Week of March 12th, 2018

For every dollar that U.S. men make, women make about 80 cents. Black women make 63 cents for every dollar white men make. Latinas make 54 cents.

"As the import steel goes up in cost so does the domestic steel," Paul Czachor, CEO of American Keg Co. told us.

We get a preview of Kai's interview with Tim Geithner, Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke.

Fearing for its steel producers, the EU warns of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports.

High U.S. health care costs, a Bear Stearns love story and an insider’s guide on how to be a toymaker. Plus, the gender wage gap and, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the only company making kegs from American steel.

(Markets Edition) New housing construction fell 7 percent last month and retail sales aren’t looking the strongest. We’ll talk to Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial, about how turmoil in Washington can trickle down to businesses. Afterwards, we’ll look at how real estate agents are experimenting with new ways to find clients in an increasingly competitive field. Plus: A new report that says Trump’s team is getting ready to punish China for stealing U.S. intellectual property.

Your regularly scheduled episode of Marketplace is landing in your feed later today, but for now we have something special. Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly is back with brand-new weekly episodes, wading into the big topics we want to get smart about. This week we’re looking at the fall of Wall Street bank Bear Stearns, exactly 10 years ago. Plus, Kai and Molly talk with Ai-jen Poo, an advocate for domestic workers who accompanied Meryl Streep to the Golden Globes this year. She’s using her Hollywood moment to make sure #MeToo is working for everyone. Subscribe to Make Me Smart and join the conversation.

(U.S. Edition) Russia is holding its presidential election this weekend, and the winner will likely be Vladimir Putin. But as he cruises toward a third term, he’ll continue presiding over a sluggish economy. On today’s show, we’ll take a look at some of the economic issues the country is facing. Plus: While the U.S. has inched toward easing economic sanctions on Iran, that may changed now that CIA Director Mike Pompeo has taken over the role of Secretary of State from Rex Tillerson. We’ll discuss what could happen if the U.S. decides to pull out of the Iran deal. Then, we’ll chat with Cathy Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Chicago and the founder of the survey GenForward, about millennial attitudes toward technology and how they feel it could affect their job prospects. 

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Finance ministers from G-20 nations, the world’s major economies, will meet in Argentina this weekend, against a backdrop of increasing talk of a global trade war. Chris Watling, chief executive of Longview Economics, tells us President Trump’s view on trade relations with China is too simplistic. Also: On World Sleep Day, we hear that while a lack of sleep might be damaging to our health, the cost to economies could stretch into billions of dollars. Dr. Marco Hafner, senior economist at Rand Europe, explains the findings. Plus: the BBC’s Ijeoma Ndukwe visits a girl empowerment project in Nigeria, a country where more than 10 million children aren’t in formal education.

For many, even if that means raising taxes substantially.

The Broadcom-Qualcomm merger didn't get very far. Here's why President Trump intervened.

With fewer homes to sell, realtors say they need to look for new ways to find business

The U.S., France and Germany also condemn alleged Russian killing.

From closed bars to Pedialyte, here are a few things you might not have known about the holiday.

That's the plan, but pulling it off may be a lot more complicated than it sounds.

Melissa Bernstein of Melissa & Doug on how she does her job.

Ten years later, a couple who met at the bank look back on its collapse.

Yesterday we examined the financials that lead to the fall of Bear Stearns, and now we’re going to look at the human side: A couple of unlikely Wall Street workers who met and eventually got married at Bear’s headquarters. We’ll trace their relationship through the bank’s collapse and catch up with what’s happened since. First though, we’ll talk about the latest Russian sanctions here and abroad. Plus: A closer look at the National Rifle Association’s scorecard, a powerful grading system that candidates run on — or run from.

When you're exposed to a shady colleague, you're 40 percent more likely to also engage in their bad business practices.

(Markets Edition) The Senate has voted to relax the regulations put on banks after the financial crisis (also known as Dodd-Frank), which critics like Sen. Elizabeth Warren are calling “The Bank Lobbying Act.” We’ll look at how lax, exactly, these rules will become for the banking industry. Afterwards, we’ll talk to economist Diane Swonk about what she thinks some of Dodd-Frank’s limitations are, and then we’ll head to Virginia to find out why the felony threshold for property theft is so low.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said late February that they would be coming soon.

