Week of March 5th, 2018

They're hard to find on cable or streaming, but worth watching.

It's a trade policy that protects domestic interests over international trade. But at what cost?

More than 300,000 jobs were added to the economy last month.

The "solution economy" is taking on issues like malaria eradication and gun control. And it doesn't hurt the bottom line.

Jonathan Lerner put his passion for people, culture and history to work when he founded Tailored Tours Barcelona.

Yes, it's saving, not savings. No, that's not one of the five things …

President Trump is shooting the American taxpayer in the foot, says Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt.

What tariffs mean for the future of global trade. Plus, what happens when public pressure influences how private companies do business? 

While the vast majority of workplace sexual harassment cases are brought by women, men too experience sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace. It's an issue, surrounded by a culture of stigma and silence, that lawyers and advocates say often goes unnoticed and underreported.

(Markets Edition) The U.S. economy added 313,000 jobs last month, and the markets seem to be pretty happy about this. Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial, explains why the markets aren’t too worried about the possibility of interest rate hikes from the Fed. Afterwards, amid reports that Toys R Us is planning to shut down all of its U.S. stores, we’ll look at how the toy retailer got to this point. Plus: What might North Korea ask for this time in its upcoming talks with the U.S.? 

New numbers from the Marketplace-Edison Research Poll reflect the economic effects of workplace harassment.

But wage gains fell from the previous month.

(U.S. Edition) With President Trump’s announcement that he’ll meet with the leader of North Korea (a first for an American president), Asian markets rallied. We’ll look at how a conflict on the Korean peninsula would affect East Asian economies. Afterwards, we’ll discuss why Trump’s steel tariffs might not be very effective, and then examine why workers are seeing bigger paychecks these days.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Markets in Asia are reacting positively to news President Trump will sit down with North Korea’s leader to talk denuclearization. We’ll bring you the very latest about what the warmer relationship could mean for global geopolitics. Then, China this morning described Trump’s aluminium tariffs as a serious attack on the world’s international trade system. We’ll explain how international players are reacting to America’s new policy. Afterward, with just over a year to go until Brexit, British companies at the British Chambers of Commerce Annual Conference are split over what the new trade relationship with Europe should be.

This week BlackBerry sued Facebook saying that all its messaging products — Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram — violate patents that BlackBerry filed when it built BlackBerry Messenger over a decade ago. Facebook responded, saying it intends to fight the lawsuit. Molly Wood speaks with Ina Fried of Axios about whether BlackBerry is after something more than just a really big settlement check.

While news of steel and aluminium tariffs have dominated the news in the U.S., in China the reaction has been subdued.

Imports from all other countries will face a 25 percent tariff for steel and 10 percent for aluminum.

(Markets Edition) Cigna is planning to buy the pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts in a $67 billion deal. We’ll talk about the background of these two companies and why they want to merge. Afterwards, we’ll chat with economist Diane Swonk about what we should watch out for in the February jobs report, which the Labor Department will release tomorrow. Finally, as part of the latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll, we’ll look at the state of the gig economy.

Under pressure to divest from guns, pension funds feel they have to choose between making money for their members and their values.

(U.S. Edition) More than a hundred GOP lawmakers sent a letter to President Trump asking him to reconsider his proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, but the White House says it might make the plan official today. However, this might all be a distraction from a different trade fight we should be thinking about. Chris Farrell, senior economics contributor for Marketplace, explains why. Afterwards, we’ll discuss how the “right” kind of conflict can lead to better management.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … China saw a spike in exports last month compared to a year ago, but how much of it was due to the Lunar New Year holiday? We’ll explore what’s driving the nation’s trade and how possible U.S. import tariffs could impact their future. Then, one year after America’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 11 remaining countries today sign a new deal worth $14 trillion. Afterward, with the European Central Bank set to make a decision on policy rates, it seems fitting on this International Women’s Day that we explore why only 6 percent of global central bank governors are women … and discuss what can be done to put more women in those top jobs. 

