Week of June 11th, 2018

The sequel to the animated superhero film “The Incredibles” opens in movie theaters across the country today. The original film came out in 2004, grossing $633 million worldwide. So with those kind of numbers, why did it take 14 years to make a sequel? Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico in September 2017, thousands of people have fled the island to come to the mainland. Many of them — some 1,600 families — have been staying at hotels paid for by the Transitional Shelter Assistance program from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the program will expire at the end of […]

The U.S. is facing a national trucker shortage. With the economy in an upswing, there’s more of a demand for goods than there are people to transport them. As carriers try to attract drivers with perks and pay raises, companies that rely on shipping say an unexpected rise in shipping costs has forced them to […]

U.S. tariffs announced today will affect more than 800 products from China, everything from aircraft tires and boat motors to cranes and bulldozers. Government officials say they’ll give U.S. companies the chance to request that certain products they import from China be excluded from the tariffs. Already, thousands of companies have filed applications with the […]

Is the sky blue? Kai catches us up on our current trade relationship with China and all the events that got us here. We follow that up with the Weekly Wrap. This time we’re joined by Rachel Abrams from the New York Times and Dion Rabouin from Yahoo Finance. And in non-trade news: We talk to director Hiro Murai. You probably know him from his collaborations with Donald Glover on FX’s “Atlanta” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” (06/15/18)

Did you know there’s a shortage of truck drivers? What that means for them and for the prices of products we buy. Plus, we take a dive into what it takes to be good at diplomacy. Then, futboool!!!

(U.S. Edition) That’s soccer, if you were wondering which one. But first: China is threatening quick retaliation against U.S. tariffs on $50 billion worth of goods. Our Shanghai correspondent will bring us the latest before we shift our focus up north, our relationship with Canadian agriculture. Plus: History seems to be repeating itself for the American soccer team in this year’s World Cup. We’ll look back to the 1998 tournament with Roger Bennett, host of a new podcast from Men in Blazers and WNYC called “American Fiasco.” Today’s podcast is sponsored by Indeed. (06/15/2018)

(Markets edition) It’s been a watershed week for people trying to figure out where to put their money. Big central bank meetings, an IMF report on U.S. fiscal policy and now President Trump is green-lighting $50 billion in tariffs against China, which has promised to retaliate. We’ll check in on markets and talk about where things stand. Then, it’s wedding season and we’re wondering: Should newlyweds combine their bank accounts? Today’s podcast is sponsored by Indeed. (06/15/2018) 

The Seattle City Council voted this week to undo a new tax that would have made big businesses pay per employee to generate money for public housing and help for the homeless. Seattle’s housing costs and homeless population have both exploded in recent years as the tech industry, mainly Amazon, has brought higher salaries and lots more jobs. But Seattle businesses, including Amazon, pushed back hard on the new tax. One month after it passed, the city council flipped the reset button. Mike Rosenberg, a reporter covering housing at the Seattle Times, spoke with Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood about whether it was normal for businesses to fight city policy as hard as they did. (06/15/2018)

(Global Edition) The International Monetary Fund warned this week U.S. tariffs could dent global growth, but according to reports, President Trump is preparing to unveil $50 billion worth of new tariffs on another batch of Chinese imports. If you’ve lost track of what’s covered and what’s not, we’ll take a step back and bring you up to speed. Then, China’s ride-hailing app Didi is the world’s most valuable startup, and it’s now expanding into Melbourne, Australia. Plus, the world’s most expensive movie poster ever sold fetched half a million dollars at auction, but what makes a poster so valuable? One hint: It doesn’t always have to do with a movie’s widespread success. Today’s podcast is sponsored by Indeed (Indeed.com/marketplace). (06/15/2018)

Gas prices are on the rise just in time for summer travel. But will that give drivers second thoughts about hitting the road during the summer vacation season? Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

In order to afford a modest one-bedroom rental, an American would, on average, have to make $17.90 an hour. This is according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. There’s just one problem — $17.90 is far above the federal minimum wage. It means there are a lot of people who can’t really afford their […]

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will be in Canada today  to meet with his counterpart, Lawrence MacAulay. Last weekend’s G-7 summit in Canada ended in a tweet storm with President Donald Trump insulting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s trade practices. But the USDA wants you to know this visit was planned weeks ago. Click the […]

New numbers out Thursday show that Americans spent a lot of their paychecks on retail last month. U.S. retail sales were strong in May, rising about eight-tenths of a percent from a month earlier.  That may sound small, but it’s the biggest one-month jump since last November. Among the merchants that got a lot of […]

The European Central Bank announced today it is doing something the Federal Reserve has been doing for several years now: It’s taking its foot off the gas pedal of the economy — in this case, the eurozone economy. Specifically, it’s ending its practice of buying up bonds. So is the eurozone back on track? Click […]

The trusty sedan might not be enough for Americans these days. Sales have been tanking the last few years, giving way to bigger trucks, SUVs and crossovers. We find out why. Also on the show, we talk with Politico’s Annie Karni about her reporting on the how the White House was looking for new employees at a job fair. Plus, we ask, “Is there a way for a country to engage in ‘good’ protectionism for its own interests?” Short answer: Well, it depends. Just give it a listen. (06/14/2018)

(Markets Edition) The perfect U.S. and EU economies are growing in tandem, but America is a bit further along. The European central bank is backing off its stimulus program, while Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell says the American economy nearing a Goldilocks-esque “just right” level where the bank can stop tinkering. But what’s that actually look like? Surely, wages would have to come up, right? Then: A new study says you’d need to make $17.90 an hour to afford a modest one bedroom rental in the U.S. Trouble is, the minimum wage in most of the country is much lower. Plus: the tensest match-up at the World Cup. Today’s podcast is sponsored by Abby Connect (abbyconnect.com/morning), Carbonite (carbonite.com), and Indeed (Indeed.com/marketplace). (06/14/2018)

