Marketplace All-in-One

University retirement communities — where a college partners with a senior living community to provide residents access to classes, concerts, sporting events and more — are rising in the U.S. It's an attempt by some colleges to cater to the growing number of Americans over 65. We'll visit one just outside of Baltimore. Also: what a disconnect between hard data and soft data means for the Federal Reserve and how Chinese exporters are pivoting amid tariff uncertainty.

On today’s show, Kai makes a special annoucement! But first, Moody’s knocked the United States’ government’s credit rating down a peg below Triple-A. We’ll break down what that actually means and why it may not be as dire as it sounds but still matters a lot for the vibes. Plus, we’ll explain why, even with a majority, the House GOP hasn’t been able to pass its budget bill. And, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty and nerd out on “Star Wars” spin-off shows.Here’s everything we talked about today:"House budget panel rejects GOP megabill amid conservative opposition" from Politico "Army to place large metal plates on DC streets to protect them from tanks during June parade" from WTOP News "U.S. Loses Last Triple-A Credit Rating" from The Wall Street Journal "Airbnb Is in Midlife Crisis Mode" from Wired"Why banks still have branches — and why some are motivated to add more" from Marketplace"Gen Z's 'conscious unbossing' should be a wake-up call for businesses" from Business Insider​​"Is the Next Great American Novel Being Published on Substack?" from The New Yorker "Warner’s Streaming Service Has New Name: Its Old One. Meet ‘HBO Max.’" from The Wall Street Journal  Got a message for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The Eurovision Song Contest was started in 1956 as an effort by a consortium of European broadcasters to use culture to unite the disparate countries of the emerging EU. Approaching 70 years of performances, 160 million could watch this year’s Eurovision, even in this age of streaming digital distractions. What's behind the staying power? But first, the WNBA season starts tonight after a breakout 2024, where attendance, viewership, and ad and merch sales all skyrocketed.

Online bookings for travel are down. Major airlines are reducing flight schedules as leisure travelers pull back. And now there’s more bad news for the tourism sector: High-spending business travelers are cutting back, as well. Later in the program: why Bank of America is investing in physical branches and how a technical program near the Texas-Louisiana coast is training young people for "gold-collar" chemical and petrochemical production jobs.

From the BBC World Service: Japanese carmaker Nissan recently unveiled sweeping cost-cutting plans. Now, it says it could share its U.K. factory with a Chinese state-owned company, manufacturing vehicles on their behalf. Plus, Malawi has lost a much-needed International Monetary Fund program worth $175 million. And, the Eurovision Song Contest is back this week. How has Eurovision managed to stay relevant after nearly 70 years?

President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East has prompted a flurry of AI deals worth billions. We'll get into the details on today's “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”Stateside, the Trump administration has rolled back a Biden-era “AI Diffusion” rule. Companies involved in the semiconductor supply chain were critical of the rule, though it's still not entirely clear how Trump plans to revamp the regulation.Plus, what some might call the most obvious rebrand: Warner Bros brings back the "HBO" to its Max streaming platform.Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to discuss all of this and more.

Retail sales were practically flat from March to April, and consumers are feeling more glum, two recent reports show. Already, one big box retailer has said it will start raising prices in the wake of tariff pressure. In this episode, what happens when stressed shoppers meet higher costs? Plus: Data centers could be key to stabilizing natural gas demand, slashed USDA grants leave small farms scrambling to stay afloat and Trump’s tariffs, ironically, send some manufacturing out of the U.S. and into Canada.

In today’s show, Kimber-Kai are answering your questions about all the wild things going on in the U.S. economy. Isn’t the 30% tariff rate on China still crazy high? And, how are local governments preparing for potential federal funding cuts? We’ll discuss how states are weighing their next moves, and how the “Trump Slump” has taken shape in California. Then, we’ll get into the Federal Reserve’s wait-and-see tariff strategy. Here’s everything we talked about today:“State of U.S. Tariffs: May 12, 2025” from The Budget Lab at Yale“States, Cities Face Funding Collapse Threat With Trump Cuts” by Bloomberg“Higher prices or higher unemployment? The economy could face a no-win dilemma” by NBC NewsJoin us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.Donate during our May Fundraiser and get a classic public radio thank-you gift: tote bags, mugs, t-shirts, hats, and more! Give now: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn 

Ever wrestled with a work problem and didn’t know where to turn? We’ve got you. In our new advice column, “Work Drama,” we try to find answers to your sticky work situations. This week, “This Is Uncomfortable” host Reema Khrais is joined by career coach and podcaster Mandi Woodruff-Santos to unpack your workplace problems -- from messy, toxic bosses to dealing with salary negotiations.Got workplace drama you need help dealing with? Shoot us an email at uncomfortable@marketplace.org to tell us about it, or call ‪(347) 746-4848‬ and leave a message. If you liked this episode, share it with a friend!

