Week of December 24th, 2018

You’ll be able to freely use select works from Robert Frost, Aldous Huxley and Edith Wharton.

A 2016 law that allows goods from abroad to enter the U.S. duty free as long as they are valued at $800 or less has opened up the door to more counterfeiters.

We’re still learning how the tax law is playing out and what it all means.

Protective materials are out there, and they don't have to cost more.

For a city that built its name on car production, it might seem a little counterintuitive that Detroit would take such a liking to electric scooters. But Ford Motor Co. is getting into the game with its recent acquisition of e-scooter startup Spin. Detroit has other e-scooter companies in the area as well.  The city is […]

(Markets Edition) This Friday isn’t only the seventh day of the partial government shutdown, it’s also the last pay day for hundreds of thousands of federal workers on furlough. If the shutdown lingers, this might be the last paycheck they see for weeks. We also check in on the markets, which have been up-and-down during the holiday week. Then we head to Detroit, where electric scooters are becoming more and more of a presence in the Motor City, thanks to regulators giving scooter companies the green light. Today’s show is sponsored by Indeed, Selligent and the and Alliance for Lifetime Income.

Multiple cities in California, New York and Washington will have a minimum wage at or above $15 an hour in 2019. The minimum wage hikes include legally mandated annual adjustments to keep up with inflation, laws passed by state legislators and voter-approved ballot initiatives. Congress hasn’t increased the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour […]

(U.S. Edition) While the ongoing government shutdown has multitudes of federal workers concerned about their next paycheck, some workers could get some relief in the new year. Twenty states and more than 20 cities across the country will be raising minimum wage in 2019. Also, members of Congress not only have the shutdown to contend with, but also hiring to fill holes in their staffs. The people they hire will be of particular interest to those keeping an eye on diversity on Capitol Hill. Then, we look at the end of the holiday season, where the final two months of the year are typically the busiest for retailers … but not as profitable as they might seem. Today’s show is sponsored by Indeed, Selligent and the and Alliance for Lifetime Income. 

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Chinese technology giant Huawei is staying optimistic even as it faces bans in several Western countries over fears their equipment poses a national security risk. Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of most mineral-rich countries on Earth, head to the polls this weekend. We head to the DRC’s capital of Kinshasa to explore president Joseph Kabila’s economic legacy. And illegal immigrants selling cheap goods have become a common sight on Spain’s beaches, as the country struggles to deal with the migrant crisis. Today’s show is sponsored by Indeed, Selligent and the and Alliance for Lifetime Income. 

Facial recognition software has made huge advancements in accuracy, but it has a long way to go — specifically when it comes to recognizing people of color. Commercially available software can tell the gender of a person using a photograph. According to researcher Joy Buolamwini, of the MIT Media Lab, that software is correct 99 percent of the time when it’s looking at a white male but is less than half as accurate when looking at a darker-skinned female. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Buolamwini about her research and the human biases that creep into machine learning. (This interview originally aired Feb. 13.)

About 420,000 U.S. employees have been classified as essential and are working without pay.

“The longer it lasts, the harder it’s going to be on myself and many, many others,” one contractor told us.

National climate change report says the business of farming could dramatically change if global warming isn’t addressed.

We go behind the lens with a photographer of four-legged subjects.

2018 was a busy year for U.S. trade policy and the 2019 outlook looks just as hectic.

"Toyeries" are making a comeback.

Amazon’s third annual Digital Day officially launches on Friday — though some discounts have already been spotted on the website. The company is offering deep discounts on content — digital books movies and games — the sort of thing you can use on its Kindle, Fire TV and Echo devices. The race to get you to buy proprietary […]

(Markets Edition) We start out with unpacking the down-and-up market activity this week, with U.S. markets opening down Thursday. This comes after a week of swings, where we witnessed the worst Christmas Eve since the recession, only for a 1,000-point Dow rebound on Wednesday. Economist Diane Swonk joined us to help sort out what this all means. Then, Amazon’s third annual Digital Day is approaching, where the company offers huge discounts on its content. It’s also a signal that the race to get people propriety content is in full swing. Also, we take a look at toy-lending libraries … remember those? They were common in bigger cities, then seemed to phase out. Now, they are making a comeback. Today’s show is sponsored by Indeed, Selligent and Wasabi Technologies. 

(U.S. Edition) New data out of China on Thursday morning took note of an apparent lesser demand for Chinese goods from both consumers and foreign buyers. Chinese officials are also stating that face-to-face meetings with the U.S. regarding the ongoing trade dispute will be happening in January. We look at what the data means. We then check out the Ford F-150, the top selling vehicle in the U.S. that shows no signs of slowing down during the holidays. Finally, we look into the post-fire recovery in California, which is leading many people to examine the best way to rebuild … which includes considering fire-resistant materials and techniques. Today’s show is sponsored by Indeed, Selligent and Wasabi Technologies. 

