Week of January 13th, 2020

“This 25% tariff on inbound Chinese garlic has been a fantastic thing for American garlic farmers,” said second-generation garlic farmer Ken Christopher.

Last year, Gap announced it would sell off Old Navy. This week, it changed its mind. Why?

The trade war was actually a good thing for garlic farmers. Plus: how a digital tax is causing a rift between the U.S. and E.U., when companies should split in two, and how the trade deal with China was approved. 

It’s a sign of both a tight labor market and the critical role played by managers in operating a restaurant location.

Will the U.S. get into trade fight after trade fight with every country that tries to tax big tech?

An argument that Florida’s land boom in the 1920s, not the stock market crash, was the real reason for the financial crisis that followed.

With climate and affordability crises, should there be so many new, big houses?

What can we expect from forthcoming deals with China? The government wants journalists to write their stories by hand when reporting on certain economic data. A six-figure salary as a fast food restaurant manager is very well-deserved.

China’s growth is the slowest it’s been in 26 years, and the birth rate is not helping. It’s Canada’s turns to sign the USMCA. How Germany’s car industry grew to depend on Huawei.

China’s birth rate falls to its lowest in seven decades. Why one of the world’s richest women wants to become president of Angola. A British coin sells for a record $1.3m.

The new rules still block large vehicles, meaning companies testing driverless big rigs have to look elsewhere.

It’ll be months before the trade deal goes into effect.

The company’s chief environmental officer says that every tech company is going to be expected to pursue climate change solutions.

It could mean the economy’s hot and stuff is flying off the shelf. Or it could mean spending is down.

Some startups are hoping the concept reignites the music industry’s profits.

Lorraine Woellert of Politico predicts that the change will increase market volatility following some government reports.

How is more money changing our elections? Plus: new retail and supply chain numbers, and the economics of hologram musicians.

A unprecedented amount of money is being spent to influence the 2020 election. And it keeps getting harder to figure out where it’s all coming from.

A listener struggles to navigate all the unspoken rules of middle-class life.

Eva Wang and Sam Tian quit their jobs to make a go of it selling on Alibaba’s Taobao livestreaming service.

Foreclosure filings are at an all-time low. The Dow inches closer to 30,000. Chinese social media influencers are trying to cash in on livestreaming.

Companies don’t want to miss out on the 2020 race.

Who wins and who loses in the phase one U.S.-China trade deal? Corporate money isn’t staying out of Democratic presidential campaigns. Russia’s chief taxman is on deck to become the next prime minister.

After modernizing Russia’s hated tax service, its boss is tipped to lead the next government. A bright spot for Europe’s car sales in December could be short-lived. Climate change is set to dominate at Davos.

The company’s president says a lot of infrastructure still needs to be built for 5G to happen.

The retailer missed the mark on electronics and toy sales.

Today we’re answering more of your trade questions, talking with a farmer about how she’s affected by the trade deal and examining more of America’s trade disputes around the globe.

The World Economic Forum says there could be 36% more delivery vehicles on the roads over the next decade.

Corn and soybean farmer April Hemmes isn’t sure she’ll be able to regain the Chinese buyers she lost during the trade war.

The National Association of Realtors finds that metro areas with declining home affordability have less job growth.

There are plenty of other fights brewing, especially between the U.S. and Europe.

Kevin Rosenberg of Beacon, New York got over $220,000 of student loans discharged in bankruptcy.

Banks are doing well despite a dip in revenue from low interest rates. Jeff Bezos gets a cold welcome in India. Will the phase one deal stop China from stealing farming secrets?

Sussing out the phase one deal’s intellectual property rules. What an age discrimination case at the Supreme Court could mean for federal employees. How BlackRock’s move on climate risk will “reshape” finance.

Amazon unveils a new investment to boost Indian-made exports. Flybe gets its bailout, but criticism flies from rivals and environmentalists. Can a phase one trade deal between the U.S. and China stop intellectual property theft?

The U.S. accuses Chinese actors of systematically stealing American ideas, including agricultural technology.

Ed Bastian also wants to work on the impact of flying on climate change.

Robert Kaplan weighs in on how trade has shaped the central bank and where the economy is headed next.

This week, former Cambridge Analytica employee and document leaker Brittany Kaiser talks with us about election interference and Big Data.

The world’s largest money manager now sees climate change as investment risk.

The congresswoman says recent experience with USMCA will be useful as she advocates for her district.

We’re devoting most of today’s show to the trade war: how we got here, what tensions still remain and how it’s impacted people, businesses and regulators both here and abroad.

We look back at the chaos tariffs have inflicted on RM Metals in New Jersey.

Business leaders are united on one thing: the trade war has changed how they run their companies.

“The U.S. is bullying China,” was the assessment of one security guard in the city.

The U.S. and China are set to complete phase one of a trade agreement. Here are some of your questions, answered.

Workers connect qualifying callers with one-time emergency aid.

A Phase One deal trade is about to be signed. The U.S. rescinds the label of “currency manipulator” it had given to China. Lawmakers address the issue of affordable housing at the Capitol.

Democrats had to raise lots of money, from many donors, to get on the debate stage. They’re also spending a lot of that money.

Banks can thank regular consumers for their booming business. Seattle cuts Amazon out of city politics. Democrats are spending big to remain in the presidential race.

China is no longer branded a currency manipulator. A U.K. airline could be saved by a cut in airport tax for all. The controversy of phosphate mining in northwest Africa. 

According to CEO Meg Whitman, the streaming service’s tech and talent will draw them in.

Why aren’t streaming services doing more to crack down on it?

Plus: How phase one of the trade deal between the U.S. and China is affecting the steel industry, a new way to measure inflation, and the lack of diversity in the financial planning industry. 

Nearly six in 10 Americans now have a FICO score at or above 700, which is considered “good” credit.

Facebook says it is legally required to take down posts in support of sanctioned groups and people. Is it going further than that?

When prices for an item swing wildly up and down, they can drastically skew inflation measurements. A new index aims to rectify that.

Stagehand John Hatch has been underemployed for more than eight months.

There’s a trade off between how fast people can download things … and whether coverage can reach people in remote areas.

Women are getting more main character roles in movies. But mostly white women.

What will put the brakes on booming financial markets? Wireless providers aren’t always talking about the same 5G. Is Hollywood still #sowhite?

What does the so-called Phase One deal between the U.S. and China mean for intellectual property rules? Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan meet over a Nile dam dispute. CFOs see an economic slowdown on the horizon.

Walmart lays off executives in India. Ministers from Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt meet in Washington amid tensions over the new dam on the Nile. How a divide between China and the rest of the world is creating a “splinternet”.

Whatever is specifically agreed on could be very hard to enforce.

Solar building requirements add costs upfront and but mean savings over time.