Marketplace

In the aftermath of CVS’ $69 billion deal to buy health insurance giant Aetna, the company wants to turn its MinuteClinics into health care hubs where people can get even more of their basic needs met. But what would it take for this to happen? And since we can’t go one day without talking taxes, we discuss the Treasury Department’s one-page analysis of the bill with Politico’s Ben White. Plus, President Donald Trump signed a bill granting nearly $700 billion in military spending today, Europe’s largest commercial landlord is buying mall operator Westfield for $16 billion, and marriage is half as common for low-income couples as it is for middle- and upper-class adults, making us wonder: What's the effect on children?  

We’ve all heard bitcoin is volatile, risky, quite possibly a bubble. So why then the demand for bitcoin futures? We take a look at what happened during yesterday’s bitcoin futures trading launch. And in Saudi Arabia, a ban on movie theaters has been lifted, ushering in what is predicted to be a $24 billion cinema industry to offset the economy’s dependence on oil. Plus, the Environmental Protection Agency adds 21 new Superfund sites, public and private entities alike are scrambling to add more electric charging stations, especially in the American West, and the Trump administration is trying to take credit for killing regulations that are already dead.

Is leaving the coveted 18 to 34 advertising demographic a steep descent into irrelevance, or are advertisers still paying attention to you once you make the jump? Plus, steady she goes … this economy has officially added jobs for 86 months in a row. So why aren’t wages moving? That and more of the week’s economic news on the Weekly Wrap with The New Yorker’s Sheelah Kolhatkar and The Wall Street Journal’s Kate Davidson. And just to squeeze in some more tax plan coverage before the week is out, we look ahead to how the tax changes will hinder or help the Trump administration’s plans to tackle infrastructure in 2018.

Ahead of your regularly scheduled episode of Marketplace this afternoon, we're bringing you the second episode of the new season of The Uncertain Hour. Starting where episode one left off, we find the government and consumer activist Ruth Desmond trying to answer an existential question: How many additives can you put into a jar of peanut butter before it's not peanut butter anymore? Trying to answer it kicked off a multiyear battle that changed the way we think about regulations in this country. The things we fight the most about are the things we know the least about, so subscribe to The Uncertain Hour and visit theuncertainhour.org for more.  

In a matter of weeks, the GOP tax plan will be in effect and riddled with unintended consequences due to the haste of passing it, says Tax Analysts chief economist Martin Sullivan. His favorite unintended consequence? Benefits for pass-through companies, which are basically any businesses that aren't corporations, and could include you if you incorporate yourself. Then your wages can be seen as tax-preferred income and you can pay a lower rate. Plus, how GE’s job cuts relate to the fall in demand for fossil fuel power equipment, the challenges and costs of getting emergency alert systems right and Kai Ryssdal talks Reagan-era glamour and workplace gender equality with pioneering Vanity Fair Editor Tina Brown.  

The GOP tax bills in the House and Senate have been portrayed as legislation intended to create a windfall for big business. But the bills have winners and losers by industry sector. We take a look at what industries come out ahead, and we give you context on the Bitcoin boom, the rumored $60 billion sale of Fox's entertainment assets to Disney and why Jerusalem's divided economy is at risk. Plus, the latest installment of “My Economy," where we hear from the publisher of a cultural magazine about southern Louisiana. 

Those are two completely different subjects, one having to do with a very long-term American problem: the dearth of innovation, which could be remedied if more low-income people of color and women were encouraged as children to innovate, according to Stanford economics professor Raj Chetty. And the other problem, lost tax revenue, is more concrete. Forty billion dollars over the next 10 years — that’s what we’d lose if the House’s proposition to repeal the 20 percent minimum tax rate for corporations goes forward (the Senate’s version of the bill keeps it.) Those differences are being ironed out this week. Also this week, a government shutdown looms. In other news, we check in on how Ireland’s open border will be affected by Brexit, and we visit the National Portrait Gallery to see an exhibition on American workers.  

