Southern California’s housing market is as hot as ever, with home prices double the national average. That has many buyers searching for more affordable houses outside the city, and that means a much longer commute. Think 90+ minutes. Then: The Labor Department says employer benefit spending is the highest they’ve seen in 10 years. But are benefits really getting better, or just more expensive? Plus, the latest on pressures on the Chinese economy and Utah’s plan to break the cycle of poverty.

It’s report card time for U.S. companies. Every three months, corporate executives from publicly traded companies sit down with shareholders to share their quarterly earnings. This quarter, CEOs are stuck between those shareholders and the trade war. They’re hoping you’ll help save them. Then: Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is picking up and leaving Venice, the beach community in LA it’s called home for years. We’ll look at the legacy the company is leaving behind there. Plus, a conversation with a Montana mall owner who says business these days is like “3D chess and all the pieces are the same color.”

… They need some context. Yes, 4.1 percent quarterly GDP growth on an annualized basis is unambiguously good news. But a lot’s happened in the economy this quarter that’s worth mentioning as we take a wider view on how fast the economy is growing. We’ll start today’s show by doing the numbers. Then, we’ll look at some big numbers, like 1,200 percent profit growth at Amazon. That’s a huge leap, and it’s especially notable because the company’s biggest moneymaker isn’t retail. Finally, public housing in NYC needs more than $32 billion in property repairs. How can the city make up that gap?

Summer has traditionally been kind of a dead zone on the television calendar. The big networks mostly save their big premieres for fall. But increasingly, and especially this summer, with streaming services and cable networks pumping out more and more content, there’s a lot to watch out there. We’ll talk with producer Marti Noxon, who’s behind HBO’s “Sharp Objects,” about TV business and her other two shows on air this summer. Plus, GDP numbers come out tomorrow, and experts predict strong growth. But with tax cuts, tariffs and high consumer spending, what will this number really mean for the economy? Then, looking back on the career of former Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. 

President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced negotiations today to try and cool recent trade tensions between the United States and the European Union. We’ll talk about what’s changed, what’s still in the “to-do” pile and why American corporate giants are speaking out about tariff pain. Then, more on the state of the American housing market amid the news this morning that home sales were off 5 percent from May to June. Plus: Life, death and whatever crazy stuff is happening on “Riverdale” with Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater.

The Department of Agriculture announced $12 billion in emergency assistance for farmers hurt by President Donald Trump’s trade policies, and retaliatory tariffs from China, the EU and Canada. We’ll tell you what you need to know. Then: House Democrats introduced a bill today aimed at making higher education more affordable, including two free years of community college. That’s one proposal Arne Duncan pushed as education secretary under the Obama administration. We’ll talk with Duncan about his new book “How Schools Work.” Plus, a look at the New York startup that wants to be “Yelp for cops.” 

Welfare reform is in the air again, with a House bill and a renewed push at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. But what do we really know about welfare in America? Especially since the last reform effort two decades ago? Our podcast The Uncertain Hour will break down the latest numbers. But first: Summer homebuying season is underway, but sales fell in June for the third-straight month amid a shortage of existing homes. We’ll look at why, and what that says about the housing market. Plus, why is Amazon suddenly the destination for strange novelty food items?   

President Donald Trump accused China of manipulating its currency today. It’s not the first time the White House has thrown out the accusation, but this time it comes amid trade tensions, when the yuan has fallen 8 percent compared to the dollar, which could offset the effects of tariffs. We’ll talk about that at the top of the show today, along with Trump’s recent comments about the Fed. Then, the latest in Trump’s efforts to roll back Obama-era regulations includes the Endangered Species Act. The administration plans to analyze the economic costs of regulating endangered wildlife, which has environmentalists worried. Plus: What “WALL-E” says about us, a decade after its release, and a conversation with the author behind “The Meg” on the enduring power of sharks on the big screen.

“Domestic car company” is kind of a misnomer these days. Auto manufacturers get parts from all over the world, and companies like Ford and General Motors stand to both benefit and be hurt by tariffs, making the politics much murkier. We’ll talk about it, plus we’ll hear from one business owner who applied for exclusions from steel tariffs and was denied. Plus, we’ll talk about urban heat islands and how we crown the Song of the Summer.