Week of May 5th, 2025

Trump said an 80% tariff on China “seems right.”

Having debt is important in times of crises, but if investors think it’s too risky to lend money to a country, interest rates can go up.

This week, the Federal Reserve opted to leave short-term interest rates alone, despite concerns about the rising risks of a weakening U.S. economy. Plus, why NOAA is retiring its billion-dollar disaster database.

Median property taxes in the U.S. rose by an average of more than 10% between 2021 and 2023, according to an analysis by LendingTree. More than half of homeowners with a mortgage are paying more than $3,000 a year.

The insurance industry used the public database to estimate future costs, while local governments turned to it for lessons on building resilient infrastructure.

Yemeni cafes have skyrocketed in popularity. But their broader appeal lies beyond the coffee.

The plan involves divesting from fossil fuels and investing in climate solutions.

On today’s show: A look at why the travel industry expects strong demand among luxury travelers.

The U.S. is a big market for clothes and gear for hiking, fishing and climbing. But most of these products are made overseas.

This is a sped-up timeline: When Gates started his foundation 25 years ago, he’d been planning for the money to last several decades after his death.

Reporting in The New York Times finds that schools are turning to little-known consultants to optimize how much they charge.

For high-end consumers, post-lockdown revenge travel never really stopped. For everyone else, there’s a lot of booking hesitancy right now.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will stop adding dollar damage tallies to its database of events that cause over $1 billion in damage.

From the BBC World Service: Yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled an agreement that will open up the British market to some U.S. beef, among other things.

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

Consumers aren’t very optimistic — but what does that mean for the economy? Plus, student loan debt and the Port of Baltimore.

Consumers’ expectations about their own personal financial situations declined sharply in April, according to the New York Fed. But their inflation expectations didn't change much.

“It’s more of a convenient moral gymnastics to say that people who cheat the federal government should be given a lighter touch than people who borrowed from it,” said economist Kathryn Anne Edwards.

Despite the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last March, the Port of Baltimore reported its second-best year ever in 2024. But as expectations for 2025 waver, Sue Monaghan is trying to keep calm and carry on.

Specifics are still TBD, but the U.K. got a reprieve on auto, steel and aluminum tariffs, while the U.K. may open up to more U.S. agricultural products.

The National Retail Hobby Stores Association said that all of its members are seeing cost increases related to tariffs.

Productivity is tied to worker wages, so a drop can be cause for concern.

Will U.S.-U.K. trade relations keep calm and carry on?

Unfulfilled in her Hollywood job, Claudette Powell dreamed of becoming a nun. But joining a convent didn’t make her financial insecurities disappear the way she’d hoped.

“Once you get into the credit economy … you start getting exposed to hidden fees, penalties, identity theft, and it also induces overbuying,” says Ralph Nader.

UnitedHealthcare is facing a lawsuit claiming it defrauded shareholders by denying fewer claims but not warning ahead of time that profits would dip.

A Realtor.com report finds that both the price and square footage of newly built homes are decreasing in about a quarter of the 100 largest metropolitan areas.

Canada and the Northwest U.S. act as one to support the blueberry business, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But tariffs could disturb that relationship.

Bakers beware: Tariffs are coming for ingredients like chocolate, vanilla and blueberries.

From the BBC World Service: President Donald Trump is expected to announce a tariff deal with Britain later today.

More programmers and engineers are adopting a practice known as “vibe coding,” a technique where the coder tells an AI assistant what to build based on what they feel will work. Clarence Huang, vice president of technology at Intuit and an early adopter of vibe coding, explains why he thinks the practice is the next evolution of software development.

Top officials from both countries will meet in Geneva this week. Plus, a small business owner reopens after Hurricane Helene and one young mom discusses her economic reality.

Inflation has made life more expensive. But young adults don't exactly know what things used to cost.

It makes sense for multinationals that do business in the Eurozone.

They’re trying to justify price increases while also avoiding controversy.

President Donald Trump has said he wants a “fair trade deal,” but the pressure created by sky-high tariffs might limit what can be accomplished at talks this week.

Plus, more fallout from the trade war.

Don't hold your breath for any rate cuts from the Federal Reserve today.

Cross-border business hauling for the automotive and agricultural sectors is way down.

A California assemblyman is looking to change that.

New survey data shows a 13% dip in postgraduate enrollment for international students for the 2025-26 academic year.

On this morning’s program: interest on insurance payouts and who gets to keep it.

From the BBC World Service: The Yemeni group started attacking shipping lanes around the Red Sea after the war in Gaza began.

Theo Wayt, reporter at The Information, recently wrote about the working conditions for delivery and warehouse workers at the logistics company UniUni. He found that the company's way of saving money often meant poor working conditions.

"Who knows what's going to happen next?" said one soon-to-be retiree. "It's not like we're 30 and we can recoup."

The U.S. will import less and our exports will likely also suffer because of retaliatory tariffs from other countries.

Borrowing isn’t cheap right now, especially for riskier businesses.

It used to take the Earth 3 billion years, 2,000-degree temperatures, a little carbon and a lot of pressure to grow a diamond. Now, a new machine can do it in five days.

Experts say that if you were already planning to buy an appliance or car, it might be a good idea to take the plunge now.

Imports will fall, that’s for sure. But exports might fall too. Plus, we discuss what we won’t hear at Wednesday’s Federal Reserve press conference.

As the world races towards decarbonization, the U.S. risks falling behind.

Ford Motor Company reported first-quarter results yesterday and said it’s suspending financial guidance for the rest of this year.

When Donald Trump took office in January, he promised mass deportations and a crackdown on immigration.

Lack of affordable child care, discrimination against women in the workforce and the sheer cost of raising children all make it less appealing for some mothers to have more children.

Bets on real-world events are becoming more common, and putting down some money on who will become the Catholic Church’s next leader is just one more example.

People worldwide are placing millions of dollars in bets over who they think will become the next pontiff.

From the BBC World Service: DoorDash pays $3.8 billion to take over U.K. food delivery app Deliveroo.

Kaufman recently sent out a memo warning that “AI is coming for your jobs,” including his role as CEO of the freelance hiring platform.

Swapping out artificial food dyes for natural products isn’t as simple as replacing blue food coloring with blueberry juice, said Julie Creswell at the New York Times.

Oil companies are navigating break-even prices on crude oil. Plus, the global economy can’t quit the U.S. dollar and the U.S. won’t throw out synthetic food dye overnight.

Right now, some service businesses are more affected than others by tariffs on goods.

A barrel of oil now sells for less than most companies’ break-even point.

The U.S. added 51,000 health care jobs last month, but proposed cuts to Medicaid could slow hiring.

The U.S. has punitive tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, which effectively blocks imports. Still, many Chinese EV brands are expanding their markets and going abroad with models that are both packed with features and cheaper.

The U.S. dollar has weakened since January, but even so, it’s still the world’s dominant currency in many ways — you can find it almost anywhere.

Plus, the cost of mass deportations.

And it could result in major product shortages by summertime.

Almost as soon as Trump raised tariffs on China, U.S. importers started canceling orders.

Dr. Cara Field walks us through how she became a veterinarian with a specialty in aquatic animal health.

Warren Buffett is stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway after 60 years.

From the BBC World Service: U.S. President Donald Trump says he will hit movies made in foreign countries with 100% tariffs.

A new study from MIT Media Lab suggests extensive use of AI chatbots correlates with higher feelings of loneliness, dependence and lower socialization, according to Cathy Fang, one of the authors of the study.