiations. 

Female tech employees have been speaking out about sexual harassment, which has led to public apologies and pledges to fix things. And now, there’s actually a piece of legislation that could make a difference. California State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson has introduced a bill to tighten up the rules around sexual harassment between investors and the entrepreneurs they fund. Axios’ chief tech correspondent, Ina Fried, stopped by to explain what the measure entails. Afterwards, we’ll talk to writer Negar Mottahedeh about the connection she was able to forge with someone who hacked her Instagram.

Max Brooks talks about his new book "Minecraft: The Island" and what he learned from playing the online game.

With anxiety and depression on the rise, counseling centers respond.

We want to hear your opinions about your rights as a worker.

President Trump has given three speeches in as many days this week: About Afghanistan on Monday, to the American Legion today, with a Phoenix campaign rally in between. That one was the most free-form, the most off-script and the most economic, so we’ll start the show there today, with some of what the president said and the level of economic sense it makes (or didn’t make). Then: College students are headed back to school or arriving on campus for the first time in the coming weeks. More of them than ever are likely going to need some kind of mental health service. We’ll check in on how colleges are beefing up their counseling services in response to increasing demand. Plus: Google and Walmart ink a deal in the fight against Amazon.

It’s so that they catch you while you’re at work.

Libraries have started to lend out not just books and movies, but musical instruments and other paraphernalia for hobbies.

WPP — the biggest advertising agency in the world — has revised its sales downward, with its CEO indicating that U.S. policy could be a reason for some of the uncertainty that it’s facing. We’ll find out how all the drama in Washington, D.C. could have such a ripple effect on global businesses. Afterwards, we’ll discuss a new study that shows ExxonMobil may have misled investors about how much it knew about climate change. Then, we’ll look at how a 2008 immigration raid in Postville, Iowa has affected the town. 

Elon Musk and a hundred others wrote a letter to the UN stating that it would be a colossal mistake if unregulated artificial intelligence were allowed to take the life of a human. We looked at the threats A.I. could pose to humanity on our Codebreaker podcast with Oxford professor Nick Bostrom —a conversation that we’ll revisit on today’s show. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Jalak Jobanputra, founder of Future Perfect Ventures, about the future of bitcoin and blockchain.

Matthew Prince terminated the account of extremist website The Daily Stormer, but he's still worried about censorship.

Is the song stuck in your head now, too?

They face U.S. competition and the loss of EU subsidies.

Cyclists in Oregon will soon pay a tax for their new wheels — the first bike tax in the nation.

Molly Bloom, host of the "Brains On!" podcast, answers our Make Me Smart question

The CEO of an important but semiobscure technology company sent an all-staff email last week. Before Charlottesville, that wouldn’t be news, but this note was a little different: “I woke up this morning in a bad mood and decided to kick them off the Internet. … It was a decision I could make because I’m the CEO of a major Internet infrastructure company.” The “them” in this case is The Daily Stormer, a white supremacist site. “Having made that decision,” Matthew Prince continued, “we now need to talk about why it is so dangerous.” Today, we called up Prince to do just that. Then: If chart performance and YouTube streams are any indication, and most would say they are, “Despacito” by Puerto Rican stars Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee is the song of the summer. But will its success spill over into tourism dollars for the beleaguered territory? Finally: Oregon becomes the first state add an extra tax on bikes.

Mario Kart is celebrating its 25th birthday this year.

Some studies have shown increased rates of health problems for people who live near these mining sites.

Socially responsible investing is a growing industry. And it does not mean investing just for progressive values.

Samsung is scheduled to announce a new phone this week, which is expected to have wireless charging. The process known as inductive charging isn’t new though — it’s been around for years. So, um, why isn’t everywhere? Rahul Mangharam, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explains why smartphone charging is in its awkward teen phase, and why we can expect a break out soon. Afterwards, on the heels of Mario Kart’s 25th anniversary, we’ll chat with the voice of Mario: Charles Martinet. He joined us to talk about the phrases he used to get the job and whether he actually plays Mario Kart. 

The Trump administration has halted a $1 million federal study of health hazards for people who live near mountain-top coal mines. On today’s show, we’ll look at what this means for people who live near these mining sites and why the administration decided to put a stop to it. Afterwards, we’ll talk about McDonald’s decision to shut down a third of its restaurants in India, and then discuss the success of the socially responsible investing (SRI) industry. 

Thieves are now hijacking phones, bank accounts, even 401(k)s.

What does this means for Trump's businesses?

Getting "more butts on seats,” is the goal, but student debt and stagnant wages are a big roadblock.

You can look at the costs of increasing the number of American troops in Afghanistan in a couple of ways, right? There are lives, of course, the most basic measure. The easiest way is probably in dollars and cents, billions of them. Trump makes his first prime-time address as president tonight, talking about how America will move forward in a war that’s been going on since 2001. There’s a stability question here, too: Despite, or maybe because of, 16 years of American and allied involvement, the Afghan economy is still in trouble. Then: The president is settling back into the White House and Congress is getting back to work, but over the recess, the media balance has shifted. Steve Bannon walked out of the White House and back into his website Breitbart. We’ll talk about what that means amid a busy fall at the capital. Plus, just as the U.S. started to catch up on credit card security, scammers have moved on to a new target: your phone.

Data compiled by the Prison Policy Initiative shows that the average incarcerated worker in state and federal prison now earns 86 cents per day, a 7 cent decrease from 2001 when inmates earned 93 cents for a day’s work.

There’s a new position in one Atlanta school’s directory: a lawyer.

Percy Ross, known as "America's Rich Uncle," had a newspaper column where people could write in with requests.

The U.S. wants a new rule that would require that a set percentage of each car or auto part come exclusively from the U.S.

Skagway, Alaska is dependent on the cruise ship industry for its economy. The town needs to build a new dock to accommodate bigger ships, but a private company which leases the docks, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad, won't approve a new dock unless the town extends its lease for another 15 years.

Could those symbols of Americana — the Jeep and Ram pickup truck — become Chinese? On today’s show, we’ll look at news that Great Wall Motor may be interested in buying Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Afterwards, we’ll discuss how businesses are benefiting from the exodus from Mar-a-Lago — President Trump’s palm beach resort. Then we’ll chat with writer Jacqui Shine about her Longreads profile on Percy Ross, a self-made millionaire who gave away his money to those who wrote into this newspaper.

As you might have heard, there’s a solar eclipse happening today. But even if you’re not in the so-called path of “totality,” you can stream it on Twitter thanks to its partnership with the Weather Channel. Neil Katz, editor in chief of The Weather Company, joined us to talk about how it’s going to film the eclipse and how the company thinks about programming in the digital age. Afterwards, we’ll dive into issues with data privacy agreements.