Week of April 28th, 2025

We’ll hear from small business owners and a drayage company about how tariffs are affecting their sectors. Plus, a recap of this week’s economic news with Greg Ip from the Wall Street Journal and Ana Swanson of the New York Times.

As fewer and fewer containers are dropped off at ports across the U.S., the drayage industry is set for a downturn. Here’s how one supply chain logistics company is facing the headwinds.

Plus, to the Moon or to Mars?

Experts predict steep tariffs could lead to a recession this year.

Entrepreneurs who depend on imports from China have some big — and potentially expensive — decisions to make.

The ports of Los Angeles and the adjacent Port of Long Beach will see traffic plummet in coming weeks.

What happens when I try to figure out how to make my retirement account less horrible for the climate. 

The U.S. Department of Education will begin taking action against federal student loan borrowers in default on Monday.

A proposed rule affecting federal workers “opens the door” for reporting data in ways that don’t align with established norms.

Ryan Coogler released a 10-minute video last month explaining how “Sinners” can — and should — be viewed on the big screen.

If the rule goes into effect, it could be harder for economists at the Bureau of Labor Statistics — who are anxious about losing their jobs — to deliver bad news.

Shops that rely on imported products are trying to figure out how to weather the cost of tariffs and how to keep their shelves stocked.

We're getting the hiring and unemployment reports for April later this morning. What should we expect?

From the BBC World Service: Australians go to the polls this weekend to vote in what’s being called a “cost of living” election.

Christina Farr, managing partner at Manatt Health, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino on “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Amid economic uncertainty — or even an economic downturn — businesses are hesitant to invest in new technology. That’s bad news for productivity. Plus, what “rebalancing” the global economy actually means.

“If you try to solve a macro problem through tariffs, it's not going to work,” said Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute of International Economics, about the Trump administrations plans to rebalance the global economy.

The company’s success can be attributed in part to the fact that Coca-Cola is well insulate from tariffs.

But EV advocates say the fee is more than the drivers of most gas-powered cars pay in gas taxes.

Stagnant productivity growth will have implications for inflation, innovation, and standards of living over time.

Economic uncertainty and high interest rates are holding back buyers, though high-end cash purchasers aren't waiting.

Why Trump’s tariffs could lead to empty shelves and higher prices.

Hanna Sanborn couldn’t afford child care. Bryer Rossi needed an escape from his job. Together, they shaped a plan that spun their lives in a whole new direction.

April was a rollercoaster of a month for the stock market — and folks eyeing retirement may not be in the mood for a thrill ride.

The past month has been a “buckle up” moment for investors nearing retirement.

The coffee chain has a plan to get customers their caffeine, faster: simpler orders might go first.

 Affordability is still the main issue. But uncertainty in the economy is also playing a big role.

Political scientist Ian Bremmer discusses how Trump’s first 100 days have reshaped international geopolitics.

But times are not normal. The current housing market is plagued by a lack of affordable homes, as well as uncertainty about the economy’s future.

From the BBC World Service: After months of fraught negotiations, the U.S. has signed a deal with Kyiv to share profits from the future sale of Ukraine's mineral and energy reserves.

Selena Deckelmann, chief product and technology officer at Wikimedia Foundation, says AI crawlers have been scraping their sites and collecting content and data, straining the organization's internet infrastructure.

Brands’ digital advertising budgets are often the first to get cut when the economic horizons look gloomy. That could spell trouble for tech companies.

With the Trump administration’s goal of bringing back manufacturing jobs, we look back at why a recent attempt by Nike to move sneaker production to North America didn’t work.

For Tasman Alexander, life on the trail is the adventure he’s always working toward.

Backward-looking economic data doesn’t show signs of a stagflationary economy. But what about now? Plus, digital ad sales and cross-country biking.

There are extenuating circumstances, namely the rush to import goods before tariffs hit.

GDP declined by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025.

Gross domestic product shrunk 0.3% from January to March as businesses and consumers rushed to buy, buy, buy ahead of tariffs.

Public school educators fear this will drive funding out of districts throughout the state.

The U.K. government has abolished a special status that has allowed wealthy individuals to shelter worldwide assets from British taxes.

“Trump inherited an economy that was firing on most, but not all, cylinders,” said Ryan Sweet at Oxford Economics.

Attempts to be transparent about pricing can potentially be seen as political.

The trade deficit grew as imports increased by $16 billion in March, the Census Bureau reported.

According to GDP data out today, business investment in computers and related equipment grew nearly 113%.

After the White House angrily pushed back, Amazon backtracked on plans to display how much tariffs were resulting in price increases for individual items.

From the BBC World Service: New data shows China's manufacturing activity took a sharp dip in April — a sign that the effect of U.S. tariffs is starting to be felt.

Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams explains how the online news environment has changed in Canada since Meta banned news content from Facebook and Instagram there, and how this ban affected coverage of the country’s recent federal election.

Workers taking mini-retirements want a more sustainable way to work while also enjoying their lives, instead of saving it all until the very end, said Isabella Kwai at the New York Times.

Economists expect we’re in for a GDP contraction in tomorrow’s report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis — and that data pre-dates the actual rollout of “Liberation Day” tariffs. Plus, the trade deficit and mini-retirements.

The future of U.S.-Canada trade relations.

Data out Tuesday from The Conference Board indicates consumers think the tub is draining faster than it’s filling up.

There’s been a shortage of controllers for years.

And there’s worse to come.

A little known industry that happens to be Wyoming’s biggest export piqued the interest of one mechanic last year. But sudden industry changes threw his family’s future into limbo.

Kimberly Adams went to polling places in Ontario yesterday. We’ll hear what was on the minds of Canadian voters.

DoorDash wants to buy Deliveroo, which operates in markets around Europe and the Middle East, for $3.6 billion.

While voters wanted action on domestic issues, Canada’s relationship with the U.S. was also a priority.

The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service says DOGE’s firings, rehirings and putting employees on leave have cost as much as $135 billion.

The Department of Government Efficiency claims $150 billion in savings from layoffs, canceled government contracts and shuttered agencies. Analysts dispute that number.

From the BBC World Service: After claiming victory in Canada's election, Prime Minister Mark Carney has strong words for the Trump administration.

And the battery farm is funded, in part, by public pensions.

Importers and exporters make do in this tariff-driven economy. Plus, a check-in on New York City’s increasingly popular congestion pricing policy.

Traffic is down, revenue for transit is up, and public opinion is shifting.

Shein and Temu are among those that have hiked prices.

American companies and consumers can buy some of the excess commodities, but there's a limit to domestic demand.

But these special zones are not as useful as they once were.

“I've had to pick up the pieces so many times that I know that we can get through it,” said Farmgirl Flowers CEO Christina Stembel.

Among the resilient sectors: health care and AI.

How the U.S.- Canada trade war is playing out in Canadian elections.

As the U.S. leg of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour kicks off, feelings of economic uncertainty are replacing the desire for revenge spending.

Nobel laureate Paul Krugman takes us through past attempts to use tariffs to boost domestic industries in countries around the world and why they often fall short.

Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist Magazine, discusses tariffs, U.S. economic outlook and a moment of global uncertainty.

Revenge spending on live events is so last year.

Tomorrow marks 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term in office. We discuss how this new administration is shaping the global economy.

From the BBC World Service: From rising prices to falling trade volumes, the impact of radical new U.S. trade policies is starting to filter through.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University tested several AI models’ ability to interpret how humans were interacting with each other in short videos and found they were largely unable to consistently describe what was happening. Leyla Isik, professor of cognitive science at Johns Hopkins University and senior scientist of the study, explains what their findings could mean for the future of AI development.