Week of February 26th, 2018

We look at how tariffs could affect current trade deals after Trump's surprise announcement this week.

Fans aren’t just buying clothes inspired by Marvel’s movie; they’re influencing trends, a fashion editor says.

We sit down with comic writer and journalist Evan Narcisse and Black Girl Nerds's Jamie Broadnax.

It's a great time to be a job seeker.

Definitions for a few common terms you may hear in the debate over the recently announced steel and aluminium trade tariffs.

Sexual harassment and discrimination in the financial industry is more subtle — and harder to address.

What happens when an important cultural moment is at risk of being turned into a commodity? Plus how business owners with DACA status face an uncertain future, the money behind an evangelical Christian network and more.

The political stalemate makes planning ahead “very difficult.”

The international president of the United Steelworkers says we're already in a trade war.

There are some … idiosyncrasies in the Social Security system.

(Markets Edition) With President Trump’s announcement that his administration would impose a 25 percent tariff on all imported steel, some economists seem to be feeling a bit iffy. We’ll talk to the president of the United Steel Workers Union, Leo Gerard, about where he comes down on this. Afterwards, we’ll look at the world’s energy outlook with Spencer Dale, chief economist at BP.

Energy consumption in the U.S. must be expected to skyrocket in the upcoming years, right? Not so fast.

(U.S. Edition) President Trump’s push to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum sent the Dow plummeting. We’ll talk to Christopher Low, chief economist at FTN Financial, about why his plans have surprised some market investors. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Marketplace regular Allan Sloan about why President Trump could be getting a big extra bonus from the Social Security system every year. 

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … President Trump’s plan to impose larger tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum has sent shock waves through markets, as investors worry about the prospect of a wider trade war. Some U.S allies have reacted with anger. China is thought to be the main target of the U.S. action – Marketplace’s Jennifer Pak in Shanghai tells us how people there have responded. Plus, we gauge the mood in Italy as voters head to the polls over the weekend. The BBC’s Mike Johnson explores how the issue of immigration came to dominate campaigning in recent weeks.

Modern electronics rely heavily on one thing: lithium ion batteries. With carmakers gearing up to increase electric vehicle production, the demand for lithium ion batteries doesn’t appear to be slowing down. These batteries rely on an increasingly important supply of the metal cobalt. Most cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa under brutal conditions. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with the BBC’s Catherine Byaruhanga about Apple’s reported talks to buy cobalt directly from miners and whether it will reduce human rights concerns. 

A mass influx of migrants has been met with a political backlash.

"I set out to get safer products into the hands of everyone," Gregg Renfrew says.

In retrospect, we should have seen these steel and aluminum tariffs coming. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin mentioned “reciprocal free trade,” in our interview earlier this week, and President Donald Trump said something similar today. Tariffs are a complicated macro-economic topic anytime, especially when they’re a surprise. We’ll start the show by catching you up, then look at how our allies might or might not respond. Tariffs go both ways, you know. Plus: How many cup holders is too many?

Technically, they never were.

The White House is about to penalize steel and aluminum imports

(Markets Edition) Several top U.S. steel and aluminum executives have been invited to the White House for what could be a major trade announcement, which could be about tariffs aimed at slowing down the import of steel and aluminum. We’ll discuss some of the possible penalties the Commerce Department has come up with for what it sees as unfair exports of metal. Plus: As Italy heads to the polls, we’ll look at the controversy that surrounds the Italian political figure Silvio Berlusconi. 

(U.S. Edition) Striking teachers in West Virginia reached a pay deal with the state’s governor, but public schools still remain closed today because of concerns over health care. How much of a victory was this for educators? Afterwards, we’ll look at the push in the U.S. to divest from firearms manufacturers, and then talk to design expert Steven Heller about work uniforms in the 1950s. 

The conservative politician plays a central role as elections loom.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has given his annual state of the nation address, putting economic issues such as growth and poverty center stage. But how will conditions improve amid a slump in energy prices and western sanctions? We hear from Chris Weafer, of Moscow based consultants, Macro-Advisory. Also in this edition, WPP — the world’s largest advertiser — says that 2017 “wasn’t pretty.” We examine why conditions are tough in advertising sales. And a special report from the BBC’s Daniel Gallas in Brazil, where car production was up by 25 percent last year, but employment remained flat. What will it take to boost the number of people in work?

Here are three reasons why there should be breach-notification law.

