Marketplace All-in-One

The number of hot, dry, windy days is increasing, setting the stage for fires. Wildfire season is off to an awful start. In March, Nebraska had its largest wildfire in state history. Right now, a fire outside of LA is forcing evacuations. While the federal government spends about $3 billion on wildfire suppression each year, most of that is being spent, and states are having to fill the gaps. Also...

The climate crisis is escalating. We have to decarbonize our economy, but we’re moving too slowly. So, what’s the backup plan? This season of “How We Survive” is about engineering nature: large-scale interventions that could be our last hope. We’ll explore technology being developed that could alter our weather patterns, transform our planet, and possibly save us all from the worst outcomes of the...

Earlier this month, a group called ShinyHunters took responsibility for a hack on the education platform Canvas, which is used for coursework at colleges. In a letter posted online , the group threatened to leak data it took from the platform, including billions of private messages between students and teachers. Canvas was also temporarily unavailable, disrupting students’ ability to do their work...

The era of frequent public speeches given by Federal Reserve officials on monetary policy may be over. Incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has expressed a desire to reform the central bank’s robust communication style, which has been the norm since the 1990s. In this episode, what do we stand to lose if the Fed zips its lips? Plus: Retailers weigh passing higher costs onto cash-strapped consumers, stat...

If you’re a homeowner — this is no surprise to you — property insurance can be expensive. It seems to get more and more pricey each year. Some might blame climate change or natural disasters, but if you look under the hood of the $1 trillion in premium payments last year, the numbers might tell a different story. We'll unpack. But first, we'll discuss and preview earnings for some of America's lar...

President Donald Trump has dropped his lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns in exchange for the creation of a new $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which will compensate people who have been investigated or targeted for “political, personal, or ideological reasons.” We'll dig into the highly controversial fund. Also on the show: home sellers stay on the sidelines, and a p...

In this episode, Bridget and Ryan travel through the history of money in front of a live audience of kids and families (for real!) to answer Sofia’s big question: What is the gold standard? Together, they explore this old money rule, how paper money became a thing, and why no countries in the world – not a single one – use gold to back their money anymore. This episode was performed as part of WBU...

As of mid-2025, about a third of newly published websites were generated by artificial intelligence. That’s a massive increase from just three years before when the number hovered around zero. The AI written text provides fewer diverse viewpoints and is generally presented in a cheerful manner. That's all according to an early study out last month. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with one of...

Cybersecurity was once the focus of a huge workforce development push. Job opportunities and training programs were abundant. But as artificial intelligence makes it easier for hackers to pull off sophisticated cyber crimes, it’s also replaced entry-level cybersecurity roles. In this episode, one corner of the AI-affected job market. Plus: What retail earnings could reveal about consumer spending,...

The U.S. and Iran remain far apart on a ceasefire, as President Donald Trump warns on social media that "the clock is ticking." The standoff is rattling global markets. Government bonds are rising, pushing up borrowing costs. And oil prices are moving higher this morning, as traders worry that the war in the Middle East will lead to a prolonged period of higher inflation. We'll discuss. And later:...

The war in Iran has cost Americans more than $40 billion in additional fuel costs, according to an analysis from Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs. The costs go beyond just what Americans pay at the pump; higher diesel costs are factoring into rising prices for other consumer goods, too. This morning, we'll do the numbers. Plus, after a slowdown, "vertical dramas...

Hydropower is one of the oldest forms of energy creation, and uses the flow of rushing water to create electricity. The province of Québec, Canada, has historically had an abundance of it and, later this spring, will start supplying hydropower to New York City. This is the second big hydropower line to link Québec and the Northeast U.S. this year, after a line to Massachusetts came on board this w...

New consumer data shows alcohol sales were down over 5% in April. And, as you’ve probably noticed, gas prices were up. Is there any correlation? In this episode, why high fuel prices may exacerbate existing consumer trends — like cutting back on beer. Plus: Cerebras’ successful IPO signals hunger for AI stocks, Hollywood is buying more short stories, and we discuss the week’s economic headlines. E...