(U.S. Edition) President Trump has tapped CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow as the new head the National Economic Council. Let’s take a look at what Kudlow might bring to the job as the top economic adviser. Afterwards, we’ll look at Unilever’s decision to cut ties with London and base its headquarters solely in the Netherlands, and then talk to one finance expert about what happens when a bad employee enters the workforce.

Virginia’s felony threshold for property theft is tied with New Jersey for the lowest in the nation at $200. There’s bipartisan support to raise it to $500 this year, but that’s still far below the threshold for most states.

The government hasn't blocked this type of "vertical" merger since the 1970s.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service. .. The U.K. announced actions against Russia over the poisoning of a former double agent — will the Kremlin’s response include economic measures? We hear from Evghenia Sleptsova, a senior economist for Central and Eastern Europe with Oxford Economics. Also: Singapore tops the list of the world’s most expensive cities to live in, but how far will your money go in the U.S. and Europe? Nikita Sisaudia crunched the numbers for the Economist Intelligence Unit and tells us more. Plus: more women around the world are earning a wage, but in India, that trend seems to be reversing. The BBC’s Rahul Tandon in Kolkata has been finding out why.

AT&T wants to buy Time Warner and the Justice Department isn’t having it. The Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against AT&T and Time Warner last November to prevent the merger. The government’s case rests on whether the merger would lessen competition in the entertainment marketplace and harm consumers. The case will go trial next week. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Michael Carrier, a professor of law at Rutgers, about what’s at stake. 

Economists look back on the 2008 financial crisis and the changes in banking regulation that have occurred since.

Store closings and bankruptcies are usually blamed on online competition. But that's only part of the story.

On this day in 2008, an 85-year-old investment bank became the very public face of the financial crisis. Only a $29 billion loan guarantee from the Federal Reserve and JP Morgan’s buyout kept Bear from actual bankruptcy, but the company was ruined. We’re marking this anniversary as part of our series Divided Decade, and on today’s show we’ll look at the financial infrastructure that made the crisis so contagious, and what’s changed. Then: What you need to know about Theranos, amid the news that the blood-testing startup’s CEO has been charged with “massive fraud.” Plus: Gary who? We’ll tell you everything you need to know about Trump’s new top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow.

The CNBC senior contributor is Trump's new top economic adviser.

The settlement comes two years after the SEC began looking into claims at Theranos that it had developed potentially revolutionary blood-testing technology.

He's a former CEO who now plays a pivotal role in our financial system and greater economy.

(Markets Edition) Many economists are talking about the dangers of Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, but his announcement hasn’t really been rattling the markets. What gives? Susan Schmidt, senior vice president and portfolio manager at Westwood Holdings Group, joined us to explain why they aren’t panicking. Afterwards, we’ll look at tensions in Alabama over a state law that makes it illegal for anyone to move or alter a monument that’s 40 years or older without special approval. Critics of the law say that it’s protecting Confederate memorials.

New York Times reporter Kate Kelly discussed the types of people who worked at Bear Stearns, including CEO Jimmy Cayne.

(U.S. Edition) When it comes to health care, the U.S. spends a whopping $3 trillion. And the reason for that may not be us going to the doctor’s office too often. We’ll look at a new article from the Journal of the American Medical Association that shows what may really be the cause. Afterwards, we’ll look at South Dakota’s push to get out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes. Then we’ll talk to New York Times reporter Kate Kelly about the culture at Bear Stearns — the investment bank that failed during the financial crisis — and the types of people who worked there.

The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act will soon have its first test in court. Alabama’s Attorney General has filed suit against the City of Birmingham for covering part of a Confederate monument.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … British Prime Minister, Theresa May is expected to announce measures against Russia on Wednesday. The country failed to meet her midnight deadline to explain how a nerve agent was used to poison a former spy, living in the U.K. The Kremlin has strongly denied any involvement — we look at what might happen next. Also in this edition: tributes are being paid to Professor Stephen Hawking, the British scientist who explained the workings of the universe to millions, who has died aged 76. Plus: The BBC’s Cindy Sui explores how Taiwan transformed itself from “garbage island” into a top global recycler.

Anthropologist Kathryn Clancy studies harassment that occurs among science researchers, and finds it's prevalent and not often reported.

Are scientists prioritizing data collection over reporting harassment? That’s one of the questions that caused University of Illinois anthropologist Kathryn Clancy to examine harassment in research laboratories and field sites.  She found that it’s prevalent in science as much as other fields, and that often researchers don’t know the procedures for reporting incidents. Clancy talks with Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams about the harassment that exists in scientific research, and what universities can do to change it.