So, your company was hacked. What do you do? Turns out there isn’t much you have to do legally when it comes to informing consumers and investors. That all may be about to change. The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued new guidance for public companies asking for faster and more specific notification about hacks. The SEC also laid down new rules about post-hack insider trading. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Michael Greenberger, professor of law at the University of Maryland, about the impact of the SEC’s new rules.

We talked with the CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, one of the systems in this unique deal.

(Markets Edition) Fed Chair Jerome Powell briefed Congress about the economy yesterday — a day that ended with the Dow dipping almost 300 points. Can we draw a connection between the two events? We’ll hear some perspective from Seth Carpenter, chief U.S. economist at UBS Securities and someone who’s gotten the chance to work closely with Powell. Plus: We look at the state of Italy’s economy as the country prepares to elect a new government.

Rising drug prices are part of what's driving health care inflation. What do you do if you are a big health care company? Start your own drug company.

“When we saw what the kids were going through and the grief of the parents and the kids who were killed in Parkland, we felt we needed to do something,” said the company's CEO.

Tourism economy around natural beauty is starting to replace extractive industries in some former West Virginia and PA coal towns.

(U.S. Edition) President Trump’s budget proposal had called for millions in cuts to school safety programs, but in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, shooting, federal officials are calling for an expansion of these programs. On today’s show, we’ll look at some of the options Congress is exploring. Afterwards, we’ll discuss China’s fight with the U.S. over aluminum foil, and then talk to Gillian Thomas, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU, about how pregnant employees still face workplace discrimination despite the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act 40 years ago.

Unemployment and migration are center-stage as Italy prepares for election.

"You know, you inform your boss of a pregnancy on Monday and you're fired on Tuesday. That still happens."

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Toys R Us is the latest storied retailer to buckle under the weight of heavy competition from the rise of e-commerce. Today, its British arm fell into administration months after the parent company filed for bankruptcy protection. Then, we’ll get a check-up this morning on how the U.S. economy fared in the last quarter of 2016 … but first a look at whether India’s robust growth pace in the fourth quarter helped it regain the crown as the fastest-growing economy in the world. Afterward, to Sierra Leone to explore why sex work has taken on a larger portion of the capital’s working population. 

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has earned a reputation as a fierce consumer advocate. She’s gone after big banks and financial institutions, but now she’s setting her sights on credit-rating agencies. Specifically Equifax, which endured a massive security breach last year. Over 100 million consumers had their personal information, like Social Security numbers and addresses, compromised in the hack. Now Warren and Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, are introducing legislation that would levy harsh penalties for similar types of security breaches at Equifax and other rating agencies. Last year, Warren sponsored a bill that would allow consumers to freeze their credit any time for free, a service that rating agencies, including Equifax, have traditionally charged for. (Equifax waived these fees for a limited time after the Sept. 2017 breach.) Warren spoke with Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood about her office’s recent report on the Equifax hack and her proposals to combat the cyber threat to consumers.

The Massachusetts senator thinks the credit-rating agency got off easy.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin faced a boisterous crowd while in conversation with Kai on stage at the Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA last night. We’re bringing you that chat in two parts on today’s show, and we cover a lot of ground: Russian sanctions, trade deals, Dodd-Frank and more. Plus: Student real estate is hot right now: investment nearly tripled from 2014 to 2016 and it’s still going strong. We’ll take a closer look. Plus: Whether you call it “chain migration” or “family reunification,” the argument for reducing it goes like this: A single legal immigrant can quickly and easily bring in a nearly unlimited number of relatives, who then create a drain on the economy. But there’s very little that’s quick and easy about it.

The wide-ranging interview touched on North Korea, tax overhaul and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The two Fed chairs have very similar mindsets when it comes to monetary policy. Can you even tell the difference?

(Markets Edition) Jay Powell is set to deliver his first report on the economy to Congress. We’ll discuss some of his planned remarks, which include comments on a strong economy and the state of inflation. Afterwards, we’ll talk about news that Comcast has made a $31 billion bid to buy Sky broadcasting group, and then look at how Stockton, California, is experimenting with Universal Basic Income by giving several dozen families $500  — no strings attached. 

The economically depressed city of Stockton, California is experimenting with Universal Basic Income.