Earlier this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the electric car company would lay off about 3,000 people and work much harder to become profitable. On Wednesday, perhaps in a show of confidence to investors, Musk bought about $25 million worth of Tesla stock. The past few months have been tough for the company. There have been crashes involving Tesla’s semi-autonomous mode, battles with investors and attacks on the media over negative coverage. But at the end of the day, Tesla has one thing it needs to accomplish: Make the Model 3 a success. And that is still proving harder than it should be. Maryann Keller, a consultant and independent auto analyst, spoke with Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood about what’s so hard about manufacturing this car. (06/14/2018)

(U.S. edition) We might hear from the Supreme Court this morning on Janus v. AFSCME, the largest public employee union in the country. At issue: whether workers covered under a union contract should have to pay some dues, even if they’re not in the union. While we wait for the decision we’ll talk with Craig Helmstetter from APM Research Lab, which just released a surveyed Americans’ opinions on the case. Plus: What you need to know about Elon Musk’s plan to tunnel through in Chicago, and how rising gas prices could affect summer travel. Today’s podcast is sponsored by Abby Connect (abbyconnect.com/morning), Carbonite (carbonite.com), and Indeed (Indeed.com/marketplace). (06/14/2018)

(Global Edition) The Federal Reserve delivered on its expected rate rise yesterday, now it’s the European Central Bank’s turn to announce whether it will begin scaling back its financial-crisis era monetary policy efforts. But how much will weaker-than-expected growth in region and political uncertainty threaten that decision? Then, the World Cup kicks off today with Russia taking on Saudi Arabia in the inaugural match. While it’s a big opportunity to grab millions of eyeballs, some of the world’s biggest global brands are sitting on the sidelines. But we’ll explore why they might have another move up their sleeve. Afterwards, Britain is marking one year since a deadly high rise fire killed 72 Londoners. We take a look back at what happened and what’s changed. Today’s podcast is sponsored by Abby Connect (abbyconnect.com/morning), Carbonite (carbonite.com), and Indeed (Indeed.com/marketplace). (06/14/2018)

Last month the Seattle city council voted unanimously for a head tax – a set fee that bigger companies would have to pay for each of their employees. The tax was meant to raise funds to address homelessness and help create more affordable housing in a city where both have become problems. Then yesterday that same […]

Yesterday … a judge cleared AT&T’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. Today… Comcast bid $65 billion in cash for 21st Century Fox assets, which Disney is already trying to buy. Coincidence? I think not. The AT&T decision was closely watched for the implications it could have on other deals. So, more to come? Click […]

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates today, and Chair Jay Powell took some time to explain the economics of the decision. We thought that was our job. Anyway, we’ll bring you the highlights, plus the latest in corporate mega-mergers as Comcast makes a bid for Fox. Then: A lot of us still feel the effects of the financial crisis, but there are places where you can actually still see them. Houses that got stuck in foreclosure limbo, abandoned by their owners and are still sitting empty years later. They’re called “zombie homes.” We’ll take you to Long Island, which has more than anywhere else.

While this version is less partisan than previous ones, safety net programs are still a hurdle

The Fed is expected to raise interest rates today at the conclusion of a two-day meeting. The expected move comes as inflation inches up. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

President Donald Trump vowed back in 2016 that his presidency would block the mega-merger between AT&T and Time Warner. Today, a federal judge decided otherwise. We’ll talk about how we got here and what happens next. Plus, in light of the historic summit in Singapore and the Fed meeting today and tomorrow, we’ll put the American and North Korean economies in context. 

Philadelphia City Council is expected to vote this week on what some members see as a potential solution to the city’s affordable housing problem — a 1 percent tax that could fund rental construction and help qualifying home buyers make down payments on houses. But the proposal is controversial. Click the audio player above to hear […]

The Federal Open Market Committee begins its two-day meeting today to talk interest rates. The Fed is expected to raise its target rate by a quarter of a point for the second time this year. And with unemployment reaching a new low last month and inflation creeping up, analysts expect officials to keep raising rates […]

It’s been a year since Amazon acquired Whole Foods, and the company announced today Prime members in 10 more states are eligible for special deals at the store. With Amazon getting deeper into the grocery business, competitors have had to up their digital game … and also improve delivery services. So what are they doing […]

President Donald Trump backed out of a joint statement with the other six countries of the G-7 and lashed out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter after Trudeau said Canada would push forward with retaliatory tariffs. A photo from the weekend kind of sums it all up: Trump’s seated, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, […]

Those might sound the same, but in practice they’re very, very different. Under President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission mandated that internet service providers treat all internet traffic the same. Today, those net neutrality rules were officially rolled back. We had Chairman Ajit Pai on to talk about what will change, how he measures success and what happens if his vision for an open internet doesn’t work. Plus, it’s been a year since Amazon acquired Whole Foods. How has Amazon’s entry changed the grocery business?

In Singapore, on the eve of the nuclear summit, they’re naming cocktails after leaders Kim and Trump. But a bit more seriously, the service sector for which Singapore is known — and one reason it was chosen — is kicking into high gear. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

Today is the day when so-called net neutrality rules no longer apply to the internet. Last year, the Federal Communications Commission repealed the rules that had prevented internet providers from playing favorites, by, for instance, offering faster service to customers who pay more for it. What comes next? Click the audio player above to hear […]