New data from the Marketplace-Edison Research Poll suggest nontraditional employees have a lot of financial worries.

Jeff Weiss, an expert in conflict management, has some advice for the president.

After spending almost a year orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station, the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut, Scott Kelly returned to our planet two years ago to much admiration and with a severe case of jelly legs. His mission was to better understand how living in space affects human physiology. Now he’s partnered with 3M to promote science awareness to the masses. Kelly spoke with Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood about his life and the future of space travel.  

The astronaut talks about his life and work in science.

"What's good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander," says Delaware Steel CEO.

This story is also the last episode of our second season, all about who writes federal regulations, who unwrites them and who gets written off?

A key European Union body tells Britain trade with the bloc will be tougher once it leaves

Gary Cohn, Trump's chief economic adviser, resigned on Tuesday.

(Markets Edition) With news that Gary Cohn — President Trump’s chief economic adviser — has resigned, we’ll look at whether the business community has lost a major ally in the Trump administration and why markets aren’t pleased with the news. Afterwards, we’ll discuss where we are in the process of renegotiating NAFTA, and then explore whether the U.S. steel industry would be able to meet demand if imports fall off. 

(U.S. Edition) Markets so far aren’t reacting particularly well to the news that President Trump’s chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, is resigning. On today’s show, we’ll look at why Cohn’s departure is creating such uncertainty. Afterwards, we’ll discuss the latest data from our Marketplace-Edison Research poll that shows how people feel about the economy. The results: Your view likely depends on your political party. About 63 percent of Republicans say the U.S. economy is doing better than a year ago, while only 23 percent of Democrats do.

A new bill makes it easier to sue websites for illegal content their users post.

Whether your economic anxiety has increased or decreased in the last year depends on who you are, according to the latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll.

Congress took a step toward tighter internet censorship last week, depending on how you look at it. The House passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, which makes it easier to sue websites that allow sex traffickers to post on their sites. The bill changes previous legislation that made sure third-party providers, like websites, couldn’t be held liable for online posts by independent users. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was co-authored by then-Rep. Chris Cox, a Republican from California, and Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon in 1996. Cox spoke with Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood about the legislation and why it may be time for an update.    

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … One of President Trump’s key economic advisers has resigned, so what will his departure mean for the rest of the world with increasingly protectionist trade policies coming out of the U.S.? Then, one of the most powerful men in the Arab world is meeting with the U.K. prime minister today to talk business. What will Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have highest on his agenda? Afterwards, the world’s largest book fair takes place in India … we’ll explore how rising literacy rates are helping boost the publishing industry. 

What's our economic policy going to look like now?

Diddy, Dr. Dre and Jay-Z built multimillion dollar empires around their music careers.

Check out what personality traits you might share with Jay-Z, Dr. Dre or Diddy.

See you March 13 for our interview with activist Ai-jen Poo.

(Markets Edition) As the President holds firm on his plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, many in his own party and administration have asked him to back off. But the markets have done little more than shrug. And we look back to 2002, when President Bush set a 30 percent tariff on steel. What happened? Steel prices went up, American manufacturers closed or went offshore, and jobs disappeared before it was dissolved a year later. Plus, we take you to a lab where engineers are working to design more efficient packaging for online retailer deliveries.

Why Chicago has more parking ticket debt than other major American cities, and who the system targets.

Online retailers are trying to cut down on package waste. But designing a new box for everything a company ships takes a lot of time.

(U.S. Edition) As President Trump insists on tariffs for imported steel and aluminum, we turn our attention to the construction industry, which consumes 40 percent of the nation’s steel. Experts say the tariffs would make domestic steel prices rise, and with construction companies’ already tight margins, projects would likely stall and workers would lose jobs. Next, we check in on how companies are putting to use savings generated by the new tax plan. And in Chicago, parking ticket debt amounts to more than $1.5 billion, many times the amount of New York’s and Los Angeles’ combined. We interview reporters behind a ProPublica piece that examined why parking ticket debt is so high in Chicago, and who the system targets.

