Week of September 2nd, 2024

The U.S. unemployment rate has never reached zero, and it likely never will. But that’s not a bad thing.

The IRS recovered $1.3 billion from high-income tax dodgers since last fall.

In this episode: Why Republican governors are leaning into clean energy. Also, the August jobs report and “My Analog Life.”

To wrap up our series about how technology has changed jobs, we hear from three “Marketplace” regulars.

Job creation numbers were just OK, but average hourly earnings rose 3.8% year over year, more than economists expected.

The states with the biggest clean energy investments, backed by Inflation Reduction Act funds, are not the typical climate change leaders.

Plus, financial educator Sahirenys Pierce defends her splurge and more in this week’s This Is Uncomfortable Newsletter.

Donald Trump says he’ll establish a government efficiency commission if re-elected in November — one headed by Elon Musk.

The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil — the NFL’s first regular season game played in South America.

We’ll take a look back at the time President Richard Nixon strong-armed a Federal Reserve Chair.

How have Banksy’s most recent street works — nine animal scenes in the London — impacted their local neighborhoods?

In this week’s “Make Me Smart” newsletter, we explore the NFL’s decision to allow private equity to buy portions of football teams, the relationship between car weight and safety and the costs of an extremely hot summer.

It was the lead-up to the 1972 presidential election. An era of “stagflation” was ahead. And President Richard Nixon had a plan.

From the BBC World Service: Seven & i Holdings said a $40 billion takeover bid “grossly undervalues” the business.

Wall Street Journal senior personal technology columnist Joanna Stern joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino for Tech Bytes: Week in Review.

Tips for approaching big purchases in your life … and when to go for the dupe.

Using stored renewable energy can help the grid — and be profitable for battery operators — especially when electricity demand is high.

Immigrants become consumers, workers and contributors to the U.S. economy. But in some places, an influx can stress budgets and infrastructure.

How immigration affects housing, economic growth and more. Plus, the history of San Francisco’s painted ladies.

The homes represent the city’s ideals, a local architectural historian says: cherishing the past and “always looking to the future.”

We’ll explain Vice President Harris’ capital gains tax proposal.

An appeals court has temporarily blocked a Biden plan that would reduce monthly payments for many to just 5% of their income.

The classic lemonade stand isn’t just for kids anymore and young adults are taking advantage of this side hustle.

More workers are available, but the need for personnel doesn’t seem as pressing as it was two years ago.

Nikki Massie thought of her colleagues like family. But a revelation forced her to reconsider her beliefs about the workplace — and her value within it.

A continual cooling in demand for workers can be a good thing — as long as we don’t go through the ice.

We’ll do the the numbers on the long-term impacts of safety net programs.

Shared memberships are out, and squeezing more value out of existing members is in.

While Democrats and Republicans differ in their views on how best to support families, both parties seem to be growing more child-centric.

From the BBC World Service: China’s President Xi Jinping has announced almost $51 billion in new funding for the continent.

Kristin Bride’s son Carson died by suicide at 16 after being a victim of cyberbullying. Since then, she’s advocated for better online guardrails.

Artificial intelligence companies see dollar signs in products for businesses.

If you’re looking for a job, your prospects are good — for now. Plus, what’s the difference between GDP and GNP?

Each measure looks at economic productivity. One focuses on who does it, and the other on where it happens.

The 7.7 million jobs available still outstrips the number of people seeking work, but the cooling trend may make job hunting harder next year.

The services sector has expanded in 47 of the last 50 months, according to the Institute for Supply Management. Several business owners in the sector report renewed strength this year.

Leaders in Washington have been busy replenishing U.S. stockpiles for war. But they may be more likely to be used in battling climate change.

Restaurants across the U.S. have the same problems, says Alexis Percival. “There’s been a bit of a reckoning” about how hard the work is.

Currently, 37 states have a program offering people with cognitive disabilities jobs that pay subminimum wages before moving on to higher-paying jobs. But that doesn’t always happen.

Back in February, the USDA told tribal leaders it was consolidating the FDPIR supply chain from two warehouses serving tribes all over the country to just one.

Today, we hear how a program aimed at helping workers with disabilities sometimes locks them into low-paying jobs.

Once a leading source of oil, California produced fewer barrels of oil in June than in any month since the federal government began counting in 1981.

AI chipmaking company Nvidia lost $279 billion in market value yesterday. We hear more.

From the BBC World Service: Anxious over hints of a future U.S. recession, financial markets in Asia and the U.S. have tumbled.

Tech companies asked for regulation of artificial intelligence, but there’s little agreement on the California Legislature’s approach. Chase DiFeliciantonio of The San Francisco Chronicle says Gov. Newsom faces a difficult decision and isn’t showing his hand.

Kai Ryssdal takes on the military and climate change.

The industry is spending big. But can it really swing the election?

The diabetes and obesity drug is difficult for low-income Americans to access. Plus, have economic sanctions on Russia worked?

The Kremlin has been cut off from much of the global economy by sanctions. But have they had the desired effect?

Firms that sell subscriptions can count on significant revenue boosts from consumer spaciness. It helps if customers have to jump through hoops once they realize they’re shelling out for a product they don’t need. 

People with private insurance are most likely to be able to get prescription weight loss drugs covered. Less than 10% of people who got semaglutide last year were on Medicaid.

During the pandemic, some hotels cut back on services like housekeeping. Workers on strike say it’s time to bring them back.

The economy might still be growing, but the manufacturing industry is not. It contracted again this month—this time with some of the worst indicators we’ve seen all year.

“Trade barriers drive inflation,” explained Tobias Meyer, CEO of the German logistics company DHL Group.

On today’s show: an exclusive interview with the CEO of German logistics and shipping company DHL.

In New York the median rent for a one-bedroom just crossed $4,500, by one estimate.

In May, the FAA said it was short 3,000 controllers. One factor in that: all air traffic controllers have to train at a single FAA academy in Oklahoma City.

Rent growth is slower these days, but renters are still feeling the pinch of high prices.

From the BBC World Service: The trial of Martin Winterkorn is getting under way in Germany over his role in a major diesel emissions scandal.

Users need to learn to identify these design tricks on websites and apps, says Yanely Espinal of Marketplace’s “Financially Inclined.”

Reema Khrais and producer Hayley Hershman reflect on what they’ve learned in 10 seasons of “This Is Uncomfortable” — and ask for your thoughts too!

For the first time in five months, consumer sentiment rose in August, thanks largely to high-income people, University of Michigan data shows.

Chef-turned-innkeeper Amanda Zimlich cooks breakfast and does all the housekeeping at Otter’s Pond B&B on Orcas Island.

Data shows improvement in consumers’ long-term economic outlook — make that some consumers. Plus, we hear from the authors of “Koreaworld” and the owner of an island bed and breakfast in the Pacific Northwest.

Federal rules require that if your flight is canceled, the airlines have to provide an automatic refund in your original payment form.

Some pediatricians say they’re keeping their stockpiles low to avoid being stuck with costly, unwanted vaccines.

Digital media has provided lucrative new ways to exploit music copyrights, as Ashley Carman of Bloomberg explains.

Matt Rodbard and Deuki Hong’s new cookbook dovetails with the global popularity of Korean entertainment while celebrating regional dishes.

Israeli workers across the country are protesting what they describe as the government’s lack of willingness to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza.

This Labor Day weekend, according to the aviation industry, is slated to be the busiest on record for travel.

A look at how work songs have influenced labor unions both in both the past and present.

When it comes to writing jokes, artificial intelligence isn’t ready for prime time, says the BBC’s Megan Lawton. But comedians are finding other ways to use the technology in shaping their acts.