The gig economy is mostly male. Let's find out why.

More than a quarter million people who were born in the U.S. to Mexican parents live in Mexico and haven’t been registered in either place.

Is the #MeToo movement reaching domestic workers? We’ll talk with advocate Ai-jen Poo about it.

(Markets Edition) President Trump has ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, replacing him with CEO director Mike Pompeo. We’ll talk to expert Ian Bremmer, president of a political risk consultancy called the Eurasia Group, about the differences between the two and what this shake-up could mean for foreign policy. Afterwards, we’ll look at key stock indicators are doing, and then discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to thwart Broadcom’s hostile takeover of Qualcomm. 

A White House official said Trump wanted to have a new team in place ahead of upcoming talks with North Korea and various trade talks.

The company and more than 38,000 unionized employers are still in wage negotiations.

(U.S. Edition) Broadcom — a Singapore-based chipmaker — tried to buy its American-based competitor Qualcomm in a hostile takeover, but the Trump administration announced it blocked the deal yesterday. On today’s show, we’ll look at some of the reasons why the U.S. would want to block this deal. Afterwards, we’ll talk with Sheila Bair — former chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation — about the government’s role during the financial crisis and whether they overstepped their bounds.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … A leaked draft of a United Nations report claims two Singapore companies have violated sanctions against North Korea. Could the practice be more widespread across Asia than previously thought? We hear more from the BBC’s Karishma Vaswani in Singapore. Plus: Sweden is known for its spirit of humility — a concept called “Jantelagen” — but could this deterring outside investors? The BBC’s Maddy Savage hears from startups that want to shout about their country’s strengths.

The former head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. shares her perspective.

The Winter Paralympics have been going on since 1976. How has the technology — and the funding for it — evolved since then?

The winter Paralympics have been held for more than 40 years. Athletes compete in events such as alpine skiing, some using a sit ski, with a seat attached to a single ski. There’s also biathlon, in which vision impaired athletes use sound to find targets. How has technology affected the evolution of the games — and what role does money play in who has that tech? Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams talks with Ian Brittain, a research fellow at Coventry University in the United Kingdom, where he studies disabilities and the Paralympics. 

Learning platforms that create individualized curriculums for student are a growing industry.

The Pilgrims were early colonial entrepreneurs — but they weren't the first.

Black women are starting their own businesses at the highest rate of any demographic group, report says.

A teenager tinkering in his lab invented a brilliant synthetic shade of purple in Victorian England.

(Markets Edition) One potential consequence of Trump’s planned trade tariffs: America’s infrastructure. We’ll look how pricier steel could mean pricier projects. Afterwards, we’ll hear from Rick Lockett as part of our “Divided Decade” series on how he struggled to find work, after graduating law school, in the midst of the financial crisis. 

(U.S. Edition) With President Trump pushing to impose tariffs on imported aluminum and steel, we’ll discuss the latest updates coming out of Brussels, where the European Union, Japan and the U.S. met to discuss the issue. Afterwards, we’ll look back at Bear Stearns’ struggles during the financial crisis, and JPMorgan Chase’s decision to snap the investment bank up.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … When Saudi Aramco floats on public markets, it’s likely to be the world’s biggest-ever stock listing. Officials at the oil firm were expected to announce which exchanges it would be traded on fairly soon, but now, it seems that investors will have to wait until next year. We hear more from the BBC’s Philip Hampsheir. Next: over 30,000 farmers have spent days walking across India in protest at their economic situation, calling on the government for help. From the protest, the BBC’s Suranjana Tewari tells us about the kinds of measures they want to see. Plus: the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster caused Japan to invest more in renewable energy – seven years on, are the benefits beginning to show? 

At first, it seemed like a bargain for JPMorgan. Then the fines rolled in.

The Japanese multinational SoftBank Group launched its $98 billion VisionFund last year. Since then, it’s dramatically changed the landscape in tech and venture capital. The fund has taken a majority stake in Uber, poured billions into WeWork, Nvidia, DoorDash, Slack and the dog walking startup Wag. SoftBank’s influence is so big, it’s pushing other venture capital companies to raise more money. Sequoia Capital, one of Silicon Valley’s best-known firms, is reportedly trying to raise more than $12 billion in new capital just to keep up. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood speaks to Anand Sanwal of CB Insights about how VisionFund is changing everything.