Week of October 28th, 2024

Campaigns are preparing for potential legal challenges related to Election Day results.

So far, anti-monopoly watchdogs have found that breaking up is hard to do. Plus, the boom in temp staffing didn’t last long.

Hannah Burnisky, owner of Cold Mountain Art Collective, talks about how the hurricane destroyed her business and how she plans to rebuild.

Ohtani baseball cards can command hundreds of thousands of dollars. One recently sold for a record $336,000.

Google is facing a federal antitrust challenge. Microsoft endured similar scrutiny and came out in one piece.

After hitting a peak in March 2022, the temp industry has come back down to earth.

The old law had a loophole that resulted in a rise in plastic grocery bag waste. A new law aims to fix that.

Americans are betting on who they think will win the election, but just how much stock should we put in predictions markets?

Today’s jobs report makes for a dismal headline with just 12,000 jobs added. It probably doesn’t signal a wider downturn. 

Pending home sales, a leading indicator for the existing home market, rose nearly 7.5% in September – much more than expected.

Hello Kitty, the famous Japanese character, turns 50 today. She’s earned billions for Sanrio, which created Hello Kitty and other cute characters. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the business.

The upcoming election could impact whether a provision of Trump-era tax reform is extended beyond 2026.

Is the housing market strong, weak, or somewhere in between? We look at why there’s no simple answer right now.

The ban comes because Google failed to meet local manufacturing requirements for certain smartphones sold in the country.

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

It would be the biggest federal workforce shakeup in over a century, turning thousands of civil service positions into political appointments.

Changes in the way we eat are introducing new risks into the food supply chain. Frequent testing and recalls can protect the public.

There’s good reason to believe productivity will stay strong. When the labor market was tight, employers invested in upgrades.

The latest PCE report show inflation is moving closer to 2%.

The expansion has boosted U.S. exports and brought down energy costs here at home.

Researchers at Cornell University are putting together weekly pricing reports that will help farmers set prices for farmers markets.

Schedule F would expand the role of political appointees in the government. So what would that mean for federal economic data?

The Labor Department’s quarterly employment cost index basically tells us how much employers are paying their employees.

On this morning’s show, we’ll unpack the latest PCE report and the impacts of former President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs.

It’s fun, games and a lot of work…

This Halloween, we’ll check in with Star Romano of Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor in Long Beach, California.

From the BBC World Service: The Labour Party’s budget includes a $50 billion tax hike to fund public services.

Superintelligent machines with evil intentions have haunted screens for almost a century. The Washington Post’s Shira Ovide considers why narratives about killer robots and rogue AI assistants make for compelling horror stories.

You could argue we’re fueling job growth while stifling inflation. Plus, car ownership will cost you and small businesses feel economically off-kilter.

Since 2020, cost increases have far surpassed inflation, report finds. Prices for insurance and repair have been climbing.

Plus, some love for the Dodgers.

After a historic 2024 season, players are after higher salaries, better family and retirement benefits and a larger cut of WNBA profits.

Even though inflation has subsided, interest rates are heading down, and the labor market is loosening up, many business owners say the problems that emerged over the last few years haven’t gone away.

GDP grew at a healthy 2.8% pace. Current spending levels may provide a welcome “not too hot, not too cold” scenario for the Federal Reserve.

The job market is still tilted in workers’ favor.

Crop prices have dropped after supply shortages stoked profits. Farmers and equipment makers are cutting costs, but livestock is doing well.

We’ll unpack what to make of a stronger-than-anticipated payroll report and Google’s money-making prowess.

“It has those of us in the good government/democracy space scratching our heads,” says Sarah Bryner of OpenSecrets.

The gap between the average price of a new and used vehicle eclipsed $20,000, according to Edmunds — the widest gap since the site started tracking it in 2004.

The PCE index could come in at the central bank’s much-vaunted target of 2% inflation.

The Philadelphia DA has sued Elon Musk over a controversial $1 million-a-day sweepstakes for registered voters.

From the BBC World Service: It’s the worst of times for German carmaker Volkswagen. Meanwhile, Spain’s economy is experiencing soaring growth.

Scott Brennen and his team at NYU’s Center on Technology Policy tested reactions to AI disclosures as well as state regulations. Among the surprising findings: “We saw AI labels hurt candidates that use generative AI.”

At one point, tickets for tonight’s game were priced at an average of $2,400 on SeatGeek. Now they’re about half that amount.

A wide-ranging conversation about the past, present and future of our democracy.

Keriann Otaño felt isolation and economic insecurity as a singer, but an opera house official did her a good turn.

Despite oodles of federal investment in the solar panel industry, there are still obstacles.

While there’s a lot of new economic data coming out between now and then, it will probably be relevant for later Fed meetings.

Some U.S. solar panel makers are pro tariffs on Chinese-made materials. Others say the industry can’t meet demand without imported products.

Home prices are up more than 4% year over year, but the rate of increase is slowing as inventory grows and buyers hope for better deals.

“Somebody recently put it as not realistic, but authentic,” said Debora Cahn, creator of “The Diplomat.” “And I think that’s the right way to describe the goal.”

The global matcha market is predicted to jump from $2.3 billion this year to $2.89 billion in 2028.

The online trading platform Robinhood has started allowing its customers to bet on who will the the election.

The New York Stock Exchange would allow trades 22 hours a day through its electronic platform, Arca, pending regulatory approval.

It doesn’t necessarily feel like that to everyone living here. This is why.

The New York Stock Exchange has announced plans to extend after-hours trading. We’ll dig in.

From the BBC World Service: Protesters are saying the ruling Georgian Dream party stole the country’s election over the weekend.

Elizabeth Laird of the Center for Democracy and Technology explains how parents, teachers and students are dealing with the spread of AI-generated abusive images.

Million Bazillion: Live on air (again)

Economists explain why Trump’s insistence on having a role in setting interest rates as president is a dangerous idea with global repercussions.

Everyone take a deep breath.

Kai Ryssdal explores what would happen to the global economy if the Federal Reserve lost its autonomy.

With election day just about a week away, the economy and its overall health are on the ballot in all but name.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services predicts a nationwide shortage of OB-GYNs by 2030.

California approved tax credits for filmmaking companies in an attempt to win back business from rival states like New York and Georgia.

The Japanese yen sunk to a three-month low as investors reacted to the loss of a parliamentary majority for Japan’s ruling coalition in weekend elections.

With polarization and friction rife, DEI expert Sara Taylor says we should look at ourselves rather than blame others.

With tech now able to clone voices in minutes, many people in creative industries are worried about what this could mean for their livelihoods.