Walmart officials are saying the retail giant will raise prices within weeks due to higher import taxes imposed by the Trump administration. The largest retailer in the country released Q1 results today — revenue was up, but the company declined to give profit guidance for the current quarter. Also on the show: busy times for Chinese exporters, proposed changes to Medicaid and a look at the future of interest rates.

Amid the uncertainty triggered by President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcements, many investors started looking for places outside the U.S. to park their capital. One beneficiary? Japan. More foreign money flowed into Japanese stocks and bonds than ever before — about $50 billion worth. Also on this morning's show: a conversation about the value of the U.S. dollar and what happens if it loses its status as the reserve currency.

From the BBC World Service: Beijing has announced a 90-day pause of its tariff measures, which had banned dozens of American companies from trading with Chinese firms. Now, companies are rushing to ship products before that 90-day window closes. Plus, the Eurovision Song Contest is the world's biggest TV show. The annual event is taking place this week in Switzerland, with hundreds of thousands of fans already massing in the host city of Basel. We'll learn about the economic impact.

President Donald Trump talks a lot about wanting to build more stuff here in the U.S. But the future of manufacturing might not even be on earth, but in orbit.It might sound kind of out there — or way out there — but space manufacturing is already happening on a small scale. There's a mini boom of companies looking to do more of it, according to recent reporting in Wired by journalist Jonathan O'Callaghan. He says space has some unique qualities that make it attractive for manufacturing.

Early estimates say the GOP’s tax bill will add $3.8 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. (This, despite President Trump’s insistence on shrinking the national debt.) But amid economic instability caused by the trade war and federal spending cuts, will the bond market snap up all that government debt? Plus: What to look for in Thursday's producer price index, why moving manufacturing to the U.S. will be easier for some sectors than others and how grocery store generics became so popular. 

On today’s show, Kimberly continues to make us smart about the GOP’s massive tax bill. This time, we’re digging into a small (but important) detail buried in the bill that could have enormous consequences for the regulation of artificial intelligence: a clause that would block states from enforcing AI laws for ten years. We’ll break down what’s at stake. And, the U.S. dollar is getting weaker. We’ll explain what it could mean for the economy. Here’s everything we talked about today:"House panel advances tax portion of Trump agenda bill after marathon meeting" from The Hill"State AI laws would be banned under clause buried in House budget bill" from Stat News"G.O.P. Targets a Medicaid Loophole Used by 49 States to Grab Federal Money" from The New York Times"US Is Not Negotiating for Weaker Dollar as Part of Tariff Talks" from Bloomberg"Republicans push for a decadelong ban on states regulating AI" from The Verge With looming threats to federal funding for public media, we need support from listeners more than ever. Donate now: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn 

The House's proposed tax plan includes a 5% tax on remittances. These are electronic transfers of money sent by people in the U.S. — often immigrants — to friends and family abroad. There are some exceptions to the tax, including most transfers made by U.S. citizens. We'll learn how this might play out. Also: a (sorta) stock market milestone, a crypto company in the S&P and a bill that could hurt renewables in Texas.

California regulators are allowing State Farm insurance to charge 17% more following this year's LA wildfires. State Farm says it needs the rate increase — on top of the 20% it got last year — because it’s in financial distress following the fires. But the issue of higher premiums goes well beyond California. We'll hear more, then learn why there are concerns about the U.S. dollar remaining the world's reserve currency.

From the BBC World Service: It’s the second day of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tour of the Middle East. So far, there's been the red carpet treatment in Riyadh, culminating in billions of dollars in Saudi investment. Later in the tour, Trump is expected to meet Syria's interim leader to lift sanctions against the country. Plus, in France, the shop-on-a-truck idea has branched out into new areas such as beauty and cosmetics.

The excitement around AI has gotten a bit frothy. Those two magic letters are everywhere, promising everything. Authors Emily Bender and Alex Hanna want us all to take a beat and a more critical look, per their new book "The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want."Bender is a linguist at the University of Washington who helped popularize the term "stochastic parrots" to describe large language models. And Hanna is the director of research at the Distributed AI Institute, formerly an AI ethicist at Google. She says claims of AI's artistic prowess can be misleading.

New data shows us that despite President Trump’s new tariffs, the inflation rate for some categories of goods stayed the same or even fell in April. In this episode, we’ll break down why — and explain when we might start to see price hikes. Plus: We take a trip down the supply chain, three retailers share how business is going and “How We Survive” host Amy Scott tells us how to make retirement account investments more climate-friendly.