First, Marketplace’s Nancy Marshall-Genzer discusses market shifts as the Federal Reserve shrinks its bond portfolio. Then, we look at new research showing that high school dropout rates among African American students are significantly lower if students had a black teacher in elementary school. Finally, David talks to MIT professor and author Erik Brynjolfsson about stagnated wages in middle-skilled jobs, and how this makes them ripe for robot takeover.

Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker has resigned, saying he might have revealed confidential information to a Wall Street analyst. We’ll explore what could have motivated the leak. Afterwards, we’ll discuss the possibility that China might get tougher on genetically modified crops grown by U.S. producers. And finally, we’ll hear from a Marketplace listener who lost his job as a machinist because of advanced technology. 

Tesla’s stock market value has just beat out Ford’s, making it no. 2 to General Motors. We’ll look at why investors are so optimistic about the electric car company’s prospects. Afterwards, we’ll examine Uganda’s struggle to manage its refugee crisis, a problem that could worsen if the U.S. goes through with making major cuts to all foreign aid. And as part of Equal Pay Day, we’ll chat with LeanIn.Org founder Sheryl Sandberg about the organization’s campaign to raise awareness about the gender pay gap and how businesses should tackle the issue. 

President Trump says he wants to bring back jobs from overseas, but one of the big threats to the American worker might actually be technology. We’re exploring the issue in our new series “Robot-Proof Jobs.” We’ll kick off our coverage by chatting with Martin Ford, a futurist and author, who explains the effects that tech will have on the labor force. Afterwards, we’ll look at forecasts that predict a bump in auto sales, a trend that may have to do with a rise in subprime lending. And finally, we’ll talk about McDonald’s plan to compete against other fast-food chains by using fresh beef instead of frozen patties in its Quarter Pounder.

During his campaign, Trump criticized America’s trading relationship with the rest of the world. Now his administration is set to issue two executive orders on trade today. We’ll take a look at what the president plans to achieve with these new actions. Next, we’ll talk about Amazon’s plan to woo big food companies so they can sell their products to them and rely less on grocery chains. And finally, we’ll discuss our upcoming series “Robots Ate My Job,” which takes a look at how the real competition for our jobs often comes from automation. 

As the Congressional Budget Office gears up to release its annual 30-year budget outlook, we’ll examine the value in looking decades ahead. The forecast will predict what will happen if there are no changes to laws governing taxes and government spending. Afterwards, we’ll discuss the factors leading to a strengthening home market, and then look at SpaceX’s plan to launch a commercial satellite into orbit using a recycled rocket booster.  

The nuclear energy firm Westinghouse Electric Company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. We’ll look at what led to the filing and what the decision says about the overall nuclear industry. Next, we’ll look at America’s consumer confidence levels, and then discuss why there’s been a decline in the construction of mega dams. 

A drop in international students — who collectively add $31 billion to the U.S. economy — is met by colleges trying to assuage students whose holiday travel plans were put at risk by Trump’s travel ban. Also, we take a look at how Americans spend their SNAP benefits and follow the increasing amounts of money U.S. airlines are investing in Chinese air travel.

Iran responds to U.S. sanctions with their own, aimed at U.S. companies that do business with Israel. Marketplace’s Marielle Segarra discusses which companies are involved and what it means for them. Then we turn to Nigeria, where pollution from an oil spill is still astonishingly high almost a decade after two Shell pipelines burst. Plus, how mobile solar-powered vehicle chargers are changing the landscape of the electric car industry.