Week of August 26th, 2024

Roads, utilities and telecommunications provide some of the greatest economic returns.

When an economic initiative takes years to play out, who ends up getting the credit?

That’s a key takeaway from the July personal consumption expenditures report. We’ll explain what it all means. Plus, what the heck is a fiscal year?

One reason? Savings rates are coming down from a high early in the pandemic, when many Americans were able to hold on to extra cash.

Startups are suffering a hangover from the binge years of early COVID-era investment.

Corporate tax policy is a big election issue, partly because those taxes can be a key source of revenue for the government.

As summer temperatures rise, some see the public pool as climate adaptation infrastructure, says journalist Eve Adams.

During any summer road trip, especially in the Midwest, you’re likely to pass by at least one sex shop. What are they doing out there?

Plus, comedian Josh Gondelman defends his splurge in this week’s “This Is Uncomfortable” newsletter.

Interest rates in America are guided by a key inflation reading released today, and it came in line with expectations.

In this week’s “Make Me Smart” newsletter, we explore the rise of medical debt forgiveness and how crypto is influencing the 2024 elections.

September first has been Boston’s unofficial moving day for more than a century. Why has the date stuck around?

The advent of social media has expanded the pool of sponsorship dollars. A record number of networks will cover this year’s events.

NBC — the games’ U.S. broadcast partner — reported that Paralympic ad sales are up 60% over the Tokyo games in 2021.

From the BBC World Service: A dispute over local laws in Brazil could mean that the X platform is blocked in the country.

Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino for Tech Bytes: Week in Review.

Understand how websites and apps are designed to manipulate you and what you can do about it.

And the limelight can be harsh for a company like Nvidia.

Powerful computer chips are sold in Shenzhen markets despite U.S. restrictions on exports, says Ana Swanson of the New York Times.

The retailer can only raise prices so much — households that earn less than $35,000 a year account for 60% of its sales.

It’s now at its lowest level, relative to other currencies, in more than a year. But that’s not necessarily bad news. Plus, Dollar General’s profits are down, despite stronger sales than last year.

The real gross domestic product for the second quarter was even stronger than previously thought.

That’s a positive for U.S exports, but it raises prices for imported goods.

Body disposition can have a major environmental impact. That’s partly why 12 states and counting have legalized human composting in the past five years.

What do you do when you’re afraid the person closest to you might be losing themselves… and all their money?

Members of Congress are calling on the Agriculture Department to fix supply chain problems.

Most Americans support government action on climate change, but a growing minority worry it will harm the economy, according to survey data from Stanford University and Resources for the Future.

New research finds that Latinas accounted for $1.3 trillion in 2021, thanks largely to the daughters of immigrants.

Latinas’ contribution to the U.S. economy grew more than 50% between 2010 and 2021.

From the BBC World Service: In Argentina, police have clashed with demonstrating senior citizens in Buenos Aires.

Iran’s recent cyberattacks against the Trump and Harris campaigns mimic strategies used by Russia during the 2016 election. Javed Ali of the University of Michigan says they’re not likely to stop anytime soon.

We visit McKee, Kentucky, population 800, where all homes and businesses have had fiber-optic internet connections since 2014.

Lowe’s and other companies are pulling back and taking a stand.

As the federal government tries to connect every home to high-speed internet by 2030, Kai Ryssdal visits a Kentucky town that already did that — 10 years ago.

Paralympians recently started receiving as much as Olympians for each gold, silver and bronze. That extra amount helps these athletes, who have to pay a lot of money for training and equipment.

The U.S. surgeon general has identified parent stress as a significant public health issue. What can be done?

A number of events important to the Civil Rights Movement — from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech to Emmett Till’s murder — took place on Aug. 28.

Oasis, and concert promoters, know that those Gen X and millennial fans have real money now.

Nvidia release profits today. How much hardware are AI companies still buying though?

From the BBC World Service: The aim of the visit is to reset the U.K.’s relationship with Germany and the broader European Union.

Experts have warned that artificial intelligence threatens to supercharge the spread of misinformation in this election year. But so far, The Washington Post’s Will Oremus says, the new tech seems to be giving a bigger boost to meme creation.

And how to talk about disabled athletes’ accomplishments without being condescending.

That’s the mission of Meghan Sandfoss, head of the state’s Office of Broadband Development. But it will require a lot of statewide coordination.

McDonald’s has released multiple cup collections over the years. We spoke to a memorabilia expert on whether you should buy, sell or hold.

The government is spending billions to expand internet access. But distance, low housing density and other factors complicate the plan.

Should the Albertsons-Kroger grocery chain merger go forward? The FTC doesn’t think so.

Vice President Kamala Harris wants to erase medical debt for millions of Americans. The issue is getting more airtime leading up to November’s election.

More than 10,000 schools nationwide lack air conditioning, according to the Center for Climate Integrity. And with soaring temps across the midwest and East Coast, some schools are releasing students early or closing altogether this week.

Some schools without air conditioning are releasing students early or closed altogether.

From the BBC World Service: When it comes to Chinese tariffs, Canada and the U.S. are in the same lane.

Part of the law likely violates the First Amendment, the court said. But the ruling shows a way forward, says Aaron Mackey of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

They’ve gotta come from U.S. factories. We’ll visit one in North Carolina.

A Kroger-Albertsons combination would be the biggest in U.S. history.

We tour a North Carolina plant where melted glass is pulled into the hair-like strands that power fiber-optic cable.

The messaging app Telegram transmits a lot of toxic and dangerous stuff — but it has legitimate uses too.

The vaccine can cost more than $100, which can be a barrier for the 11% of non-elderly adults who are uninsured.

They look like legitimate job listings, but they aren’t.

A months’ old job posting that’s never resulted in a real hire? Now that’s spooky.

From the BBC World Service: We’ll learn more about the arrest of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of messaging platform Telegram, over the weekend.

Adi Robertson, senior tech and policy editor at the Verge, explains how Grok-2 and its lack of clear restrictions is creating more problematic or misinforming images and deepfakes.