Week of February 4th, 2019

The government reopened two weeks ago, which means, yes, we’re just one week from another potential shutdown. The thing is, it takes time to get an organization that large started again. Case in point: Thousands of workers still don’t have back pay. We’ll start with that, and the biggest economic headlines of the week. Plus: How streaming music is changing life for artists in Mexico.

What happens when you hand struggling people money? A study on Finland’s universal basic income experiment concludes that not much, for the economy at least. We take a look at the mysteriously falling benchmark interest rate. America’s liquefied natural gas industry is growing, but are China’s tariffs on LNG actually hurting it as some predicted? Plus, Johnson & Johnson becomes the first company to put the prices of its products — drugs in this case — in its TV ads. Today’s show is sponsored by Kronos  and Indeed.

Will Congress be able to pass legislation to sue the international oil cartel OPEC? Walgreens is put on notice for selling tobacco to minors, and in one case, for selling tobacco, period. Plus, as the idea of Medicare-for-all seems to gain traction, doctors, health care industry lobbyists and insurance companies are beginning to round the wagons. Today’s show is sponsored by Kronos  and Indeed.

From the BBC World Service… There’s been a flurry of attention in the U.K. over how social media platforms regulate content promoting self-harm. We’ll hear from Instagram’s boss about new changes coming to the platform to give more oversight to graphic images. Then, after nine months of negotiations, Lebanon has a government this week. But political paralysis has hit the economy, which ranks as the third most-indebted in the world. Will new reforms aimed at spurring growth be a long-lasting form of change?  Then, do gender and perfume mix? Today’s show is sponsored by Kronos  and Indeed.

The video game Fortnite is a cultural phenomenon that has the whole entertainment industry on notice. Last weekend it took a step toward becoming an even bigger social platform, when it held a live, in-game concert with the electronic music DJ Marshmello. A reported 10 million players watched the concert all at the same time while their virtual characters danced around in the game. There was even in-game merch to buy after the show. Molly Wood talks with Peter Rubin, a senior editor at WIRED, who wrote about the concert and how it was definitely a winner for Marshmello. Today’s show is sponsored by WellFrame  and Topo Athletic.

As tax season carries on, states are trying to adjust to the new federal tax law and are putting thousands of tax returns on standby. We start today’s show bringing you the latest. Then: the lingering debt of federal workers who borrowed to get by in the shutdown. Plus, maybe the only good comment section on the internet. 

Video game companies and content creators like Netflix are taking the “L” on the global phenomenon knows as Fortnite. Does the U.S. economy need a new stimulus to fend off a recession? Plus, copper is a valuable commodity readily available to thieves in the form of wire in public electrical lines. The State of Missouri is fighting back. Plus, what would you name the newest, big banking merger? Today’s show is sponsored by Ling Ling Asian Foods, Avery Publishing, the Alliance for Lifetime Income and Indeed.

The federal consumer watchdog looks to roll back regulations on payday lenders. How is the American toy industry doing after Toys”R”Us pulled the plug? Plus, financial markets seem to be correcting following a slight downturn late last year, but one expert tells us it might not have been so slight. So, are we actually in a bear market? The thing is, we won’t know until later. Today’s show is sponsored by Ling Ling Asian Foods, Avery Publishing, the Alliance for Lifetime Income and Indeed.

From the BBC World Service… We have the latest developments in Venezuela’s political power struggle. Then, as British Prime Minister Theresa May heads to Brussels today to try and reopen Brexit negotiations with the E.U., we head to Spain to find out how businesses and thousands of expats living on the sunshine coast will be impacted by the U.K.’s departure. Plus, one of the world’s most important film festivals opens to today in Berlin. It’s not as flashy as, say, the Cannes Film Festival, but it draws a big crowd of moviegoers and industry insiders. Today’s show is sponsored by Ling Ling Asian Foods, Avery Publishing, the Alliance for Lifetime Income and Indeed.

The partial government shutdown may be over, but people going back to work are still feeling its effects. Today we hear from one contractor about her bittersweet return. Then: Hundreds of Texans are suing the government over how it handled relief efforts following Hurricane Harvey. The outcome of that lawsuit could shape the response to future disasters. Plus: The high-stress work of food delivery in Shanghai.  

We’re parsing out some of those jobs numbers President Trump dropped during Tuesday’s State of the Union address. What’s the real threat to the president’s touted “economic miracle.” Plus, a new study finds one quarter of Americans in poverty eligible for federal benefits don’t get them. And the president of the European Council says there’s a “special place in hell” for promoters of Brexit who didn’t really think this whole thing through. Today’s show is sponsored by Avery Publishing, the United States Postal Service and Indeed.

The border dominated President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, in which he said immigration by undocumented people hurts the “working class” in the U.S. We dig into his claim and hear about those whose livelihoods depend on crossing the border daily. Plus, what does the future hold following the U.S. withdrawal from a 30-year-old nuclear arms treaty? Plus, a day after it announced 4,000 layoffs, General Motors said it’s hiring 1,000 workers for a plant in Michigan, and it’s all thanks to America’s re-found love for trucks. Today’s show is sponsored by Avery Publishing, the United States Postal Service and Indeed.