(U.S. Edition) The Supreme Court will soon hear a Microsoft privacy case about digital data — can the U.S. government look at data stored overseas without going through a foreign government? On today’s show, we’ll dive into the details of the debate. Afterwards, we’ll discuss another case that the Supreme Court heard yesterday: Janus vs. AFSCME. The case looked at the fairness of mandatory union fees for public-sector workers. The outcome of this could have far-reaching political implications for teachers’ unions. Plus: A conversation with law professor Alan Hyde from Rutgers University on what data says about immigration sponsored by employers vs. immigration sponsored by family. 

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Comcast sparked a bidding war this morning when it offered $31 billion to buy Sky – the European broadcaster that Twenty-First Century Fox has its takeover sights set on. We’ll explain the tangled web now being weaved in the telecom sector.  Then, in a country where whites make up less than 9 percent of the population, South Africa’s parliament today is discussing a proposal from the opposition to seize white-owned land without compensation. So, why does the new president say land reform needs to happen “immediately?”

The disinformation war is being waged online, but who's behind it?

Trump has called for a merit-based system, but immigrants sponsored by relatives are very productive, a researcher says.

The war of disinformation is raging online, and bots are the foot soldiers. Bots are fake social media accounts that work together to amplify messages online. That’s how fake news started trending on social media during the 2016 presidential election. In response, U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller recently filed charges against a Russian organization called the Internet Research Agency that had hundreds of employees operating fake accounts during the election. Social media companies have also been trying to fight the army of bots on their platforms but without much luck. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke about bots, and who’s behind them, with Jonathon Morgan, CEO of New Knowledge, a company using artificial intelligence to protect companies from disinformation attacks.       

The treasury secretary also touched on Dodd-Frank, trade agreements and the tax overhaul in a wide-ranging interview with Kai Ryssdal.

Many of the “bamboccioni” are compelled to stay at home for economic reasons, even if they're employed, some say.

America is less interested in leading the global economy, says the Peterson Institute president. And that could mean trouble.

Organized labor was on the docket at the Supreme Court of the United States today in a case called Janus v. AFSCME, the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees. It’s one of the biggest public employees union in the country, and at issue is whether public-sector unions can charge what are called “fair-share fees” to workers who aren’t dues-paying members of the union. We’ll start today’s show by getting you caught up, because this case has implications far beyond the workplace. Then: What happens if the Trump administration keeps pulling the country back from global engagements? We’ll look at the world economy, post-America. Plus, a little pizza party.

(Markets Edition) The movie studio founded by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein is set to file for bankruptcy. We’ll take a look at why sales talks might have fallen through. Afterwards, we’ll talk with economist Julia Coronado about what we can expect from Fed Chair Jay Powell’s upcoming speech to Congress, and then discuss how Colombia’s LGBT community may not be benefiting fully from the country’s reparations system.

As victims of violent civil conflict come forward, some say members of the LGBT community are being left behind.

In the South, where people are “ashamed to tell their neighbors that they are in a union,” one labor organization is turning things around.

Sales talks fell through for the company behind critical hits such as "The Artist."

(U.S. Edition) CEOs get criticized for short-term thinking, but what if you kept them in power for several decades? In China, President Xi Jinping could stay in power for the remainder of his life. We’ll look at news that the ruling Communist party wants to change the constitution that would grant him the ability to. Afterwards, we’ll discuss the importance of checking your credit score, and then talk to Gary Kennedy — the former top lawyer of American Airlines — about whether airlines have to deal with too many rules and regulations.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … German Chancellor Angela Merkel may be one step closer to running Europe’s largest economy as her party votes on whether to form a coalition government with its rivals … five months after elections. We’ll explain what’s at stake. Then, smartphone sales declined at the end of last year for the first time since the pocket-sized devices were invented. So how are giants of the industry pivoting to keep customers upgrading every year? We head to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to find out. Afterward, to Sudan where there’s a row between Egypt and Ethiopia over control of a Nile dam.

A former American Airlines employee makes the case for more deregulation.

E-commerce is creating a cardboard nightmare. The rise of Amazon and the like has left a deluge of packing waste in many of the world’s largest economies. None more than China, where more than 40 billion packages were shipped last year. That number will likely increase as the Chinese economy grows. There is some pressure on retailers to use less material in their packaging and to switch to reusable alternatives. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with our China correspondent, Jennifer Pak, about how China will cope with the pending cardboard apocalypse.  

Online shopping comes with a lot of packaging, and that packaging is becoming a problem.