Marketplace

Welcome to Inauguration week! On this MLK Day we're looking at three themes of President-elect Donald Trump's campaign: An obsolete NATO, rolling back the estate tax and bringing back coal jobs. We'll talk about the state of all three and how Trump might act on them after he's sworn in Friday. Plus: a chat with the CEO of Qualcomm and how getting your kid to sleep became a $325 million industry.

If recent earnings reports are any indication, big banks have a ways to go before they'll benefit from rising interest rates. Plus, the EPA passes new auto regulations just under the wire. Then, the massive spy agency project that's displacing a St. Louis neighborhood to save it and, of course, the Weekly Wrap. 

What the heck is reconciliation? For starters, it's the latest way Congressional Republicans are hoping to get rid of Obamacare. We'll look at how it's used and whether it's a winning tactic. Then: hundreds of thousands are people are due in Washington, D.C. for next week's inauguration, and all the protests and parties that come with it. Local businesses and merch-sellers are preparing for a crush of business, and opening themselves up to criticism in the process. Then: the civil rights divide in charter schools and how to make your desk lunch less sad. 

President-elect Donald Trump laid out plans today for addressing his conflicts of interest, but government ethics experts on both sides weren't impressed. Plus, with HHS Secretary nominee Tom Price's confirmation hearings coming up, what's next for the Affordable Care Act? Then, George Lucas' new LA museum and the effect of renewed U.S.-Cuba relations on Big Pharma.

Confirmation hearings for the Trump administration are underway on Capitol Hill. We'll look at what to expect from Wilbur Ross and Rex Tillerson in the coming days. Plus, the trials of the marijuana and magazine businesses, and the problem of American productivity. 

It's a big week in politics. President Barack Obama will deliver his farewell address in Chicago tomorrow as confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet start in D.C. We'll look at the vetting process Trump's picks have (or haven't) gone through, and how this confirmation compares to past administrations. Plus, Twitter is Trump's favorite way to get the message out — why can't the company find a way to make money off that? Then, how athlesiure killed the mall and a startup that's trying to fight the opiod epidemic.

First up, wages are on the rise for the first time since President Barack Obama took office. What might this mean for inflation? Then: China is investing a whopping $360 billion in renewable energy over the next few years, and it's not the only emerging economy to make a green power play. Plus, conversations with "nerd Ryan Seacrest" Chris Hardwick and outgoing Secretary of Education John King.

The National Institutes of Health has loosened up restrictions on peanuts, which is good news for the industry and for parents, who spend billions on food allergies. Today brought bad news for Macy's, which announced closings and dismal earnings over the holiday season. Plus, why Wired magazine is going sci-fi and when the vet is big business.

In both the U.S. and across the pond, politicians won on their promises to dismantle trade deals. In the new year, delivering on those promises could be tough. Then: President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of State pick, Rex Tillerson, was close to retiring with millions in deferred stock. Now he's cashing out to avoid a conflict of interest. Plus, how car companies prepare for a driverless future and the latest from CES 2017.

Congress started a new session today, and that means the renewed Republican effort to repeal Obamacare is underway. Plus, President-elect Donald Trump's trade rep pick and his tweets at GM. Finally, the race to build artificial intelligence to find and scrub fake news.

Online sales for the 2016 holiday season are expected to total about $91.6 billion, an 11 percent jump from last year, according to Adobe. We look at how that impacted delivery services.  Also on today's show: Molly Wood talks to New York Times tech writer Farhad Manjoo about his piece “The Gadget Apocalypse Is Upon Us.” We also talked to "Arrival" screenwriter screenwriter Eric Heisserer about why making an alien movie without the explosions and battles is difficult to do. 

Lizzie O'Leary is joined by Linette Lopez of Business Insider and John Carney of the Wall Street Journal for the weekly wrap. On this week's agenda: A look back at the year in economics and predictions for 2017. We also talk to senior education correspondent Amy Scott for a look at the big education stories she'll be watching in 2017. Finally: 2016 ends tomorrow, which means most of us will be watching the countdown on TV. Other broadcast networks are trying (and so far, failing) to dethrone ABC's "New Year's Rockin' Eve."

Donald Trump has made cutting the U.S. trade deficit one of the centerpieces of his trade agenda. But are trade deficits necessarily a bad thing for the economy? Also: The White House announced sanctions against Russia in retaliation for cyberattacks today. We spoke with Nick Wadhams, foreign policy reporter for Bloomberg, about the response.  Millions of refugees have left their home country for a better life in Germany. Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson looks at how Berlin’s tech industry is helping to resettle refugees. 

So the Dow didn't hit 20,000 today, but when it does, what's the big deal? We often say the stock market isn't the economy, but the Dow isn't even the whole market. Also on today's show: If you haven't returned your Samsung Note 7, you should probably do that soon because several carriers plan on releasing an update to end all updates. Lastly: A look ahead at how Trump might approach job growth with unemployment already under five percent. 

Christmas shopping is over but Christmas returns are just getting started. An estimated 10 percent of holiday presents will be returned. We look at the logistics of sending gifts back and how brick-and-mortar stores might profit. Also: The nation's second-largest union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) plans to cut its budget by 30 percent over the next year. Unions expect to defend workers' rights effectively with less spending when it also believes those rights may be threatened by Republican control of the federal government. Finally: An ode to Carrie Fisher and the many jobs you might not know she had.