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Traders only worked half a day, giving everyone a chance to get out of town for the July Fourth holiday. In that spirit we're bringing you three stories about summer vacations: Why plane tickets are so cheap right now, how Orlando became an amusement park capital, and what we talk about when we talk about the great American road trip. But first, what you need to know about Mexico's presidential elections, and the government agencies looking at Facebook. Then: It's not hard getting hired to deliver packages for Amazon, but the job itself is anything but easy; we talk to a reporter who tried it, and narrowly avoided a parking ticket that would have wiped out her wages for the day.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods are supposed to protect American jobs and intellectual property. As they go into effect next week, we'll take a look on what they're supposed to achieve, and what they mean for products that are "Made In America." Then: A new analysis shows the connection between 311 calls, changing demographics and property values in gentrifying neighborhoods; we'll look at the numbers behind the viral clips. And we explore what this weekend’s presidential election in Mexico means for NAFTA.

We wrap the week with tariff woes from car and motorcycle makers and a report today that President Donald Trump is considering withdrawing the U.S. from the World Trade Organization. So how might an American withdrawal affect the WTO? Plus, they say as California goes, so goes the nation ... so will a new California law giving consumers more control of their personal data cause a ripple effect across the rest of the country? And a tweet-by-tweet look at the demise of the iconic yellow cab as New York City's on-demand ride of choice.  

Turns out, they kind of can. You just have to watch the yield curve. And if you don't know how to do that, listen up, because on today's show we break it down and talk about why economists are worried about a possible recession with employment this high and an economy so healthy. Another tip: You can predict the future by listening to changes in foreign direct investment. Plus, renting to own was the strategy for many investors after sweeping up thousands of foreclosed homes during the financial crisis. It was an easy solution for sellers, but what was the real cost for the tenants? And the latest installment of My Economy comes to us from across the pond. Then, a special announcement: Hosts Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood have been having secret conversations with a voice-control system you may have heard of named Alexa.

Seems like every story in the news this week begins and ends at the Supreme Court. Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement today, of course, but we're focusing on the ruling that public-sector labor unions can no longer collect fees from nonmembers. So if you are not a union member, what does this mean for you? And because of this ruling, more than 20 states will have to change their labor laws. We talk about how these states will move forward. Plus, New York City has never been more safe, clean, healthy … or rich. So how has mega-wealth changed the city and its potential?

Today, a break from talking about the border with Mexico to talk about another migration dispute: President Donald Trump's travel ban, which the Supreme Court upheld today. We revisit how businesses plan to navigate around the restrictions and what's at stake for tech companies. And HBO’s “Westworld” used creative marketing to become one of the most talked-about shows on TV. Series co-creator Jonathan Nolan is on the program talking about making television in today's crowded market. Plus, the new U.S. tax law lets companies keep more of their earnings for investments, but could tariffs sweep those gains away? 

Harley-Davidson did something pretty remarkable today. The motorcycle company, whose executives President Donald Trump invited to the White House less than a month into his term, said it's planning to manufacture a chunk of its bikes somewhere else rather than pass along cost increases coming from the president's tariffs. We'll start today with ticker symbol HOG and look at the broader fallout. Then, we'll look at the challenges facing the modern union: Supreme Court battles, low membership and new technology that’s threatening job security in new fields every day. Plus: Why we're still talking about Sumner Redstone.

Amid all the chaos and controversy at the southwest border, there's still a trade war brewing on multiple fronts. Today on the show, we'll tackle more of your questions about all things tariffs and trade. Then: Street vending in Los Angeles is a half-billion-dollar industry that’s illegal. We'll look at the tangled relationship between street vendors and the law. But first, AMC's challenger to MoviePass, the latest on Mexico's elections and, of course, the Weekly Wrap.

We're asking because today a narrow majority ruled that online shoppers have to pay state sales tax, even if the business doesn’t have a physical presence in the state. We'll talk about what that means for companies like Wayfair, the defendant in this case, and consumers. Then we'll bring you the latest on gas prices for the summer. Plus: Brownsville, Texas, is just a 10-minute walk from Matamoros, a city in Tamaulipas, Mexico. As the Trump administration's immigration policy causes tension nationally, Brownsville's local economy feels its effects firsthand. We'll hear from our reporter at the border.

If you've been listening the past few weeks, you know the federal government is working on a list of companies to exclude from new, costly tariffs on steel and aluminum. During testimony today about that list, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross promised one senator that he’d personally consider a company residing in the senator's district. Ross called the place right after the hearing, and we did, too. Then: Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon have tapped surgeon and writer Atul Gawande to run their new health care company. We'll look at his qualifications and what it'll take to pull this thing off. Plus: A conversation with the CEO of Zillow, the housing data site that's started selling homes of its own.

The tariff threats flying back and forth between Washington and Beijing have had a certain symmetry. We tax $34 billion worth of Chinese imports, and they follow. We add $16 billion in other Chinese stuff, same. But last night, when the Trump administration said it's exploring tariffs on a whopping $200 billion in goods, Beijing said fine, they're gonna hit back in "quantitative and qualitative ways." We'll start today's show trying to unpack what that means. Then, speaking of China: When Americans and Europeans were buying less, dozens of factories closed in China. Millions lost jobs ... but an unexpected industry flourished. We'll look at it as part of our series "Divided Decade." Plus: We'll talk with our reporter at the southwest border about what he's seeing at businesses and courtrooms there. (06/19/2018)

The phrase "trade war" is getting thrown around a lot by now, including by this show. You might be wondering: What's it mean, exactly? And how do we know when we're actually in one? We'll do our best to answer those questions on the show today. Plus, we'll bring you the latest on the bidding war for Fox, the new nominee to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and, of course, Beyoncé and Jay-Z. (06/18/2018)

Is the sky blue? Kai catches us up on our current trade relationship with China and all the events that got us here. We follow that up with the Weekly Wrap. This time we're joined by Rachel Abrams from the New York Times and Dion Rabouin from Yahoo Finance. And in non-trade news: We talk to director Hiro Murai. You probably know him from his collaborations with Donald Glover on FX’s “Atlanta” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” (06/15/18)

The trusty sedan might not be enough for Americans these days. Sales have been tanking the last few years, giving way to bigger trucks, SUVs and crossovers. We find out why. Also on the show, we talk with Politico’s Annie Karni about her reporting on the how the White House was looking for new employees at a job fair. Plus, we ask, "Is there a way for a country to engage in 'good' protectionism for its own interests?" Short answer: Well, it depends. Just give it a listen. (06/14/2018)

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates today, and Chair Jay Powell took some time to explain the economics of the decision. We thought that was our job. Anyway, we'll bring you the highlights, plus the latest in corporate mega-mergers as Comcast makes a bid for Fox. Then: A lot of us still feel the effects of the financial crisis, but there are places where you can actually still see them. Houses that got stuck in foreclosure limbo, abandoned by their owners and are still sitting empty years later. They're called "zombie homes." We'll take you to Long Island, which has more than anywhere else.