Marketplace All-in-One

(U.S. Edition) The World Trade Organization is out with new data showing global commerce is off to a strong start. But there's a stark warning that governments should refrain from a retaliatory trade measure. Who could they possibly be talking about? Afterwards, we'll chat with Margrethe Vestager, Europe's top antitrust official who's gone after the world's biggest tech companies. Following Mark Zuckerberg's testimony on Capitol Hill, she joined us to talk about why privacy is such an important issue to her and why she thinks regulation isn't a disadvantage for smaller companies. Plus: Why 2018 is shaping up to be a good year for the big banks.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde warned that while China’s Belt and Road Initiative might be a critical infrastructure investment, the nation should be wary of “problematic increases in debt.” So, how do you strike the right balance between stimulating economic growth without creating huge payment challenges? Then, today New Zealand banned all future offshore oil and gas exploration in the name of tackling climate change. Industry players, though, say they were blindsided by the move. We’ll explore what impact the decision will have on future production. Afterward, we take you to Parma, Italy, ahead of this year’s world pizza championships. 

Congress may have grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week, but generally, lawmakers have given social media and tech a regulatory pass. Now there's at least talk about the possibility of laws that would govern our private data. So, all this week on Marketplace Tech, we're focusing on the data economy. Today a look at the laws (or lack thereof) that have been put in place around data and technology. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Nuala O'Connor, who leads the nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology. 

We got the most recent Federal Reserve meeting minutes. The key takeaways: Trump tax cuts and increased federal spending will give the economy a short-term boost, but all the deficit spending and retaliatory tariffs carry long-term risks. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan won't have to worry about any of this soon. He announced today he'll leave Congress in January. We'll talk about the ripple effects of that departure. Then: Mark Zuckerberg's second day of testimony saw the Facebook CEO answering more questions about his company's business model: A lot of it comes down to the Like button, that little thumbs up that may well be the most powerful tool in social media. We'll explain. Plus: More from our "How We Changed" series.

White Castle announced this week that it will start serving the Impossible Slider, a traditional White Castle slider made by Impossible Foods, featuring their plant-based substance that mimics the taste and texture of ground beef — it even bleeds. CEO Lisa Ingram said the addition is about continuing to respond to consumer tastes. When vegetarians first started ordering sliders with only cheese and onions, the company updated its menu with veggie sliders. And now, a plant-based meat alternative. "This was a natural evolution for us," she said. Ingram spoke with host Kai Ryssdal more about why she wanted to partner with Impossible Foods, what it's like to run a company with family, and how she thinks White Castle stacks up to the competition. Subscribe to the Corner Office podcast on Apple Podcasts.

(Markets Edition) After a suspected chemical attack in Syria, Trump said missiles "will be coming"  toward the country and that Russia should get ready. We'll look at the market reaction to all this with Julia Coronado, founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives. Afterwards, we'll discuss some of the pitfalls of getting a gas station credit card, and then talk about one of the upsides of Facebook in the midst of the Cambridge Analytica controversy. Despite the privacy issues many users have raised, some groups rely heavily on them to organize, including Native Americans. 

(U.S. Edition) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg began testifying in front of Congress yesterday following revelations that Cambridge Analytica harvested data to target users during the 2016 election. On today's show, we'll recap some of the highlights. One of the main takeaways is that Facebook's business model probably won't change, but it could see more regulation. Afterwards, we'll preview another testimony happening on Capitol Hill: Mick Mulvaney, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, gives his first report to Congress. Plus: On the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, we'll discuss how source of income can be a barrier for people trying to obtain housing. 

Facebook won’t stop selling ads anytime soon. But the ad business has changed in the last few decades, and data is at the heart of its new strategy. All this week on Marketplace Tech, we’re focusing on the data economy and how we got here. Host Molly Wood speaks with Safiya Noble, a professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, about the evolution of advertising technology and how much it now relies on personal information, such as what Disney princess each of us is. 

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service… Facebook’s boss is facing day two on Capitol Hill, but there are still many unanswered questions about handling data protection. We hear from one of the company’s co-founders, Chris Hughes, about what the social network needs to consider. Then, Marriott International says it’s opening a hotel every 13 or 14 hours, but with growing competition from online booking sites like Airbnb, where is the hotel chain looking for growth and diversification opportunities? 

As we taped this week's episode, Mark Zuckerberg was about to begin his testimony in front of Congress. Lawmakers are expecting an explanation for how Facebook's self-professed mission to "bring the world closer together" gave way to its current privacy fiasco. But is data collection and use always the bad guy? Nancy Lublin, founder and CEO of Crisis Text Line, says no. Her nonprofit offers emergency, anonymous counseling to millions via text messaging. And now she's launching a for-profit arm called Loris AI that uses data from more than 63 million messages to "make the world a more empathetic place." We'll talk with her about it, but first we'll hear from a Make Me Smart listener who has a front-row seat to the current international trade drama via her job in imports and exports in Erie, Pennsylvania. Plus, Sen. Elizabeth Warren answers our Make Me Smart question.

If you were listening to Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in front of the Senate, you missed the sort of bewildered smile on the Facebook CEO's face as he explained to Sen. Orrin Hatch how his company makes money. Zuckerberg was still answering questions as we taped the show this afternoon, but we brought in Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood to talk about the story so far. Then, we'll look at another striking moment from this afternoon, when Zuckerberg said Facebook isn't a monopoly as it stares down regulation, here and abroad. Then: Toys R Us filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, with more than $5 billion in debt on its books. But soon afterward, it asked the bankruptcy court for permission to pay big executive bonuses. That sounds remarkable, but it's actually pretty common. We'll look at why. Plus: One in three American families has trouble affording diapers. We'll look at why.

(Markets Edition) With Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg set to testify before Congress in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we'll look at some of the steps Facebook has taken to increase transparency. Afterwards, we'll talk to Penny Pritzker with the Council on Foreign Relations, also secretary of commerce from 2013 to 2017, about whether the U.S. has failed people whose jobs have been replaced by automation.

(U.S. Edition) China has filed a World Trade Organization challenge over the Trump administration's steel and aluminium tariffs, essentially taking the U.S. to trade court. On the heels of this news, we'll discuss how the idea of "economic security" has become "national security" for Trump. Afterwards, we'll look at how small businesses are faring at finding new workers, and then we'll talk about how expectations in the workplace may play a role in the gender pay gap. 

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Just hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to open his country’s auto and banking industries and reduce car-import tariffs, China took the first step in making a WTO complaint about U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs. Then, Russia’s currency is taking another plunge today after a sharp drop Monday. We’ll explain what’s spooked markets and what it means for the average citizen there. Afterward, a look at why Uber isn’t being welcomed with such open arms in Barcelona. 

Mark Zuckerberg will testify in front of Congress today. He’s expected to address the way Facebook protects information about its users. But the current Facebook scandal is really a story about data, and a data economy that’s out of control. Over the course of this week, Marketplace Tech will look at different aspects of the data economy to understand how we got here. Today’s focus: privacy. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood spoke with Mark Surman, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, about how sharing personal information in exchange for free services came to be.