Week of November 10th, 2025

Across the Texas workforce, 20% of firms surveyed by the Dallas Fed said immigration policy has already hampered or will hamper both the hiring and retention of immigrant workers this year.

Will excluding grocery staples from tariffs ease food prices? Plus: Import logistics, IMAX screenings and the immigrant workforce.

The national debt now stands at more than $38 trillion. The tariff revenue we rake in is just a drop in the bucket compared to that amount.

Plus, RIP to the penny.

Ben Fritz, entertainment reporter at the Wall Street Journal, discusses the rise of IMAX.

Any tariff relief helps, but it’s likely not going to have a huge impact on prices, one coffee importer said.

According to one economist, the slowing job market and creeping inflation may force the Fed into uncomfortable compromises when it next sets interest rates.

Between concerns about tariffs, health insurance premiums, and immigration crackdowns, surveys are showing small-business pessimism about the economy.

It’s a downbeat picture among small business owners, many of whom have been dealing with tariffs and other stressors.

From the BBC World Service: Donald Trump is set to cut import taxes on products like coffee, bananas, and beef as part of trade agreements with four Latin American countries, aimed at easing food prices.

Anita Ramaswamy, columnist at The Information, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino on “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics gets back to work. Plus: Secret subscriber numbers, long-term investing, and solar power projects.

The Supreme Court is set to rule on whether President Donald Trump’s tariffs are legal, while Trump has proposed sending $2,000 tariff dividends to consumers.

As the circulation of the penny falls, businesses are rounding bills or asking customers without exact change to use credit cards.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics usually collects data in real time. So it may not be able to capture October prices or jobs data that was missed during the shutdown.

At one point, it was advantageous for some streamers to share a running tally of subscriber growth. Not so anymore.

“It's all about hypotheses as opposed to certainties,” said Kirsty Gibson, an investment manager at Baillie Gifford & Co.

Some states are helping them along, but projects in progress are all competing for the same scarce labor and resources.

Kai Ryssdal returns to unpack the power struggles between branches of government in the United States.

Today, we’ll parse lesser-known provisions in yesterday’s stopgap bill. Also, why is the White House looking to put limits on proxy firms?

Clara Mattei, president of the Forum for Real Economic Emancipation, discusses austerity measures, exploitation, and more.

The new rules for hemp sales won’t go into effect until November of next year.

These firms advise large institutional investors on how to vote on corporate shareholder issues.

Tucked into the new farm bill approved last night were revisions to how hemp — including intoxicating hemp products — are regulated.

From the BBC World Service: India’s government has approved a $5 billion credit line to support industries like textiles and jewelry.

Tech firms are training humanoid robots to do household chores by feeding them footage of real people doing those tasks repeatedly. Is it enough?

The southern European countries hit hardest by the sovereign debt crisis now drive economic growth on the continent.

It’s a bit of both. Plus: auto loan delinquencies, European countries’ economies, and the business of disconnecting.

Many consumers will have to pare down or spend more on gifts this year, just to match what they gave last year.

The once-popular retailer is planning to launch about 30 new stores, which will include seasonal shops that resemble the model used by Spirit Halloween. 

Last month, 6.65% of subprime borrowers were at least 60 days late on their car payments. That’s the highest delinquency rate since the 1990s, according to Fitch Ratings.

How Brick, Bloom, Blok and a bunch of other startups want to help you get off your phone.

The holidays are usually a slow season for homebuying. But this year, more people are trying to take advantage of the opportunity to get a good deal.

“Direct File worked really well, and it's a great example of how the IRS can do technology, or how the government can do technology, effectively,” said former IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel.

President Donald Trump has said that longer mortgages would lower borrowers’ monthly payments, which is true — but it comes at a cost.

Having a trade deficit isn’t actually that major of a problem, the economists argue.

The Trump administration says the Free File program offered through commercial tax preparation companies is a more effective option.

After 43 days, the government shutdown could end today. But all that government data we missed out on won’t be released instantly.

From the BBC World Service: Australia is increasingly vulnerable to "high-impact sabotage" from hackers backed by China, according to Australian intelligence official Mike Burgess.

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers!

A Colorado coal town’s big geothermal dreams say a lot about the shifting energy job market. 

This time, through the eyes of business owners. Plus: 50-year mortgages, movie captioning, municipal bonds and the sauce economy.

According to one report, the condiment market has grown 50% since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Will the momentum continue?

A 50-year mortgage would mean you get 20 more years to pay off the house. It also means you’d have 20 more years of paying interest, and also earning less equity.

Thirty-two percent of business owners say they have jobs open that they can’t fill. And 27% cited labor quality as their single most important problem— the highest level since this time in 2021.

They’re borrowing to finance projects like new schools, roads and bridges.

It’s slowing fastest for workers in low-wage and entry-level jobs. 

Open caption screenings spread to theaters across the country, making movies more accessible and drawing in captions-loving movie viewers. But some fear it’s changing the movie theater experience.

The U.S. Commerce Department is set to impose a 92% tariff on 13 Italian pasta makers, including brands like La Molisana and Pasta Garofalo.

The success of China’s Singles Day and the growth of the singles economy.

The Trump administration is moving to levy tariffs of over 90% on popular Italian pasta brands on “anti-dumping” grounds.

The change could help stabilize New Mexico’s childcare market, but it also comes with adjustment costs for some providers.

From the BBC World Service: A Chinese woman awaits sentencing in Britain over her alleged role in a multi-billion-dollar bitcoin scam.

Despite the deal circulating on the Hill to end the government shutdown, flights are still being canceled at U.S. airports due to air traffic controller shortages.

We look at why the unequal "K-shaped" pandemic recovery persists half a decade later, according to professor Peter Atwater.

The nuclear technology company Kairos is using molten salt cooling, a technique originally developed in the mid-20th century, to advance the safety and reliability of small, modular nuclear reactors, according to journalist Mark Harris.

How people make money from their creative ideas!

Listings now sometimes contain AI-generated photos and videos — featuring things like a hallucinated staircase or missing kitchen cabinets.

One regional Fed president says inflation is staying “well anchored.” Plus: credit card fees, AI in real estate, and corporate earnings

After 20 years designing bespoke furniture, Florian Roeper decided to take his creativity to a new medium.

Snail mail stands out when consumers are overwhelmed by digital ads.

With more than 90% of S&P 500 companies reporting, it’s looking like an A.

As part of the proposed settlement, the credit card companies will temporarily lower the swipe fees for merchants. But not everyone sees this as a satisfying end to a legal battle that stretched on for 20 years.

Start with the fact that most consumers don’t spent a whole lot on imported goods.

We always hear about DOGE cuts affecting older employees, who have lots of expertise. But what about the young people who lost their jobs? Will they ever come back to the federal government?

On today’s program: a check-in on commercial real estate lending, morning market moves, and movies in time for the holidays.

“Wicked: For Good,” “Zootopia 2,” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” are all hitting theaters near the end of the year and could help push the movie industry to its best fourth quarter in six years.

Even middle-class families can be severely cost-burdened by child care.

In Washington, there’s progress toward ending the shutdown, but there's still potential for derailment.

From the BBC World Service: China has lifted export controls on computer chips vital to car production.

The host of Marketplace’s “How We Survive,” Amy Scott, explores how tech entrepreneurs are designing chocolate in the laboratory as climate change continues to affect the availability and affordability of cocoa.