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … India has unveiled a new law aimed at protecting local retailers from e-commerce giants like Amazon and Walmart. The U.K.’s second-largest airport, London Gatwick, has been bought by a French infrastructure firm. And Japan’s birth rate falls to its lowest since records began over a century ago. We explore how robots are being used in Japan’s nursing homes to offset the labor shortage. Today’s show is sponsored by Indeed, Selligent and Wasabi Technologies.   

Fake news is enemy No. 1 right now. Companies and governments are trying to figure out who should be in charge of spotting misinformation and getting rid of it. MIT researcher Sinan Aral has found that the not-true stuff, what he calls “false news,” is not only hard to stop, but also really effective. A study published last spring found that false news travels way more efficiently and much farther than the truth. In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, Aral said misinformation can come at a real cost. (This interview originally aired Aug. 27.)

We’re now five days into the partial government shutdown. While the Senate is expected to reconvene Thursday and resume negotiations over how to end the shutdown, odds are that it’ll continue into January. The impasse is already cutting into the supply of something that is essential to just about every market out there: federal economic data. […]

More data breaches? Multiple versions of the internet? Here's what to keep an eye on.

It withdraws from the International Whaling Commission, saying populations have recovered enough to hunt for the animals.

There's someone choosing the music for your favorite TV and movie scenes. Morgan Rhodes explains how she does her job — and how she got to where she is now.

Sari Sharoni, an associate at the law firm Covington & Burling, joined us to discuss whether groups can legally prevent others from appropriating their language.

The economic effects have been largely obscured by the holidays, but will start showing up soon.

Texas is of course a big oil state, but it’s also home to a growing industry focused on reducing emissions of oil field methane, a climate change causing gas. But the Trump administration is loosening the rules on methane, which could leave these methane-reduction companies with a smaller market for their products and services. The […]

New home sales have been slipping most of the year for a variety of reasons

The market tells one story, but economic fundamentals have a different version

And companies are getting more than just your money.

A conversation with the co-founders of Avocaderia, the world’s first avocado bar.

Why the Fed is important for the economy and your personal budget.

…and there are many reasons why.

Christmas marked the fourth day of the partial U.S. government shutdown with no end in sight.

Shanghai is down almost 25 percent this year. Tokyo, Hong Kong and other markets are on track to end 2018 down more than 10 percent.

We talk with the CEO of Birchbox, which is opening kiosks at select Walgreens and Duane Reade locations.

The president isn’t happy with the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes.

We’re rerunning our interview with fact-checking comedian Adam Conover. His mission is kind of like ours: Challenging assumptions and questioning everything in a bid to make us all smarter. Doesn’t that sound useful over the holidays?

Shakeups in the industry have given way to more niche, artisanal fragrances.

There’s even something in there for the government.

(Markets Edition) First, we check in on the markets with economist Julia Coronado in the wake of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sending out a statement saying that he’s contacted the biggest banks in the country and asked them about credit. Also, gift cards are once again the most popular item on holiday wish lists. The National Retail Foundation found that 60 percent of Americans wanted gift cards for this holiday season. So, why does everyone from consumers to the government desire them? Leila Goldstein has more. We then discuss the Fed’s raising of interest rates last week, and how that will impact many people. Today’s show is sponsored by Orvis, Indeed, Netsuite and Wasabi Technologies.(12/24/2018).

Holiday music is more popular than ever, but that doesn't mean it's easy to make jingle bells rock.

(U.S. Edition) With last week being the Dow’s worst since 2008, some people are puzzled and a little worried at Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s statement regarding his contact with the CEOs of the six biggest banks in the United States. Also, a new study from the Commonwealth Fund shows that while women in the U.S. pay more for health care than women in other countries, they’re not as healthy. Then, we tackle the subject of Christmas Music, specifically the tried-and-true “Christmas album” from a band. It’s a branding tightrope, as the members of the band Hanson told us. Today’s show is sponsored by Orvis, Indeed, Netsuite and Wasabi Technologies. (12/24/2018).

Robots are coming for all our jobs, right? It can be hard not to feel that way given the pace of automation. But if it really is inevitable, are we doing anything to prepare for it? Enter the Automation Readiness Index, a research project put together by The Economist and funded by Swiss robotics giant ABB. It’s a global list ranking the nations most prepared to smoothly integrate “intelligent automation into their economies.” Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Guido Jouret, ABB’s chief digital officer, about which countries came out on top and how the United States is faring. (This interview originally aired April 23.)

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … German carmaker BMW is in hot water in South Korea over defective engines that caught fire. China is cutting tariffs on a range of products for the third time this year as the damaging trade war with the U.S. drags on. And, we take a look at how businesses in the U.K. are stepping up efforts to combat food waste. Today’s show is sponsored by Orvis, Indeed, Netsuite and Wasabi Technologies. (12/24/2018).