Week of April 8th, 2019

What factors played a role in his picks?

A look at the companies disrupting the $7.2 billion bra business.

We look at what Disney brings to the streaming war. Plus, we talk with the the showrunner of “The Chi” and look at the companies disrupting the $7.2 billion bra business.

Is the most powerful bank in the “Game of Thrones” universe too big to fail?

Will there be other deals like it?

The media giant is launching Disney+ at $6.99 per month, nearly half the monthly price of a standard Netflix subscription.

Ayanna Floyd Davis says she sees behind the headlines about Chicago's South Side.

In cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia, the number of homes in the early stages of foreclosure is higher than it was before the financial crisis.

Brands of all kinds are rushing to capitalize on the show.

It’s the deadliest drug epidemic our country has ever faced. We go to ground zero, where “nothing changes except for the drug.” Subscribe to The Uncertain Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Does alternative sentencing create a system of easily exploited free labor?

Businesses are struggling with hiring, access to capital and family separation.

Big banks are out with positive earnings reports. Jumia, Africa’s answer to Amazon, begins trading on the NYSE. Plus, how prosecutors and judges are looking at alternative sentencing programs to avoid the consequences and costs of incarceration.

Ahead of Uber’s IPO, we take a look at its business model. One county in Virginia puts felons caught in the opioid crisis to work instead of in jail. Plus, marketing for the epic final season of “Game of Thrones.” 

From the BBC World Service… Africa’s largest e-commerce operator Jumia begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange. We hear from the World Bank’s new president David Malpass. Plus, do you think you’re an above-average driver?

More than 40% of millennials and Gen Xers say they don't think so.

And someone on the other side of it may be listening, too.

Are you ever really alone when talking to your smart speaker? It turns out there might just be someone on the other side listening to you as part of the platforms’ quality assurance measures.

The company that launched Ebony and Jet magazines — Johnson Publishing Company of Chicago — has filed for bankruptcy. Johnson sold off its magazines in 2016, but held on to Fashion Fair, its cosmetics brand. When the brand hit the market in 1973, the department store counters that sold it were among the few places where […]

Businesses in the Midwest are in the process of recovering from last month's floods.

For the first time since the financial crisis, the CEOs of the largest US banks testified to the House Financial Services Committee. James Gorman of Morgan Stanley, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan asked Congress to lower the high capital requirements. They say the rules, put in after the financial crisis, […]

An entertainment lawyer breaks down what's next for television writers.

The opioid epidemic is filling jails. Wise County, Virginia, is looking for alternatives.

It’s not easy being an undercover cop in a county of just 40,000 people. But drugs were making it hard for Bucky Culbertson to run his business, so he made it his business to get rid of drugs.

American cities pay a mysterious premium for underground rail lines.

Jobless claims drop to an almost-50-year low. Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro agrees to let foreign aid into the country. Plus, the Economist magazine’s statistical model to predicts the likely winner of the PGA Masters Tournament.

"Augusta National does not mind leaving a little money on the table," said one person who analyzed concessions at the Super Bowl of golf.

To recruit more young people, employers talk up technology and higher pay.

Bank CEOs face Congress for the first time since the Great Recession. A labor shortage in construction is prompting a rebranding. Plus, cheap food is on the menu at the PGA Masters Tournament. Pimento cheese sandwiches, anyone?

In several cities, foreclosures are higher than pre-recession levels. But property values are rising, loan defaults are down and the job market is strong, so what’s going on? Plus, the Midwest’s devastating floods and more.

From the BBC World Service… The United Kingdom has reached a Brexit compromise with E.U. leaders, but what’s next? Then, Venezuela’s embattled president allows humanitarian aid into the country. Plus, the world’s largest-ever election has kicked off in India.

Are gig workers getting the guidance they need when it comes to filing their taxes?

Depending on which research you read, somewhere between 30% and 35% of American workers are part of the gig economy, many of them working through digital apps.

Month-to-month price fluctuations make it difficult for the Bureau of Labor Statistics to measure inflation accurately.

The company has actually lowered its expectations.

British Prime Minister Theresa May still has to agree to the offer.

A look at the data and dollars hiding behind the dashboard.

The post-crisis financial policy has a downside.

David Peterson created the Dothraki and High Valyrian tongues.

The CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co. has new things on his mind.

“Game of Thrones” has spared no expense on costumes, sets and even whole languages. Today we talk with the linguist whose job it is to make them. Plus: Why rail travel is so expensive to build in the United States.