From the BBC World Service… Entry of international aid coordinated by Venezuela’s opposition has been blocked by the country’s military, which supports President Nicolás Maduro. Then, booking a hotel online is no longer as simple as finding one in your price range and plunking down a credit card. Hidden fees, pressure to book due to demand and dishonest advertising have all led to a crackdown by the U.K. consumer protection regulator. Plus, across the world, Alzheimer’s costs an estimated $1 trillion each year, but as the portion of the elderly population grows, so will the costs. We’ll explore ways countries around the globe are dealing with the change. Today’s show is sponsored by Avery Publishing, the United States Postal Service and Indeed.

Once President Donald Trump gets his big speech out of the way this evening, he’s expected to nominate David Malpass to lead the World Bank — and shake it up. We start today’s show with a primer on what the bank does and how that’s changed. Then: The new tax cap on state and local tax deductions has some people changing their permanent residences to lower-tax states. Plus, “The Price Is Right” has been thinking about consumer spending for 60 years. We talk to its executive producer.

President Trump will address the country Tuesday evening, and infrastructure, like last year, is sure to be on top of his list of topics. Will all the rhetoric finally turn into bipartisan action in 2019? The threat of hyperinflation grips Zimbabwe as teachers go on strike. We take a look at the new economic mechanism some European countries are using to bypass U.S. sanctions against Iran. Plus, the Fed chair goes to dinner with the president. Today’s show is sponsored by Pitney Bowes, the United States Postal Service and Indeed.

President Donald Trump floats a World Bank critic as its new head. The workplace messaging system Slack announced plans to go public, but how exactly does the company make money? Chinese New Year celebrations begin Tuesday, and they involve a lot of little red envelopes of “lucky money.” We take a look at the custom’s significance, how it sometimes means a bit more than “good luck,” and how it’s gone digital. Plus, it might be time to check your Flickr account. Today’s show is sponsored by Pitney Bowes, the United States Postal Service and Indeed.

Bread prices have reportedly jumped 70 percent overnight in Zimbabwe. We bring you the latest from a country still struggling after years of hyperinflation. Then, underlying profits at BP have doubled. Almost nine years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, is the only way up for BP? Plus, imagine a world where someone hands you $650 a month, in cash, with no strings attached. That’s exactly what’s happened in Finland over the past two years as the country tries to find new ways to update an old safety net. But has the experiment worked? We explore the pros and cons of Finland’s universal basic income. Today’s show is sponsored by Pitney Bowes, the United States Postal Service and Indeed.

In the last week alone, digital media outlets have laid off hundreds of people. The publishers of USA Today are fighting off a takeover attempt. The Washington Post ran a Super Bowl ad about how important journalism is. But subscriptions don’t make enough money and ads are annoying, data-sucking and don’t even work most of the time. Enter tech. Jim McKelvey is the co-founder of the payments and processing giant Square. He’s got a startup called Invisibly that’s part micro-payments where you pay for individual articles and part ad tech where you, the reader, can earn free articles by trading more data. Choose to pay for no ads at all or strike a balance somewhere in the middle. McKelvey told Molly Wood the whole point is control. Today’s show is sponsored by Avery Publishing, Kronos  and Lenovo for Small Business.

You might have heard during the Super Bowl last night that Bud Light is brewed without corn syrup. You might have said, “OK?” We’ll tell you why it’s such a common ingredient in many foods, including beer. But first: For Republican lawmakers in districts affected by the steel and aluminum tariffs, bridging the gap between constituents and the administration’s trade policies isn’t always easy. We start today’s show talking with Rep. Jackie Walorski about it. Plus, a conversation with Jill Abramson about her new book, “Merchants of Truth.”

Are the markets and the Federal Reserve finally on the same page over this ever-impending recession? Australian banks are in crisis mode after an official inquiry into misconduct found systemic failings, which included levying fees on dead customers. Plus, the Hawaiian coffee industry is seeing itself imperiled by the most Hawaiian environmental threat imaginable — volcanic activity. Today’s show is sponsored by the Alliance for Lifetime Income, the United States Postal Service and WellFrame.

As the political chaos continues in Venezuela, the question remains as to who will get to take control of the country’s valuable oil resources and all the dollars they generate. The FDA’s opioid advisory committee says the agency is putting the interests of drugmakers over public health, following the approval of another powerful painkiller. David Brancaccio spoke to the head of the committee. Today’s show is sponsored by the Alliance for Lifetime Income, the United States Postal Service and WellFrame.

From the BBC World Service… Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ignored a deadline from the European Union to call fresh elections. Now, European heavyweights, including the U.K., France and Spain, have said they recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president. Then, an 11-month inquiry into Australian banks has resulted in recommendations after finding the institutions put profit before consumers. Then, Facebook blows out 15 candles today. But in adolescence, the social giant is facing a host of issues, from election meddling to data security and the possibility of increased regulation. Today’s show is sponsored by the Alliance for Lifetime Income, the United States Postal Service and WellFrame.