Tomorrow is the Preakness Stakes, the second event in the Triple Crown. Betting on horse racing in the U.S. has declined by more than 50% over the last few decades. And while you might think platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket would see opportunity in horse racing bets, they haven't made inroads. Why don’t prediction markets have a horse on that race? We explain. And later, we'll do the numbers o...

"LNG is the next growth story of the next decade," says Kent Britton, CEO of the Port of Corpus Christi. Liquefied natural gas exports are expected to grow 30% in the U.S. in the next year and a half. That growth is driven mostly by new and expanding LNG export projects along the Gulf Coast. What does it mean for the global energy market and coastal economies? But first: inflation, imports, and U....

This week, WhatsApp is offering private chats with its AI. Plus, Princeton will now hold supervised exams after a rise in AI-fueled cheating. But first, Google’s self-driving car division Waymo opted to do a voluntary recall of 3,800 of its robotaxis. This comes after a Waymo drove into a flooded road in San Antonio, Texas. The car was empty and no one was hurt, but Waymo is now updating its softw...

President Trump arrived for trade talks in China this week with a gaggle of corporate CEOs in tow. One expert tells us Trump’s body language, tone, and the C-suite entourage all hint Chinese President Xi has the upper hand in any negotiations. In this episode, what we expect the two world leaders to discuss. Plus: Consumers and retailers show signs of caution, the EU rethinks fiber optic cable rou...

Recent controversy surrounding the rock band Geese and a digital marketing firm Chaotic Good Projects has sparked debate over the tactics firms use to drum up hype for artists online. How can we tell if online hype is real or fake? And does it really matter? Trapital founder Dan Runcie joins Kimberly to break it down. Plus, a final thank you from Kimberly. Here’s everything we talked about today:...

Retail sales in April were up 0.5% compared to the month before and are up 4.9% from a year ago, according to the Census Bureau. So are retail sales higher because consumers are resilient and buying more stuff, or are we spending more just because prices are higher and the stuff we want is more expensive? We discuss. Then, in search of cleaner energy, two new power transmission lines are connectin...

Kevin Warsh is officially the next chair of the Federal Reserve. The Senate voted to confirm him to a four-year term on Wednesday. He’ll replace Chair Jerome Powell, who led the central bank for the last eight years. He’ll face a challenging economic environment, worsening inflation, and pressure from President Donald Trump to cut rates. Plus, a look at how median actually rents fell in April and...

How far would you go to participate in a boycott? Cancel your concert tickets? Spend 25% more on groceries? What about refusing to visit your family? This week, Reema speaks to Canadians who are going to great lengths to boycott the United States. Plus, a conversation with financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin about how to practice “good enough” boycotting. If you liked this episode, share it w...

Voice cloning is the use of artificial intelligence to generate a clone of a real person’s voice, imitating the sound, when they pause and what words they typically emphasize. And it can be hard for people to identify voices as being AI-generated. Research last year from UC Berkeley professor Hany Farid, an expert in digital forensics, found that people correctly identify a voice as AI-generated o...

The cost of goods for the producers of this economy was up a whopping 6% in April, according to the latest PPI. That means consumers can expect more inflation down the road. Plus: Treasury yields are creeping up, the global oil stockpile is shrinking by about 4 million barrels a day, and diesel pickup truck drivers are shelling out at the pump. In this episode, it all goes back to President Trump’...

To address pain at the pump, President Donald Trump and some Congressional Republicans are floating the idea of temporarily pausing the federal gas tax. The thing is, that gas tax helps pay for the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, and more. Today, we delve into how the tax shows up in our everyday lives. Then, we head to Boston to hear how a small college there is serving low-income...

Household debt ticked up slightly in the first three months of this year, increasing by $18 billion, according to the New York Fed. Credit card debt is actually down slightly, but mortgage balances, home equity lines of credit, and car loan balances all grew. We unpack. Plus, later in this morning's show, how might economic tensions appear at the summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese P...