In Nashville, the school district has put a ban on online fundraising for classrooms.

The "free file" program is controversial because it's run by the same private companies that make money on tax preparation.

When American-born children age out of foster care without identifying documents like birth certificates and state ID cards, their financial futures can be at stake.

Fear of costly mistakes drives some taxpayers to use a professional or software.

It was a scandal last year when one of the world's biggest movie stars vanished from the public eye for months.

Consumer prices tick up. Plus, we look at how some foster children struggle to find work or housing due to the difficulty of obtaining their identifying documents once they turn 18.

Walmart will further its use of robots to keep labor costs down.

President Trump’s nominee for the World Bank starts his new gig. Walmart rolls out its in-store robot army. Plus, Nashville has decided to put an end to teachers’ use on crowdfunding sites to raise money for school supplies.

From the BBC World Service… Turkey’s finance minister unveils a new economic plan. The latest from Brussels ahead of another crunch Brexit meeting. Also, voting in India’s general election begins in less than 24 hours. 

By using social media, NASA discovered what the public was looking for.

Molly Wood visits NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab to talk about how social media fits into the agency’s public mission.

Finding and retaining workers can be a challenge.

The idea is that transparency would lead to more competition and lower costs. One drug company is already on board.

A conversation with the IMF's chief economist about the lowest global growth rate since the financial crisis.

We look at how fear, history and marketing have kept Americans from going DIY. Plus: the IMF cut its global economic growth outlook, and would requiring prices in pharma ads make drugs cheaper?

Putting the numbers in broader context.

It’s our the fifth Explainathon, the semi-biannual challenge when Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood try to answer as many of your questions as possible. This one has everything: Privacy regulation! Social Security! 5G! The college admissions scandal! The dark web! We tackle it all.

One U.K. company is developing a portable 3D X-ray machine based on space technology.

Global box office revenue is at an all-time high despite the narrative that streaming services, like Netflix, make going out to the movies obsolete.

As production of the 737 is cut back, could there be an opportunity for Boeing's competitors?

Investors want to get in on Saudi oil firm Aramco ahead of its giant bond offering. It turns out Netflix didn’t kill the movie theater industry after all. Plus, we follow the tax drama unfolding for Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.

Boeing still has a lot of 737 MAX orders to fill. The U.S. proposes retaliatory tariffs on the EU following the WTO’s finding that the bloc’s subsidies to Airbus undercut Boeing. Plus, how the new tax law is affecting filers.

From the BBC World Service… Chinese and E.U. leaders meet in Brussels. Carlos Ghosn hits back at misconduct claims. Plus, the U.K. space agency teams up with the NHS to turn space technology into medical solutions.

What’s at risk when sites disappear?

What responsibility do companies have to hold onto anything you might upload to their platform?

When a business files for bankruptcy in today's economy, what happens?

The social-networking site Pinterest has set a price range for its initial public offering. At the peak price of $17 per share, the company would be worth a little over $11 billion, down from an estimate of $12 billion last year. Pinterest is part of this year’s wave of IPOs, which started with Lyft last […]

We take a look beyond China’s Great Firewall. But first: This is shaping up to be the biggest year for IPOs since the dot-com boom. We look at how investing has changed since then. Plus: Paying taxes in bitcoin?

Many U.S. tech firms are blocked, but there are homegrown equivalents inside the "Great Firewall."

Wyoming is the state with the most dangerous workplaces.

The state treasurer's office is trying something new.

The protections for prepaid debit cards are now the same as those extended to users of debit cards tied to bank accounts.

Amazon recently confirmed plans to provide internet connectivity from orbit.

A report from Media Matters finds that broadcast TV news coverage of climate change fell by 45 percent between 2017 and 2018.

The report is based on a program of investment in 1,100 principals.

We take a look ahead at the week for the financial markets. The WHO weighs in on the severity of a so-called, global video gaming “disorder”. Plus, a new study suggests that a key to improved school performance is focusing on principals.

A secretly recorded speech by Murray Energy boss is at center of a legal dispute.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s last act tells us a lot about immigration in America. The WHO weighs in on a so-called, global video gaming “disorder”. Plus, miners fight back about safety concerns in court.

From the BBC World Service… British ministers claim new laws will make the U.K. the safest place in the world to be online. India’s ruling party publishes its election manifesto. Plus, is gentrification a problem?

One investor says sports bets could evolve into a different type of asset.

At least 20 states are considering new legislation, which is likely to lead to a lot more online gambling.