Unlike broadcast and print ads, online ads are basically a law-free zone.

Among the list of banned advertising on Facebook you’ll find the usual suspects: guns, drugs, porn etc. Also, on that list? Bad grammar, and notably, cryptocurrencies. When it comes to political campaign ads however, the rules are few and far between. Unlike television, radio and print ads, online campaign ads don’t face federal regulations. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Phil Weiser, a professor of law and telecommunications at the University of Colorado, about the state of online political advertising.

(Global edition) From the BBC World Service … The head of Kobe Steel — the world’s third-largest steelmaker — resigned today after a months-long investigation into a safety scandal at the company revealed deeply engrained problems of corporate culture. Then, as President Trump considers tariffs on aluminium and steel imports to the United States, we’ll take a look at how such policies could impact India’s steel manufacturers. And the Ebola virus claimed nearly 4,000 lives in Sierra Leone, but millions of dollars raised to fight the virus remain unaccounted for. Our reporter went to find out what happened to the money. 

Florida's concealed carry and "stand your ground" laws all started under Marion Hammer's guidance.

Do companies need to pick a stance publicly or is that taking politics too far? We want to hear from you.

When a U.S. citizen sponsors a relative to come to the country, it can take a few months or as long as 25 years.

The tariffs President Donald Trump has been talking about could ignite a trade war.

(Markets Edition) President Trump continued talking about new tariffs over the weekend, warning via Twitter that he could “simply apply” a tax on European cars. European officials responded, saying they could do the same with American products like bourbon, blue jeans and Harley Davidson motorcycles. We talk to Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer on the effects this would have on the markets, and what countries — or companies — may be exempt. Plus, an unlikely buzzword from last night’s Oscars: inclusion rider. That’s a movie contract clause saying that the demographics of a film’s cast and crew must match that of the U.S. population. And in the wake of the Trump administration’s reversal of deportation protection for Salvadorans, we take a look at the economic climate and effects of widespread violence in El Salvador.

(U.S. Edition) Early results from yesterday’s election in Italy show gains for the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, which took about a third of the vote. But no party or coalition won a majority, which could eventually pose a threat to European economic and political stability. In China, officials are focusing on more modest growth targets in an effort to stop obsessing over numbers and instead address imbalances and inefficiencies in the economy like poverty, debt risk and pollution. This is happening alongside an increase in defense spending. And as Black Panther nears $1 billion in box office sales worldwide, we take a look at an industry that’s also getting a bump: African fashion.      

Temporary Protected Status ended for El Salvador, but many Salvadorans are still eager to work in the U.S. as undocumented immigrants.

The potential merger would be the biggest the tech industry has seen.

(Global edition) From the BBC World Service … the European Union is considering retaliatory measures in response to President Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. We’ll bring you the latest from the bloc’s trade commissioner. Then, the outcome of a weekend election in Italy looks to be inconclusive with no party having enough votes to form a government. So what’s next for a country with a high unemployment rate and an economy suffering from large debt levels and slow growth? Afterward, China’s prime minister has set a six-and-a-half percent growth target for the year as it increases spending on defense. We’ll have the latest from China’s  People’s Congress. 

There is high drama in the semiconductor world. That’s not a typo. Singapore-based chipmaker Broadcom has made a hostile takeover bid for it’s competitor Qualcomm. Qualcomm refused the offer, and Broadcom is trying to stack the Qualcomm board to force a yes vote. The deal, should it go through, would be the biggest ever in the tech industry at over $140 billion. All that is just the tip of the silicon iceberg. There are growing national security and privacy concerns coming from the U.S. and the European Union over the deal. Not to mention how it will affect competition. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, to unpack the deal’s implications.