You risk overheating it. If these cuts pass, and if they do, in fact, stimulate the already-growing economy, the Fed would inevitably have to pump the brakes and raise interest rates. We get into that scenario and hear listeners' ideas about what America would look like with this tax bill in place. Plus, who the Children's Health Insurance Program left stranded when Congress failed to extend its funding, a dispatch from coal country and the tale of how Charles Dickens wrote his hit Christmas story and ended up with almost no money.

Republicans calling for lower corporate tax rates often say that the cash corporations save will stimulate growth, but the truth is, they may already have the cash on hand to do that.  And then there's the cautionary tale of what happened in Kansas, where five years ago Gov. Sam Brownback brokered deep cuts that stagnated growth and ballooned the state's deficit to $1 billion before the state legislature reversed them this year. In not-tax news, we discuss the bright future of Amazon's smart speaker assistant, Alexa, the uncertain future of Britain's economy as net migration declines more than it has in 50 years and a new transitional kindergarten program that's shaking up the status quo.

It’s a big moment for the tax world in Washington, and it’s even kind of ... glamorous. Nancy Marshall-Genzer reports from the extravagant centerpiece of a spate of wildly popular events where tax elites can mix, talk big tax thoughts and eat Chick Fil A. And, another day, another round of prominent sexual harassment allegations. We check in with Congresswoman Jackie Speier about the one place these claims don’t seem to be sticking: Capitol Hill. Plus, in a time where most kids seem to be glued to an iPad or a cell phone, teddy bears are standing by — and their manufacturers are trying to remain profitable — Build-a-Bear Workshop’s CEO Sharon Price John tells us.

That’s one way to sum up the “tax trigger,” which allowed the GOP tax bill to clear the Senate budget committee today. The last-minute addition appeased deficit hawks seeking a safety net in case the economic growth triggered by the bill doesn’t quite cover what the cuts will add to the national debt. And we go to Florida, where 170,000 Puerto Ricans have already landed in the 10 weeks since Hurricane Irma hit the island. Then it's on to Nebraska, where farmers are cutting down the trees that prevent blowing dust and dirt on the plains, and we explore an urban flour mill smack-dab in the middle of a strip mall in Pasadena, California.

We've got a whole bunch of stories about America's biggest shopping holiday: From communities recovering after a long storm season, to shoppers in Korea trying to get in on the action. Then we talk with PayPal President Dan Schulman to get his perspective on this year's shopping season and the continuing rise of mobile payments. Plus: While we're all rushing around to stores, Congress is enjoying one more day of rest before a frenzy of their own: Passing the tax bill before the end of the year.

It is now officially holiday shopping season. According to a recent survey, 91 percent of people who said they'd be shopping this holiday weekend are going to do at least some of it online. However, shopping online doesn't mean you can skip all the crowds, online traffic is proving to be an issue for popular retail websites. If you are one of those people that will still go to the mall this holiday season, chances are you will see a line of people waiting to take their picture with Santa Claus. Santa visits are a big draw and can translate into big sales for retailers. But if you're trying to see him at the Macy's in New York’s Herald Square, you'll have to make an appointment first. Also on today's show: How the "Peanut Butter Grandma" changed food regulations, including what's on your Thanksgiving table. 

You might have to eat a few veggies before feasting on carbs and butter and sweets, but we're going to try and serve up a good show for you. We promise. In this case, the vegetables are federal regulations, which might seem super boring but actually affect your life every single day. Case in point: Net neutrality. Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai is on his way to rolling back virtually all the net neutrality rules his agency put in place just a couple years ago. But before rules become official, there's supposed to be a comment period. This one was historic, but sometimes they're more for show than anything else. Then, we'll update you on the latest trade rules to cross President Donald Trump's desk and the big data breach du jour (this time at Uber). Plus: As we wait for the next name to drop in the growing list of accused high-profile sexual offenders in the workplace, let's talk about the real and justified reluctance among some of the victims to say anything about it to human resources.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said today he's going to ask the commission, which is split along party lines in favor the GOP, to get rid of Obama-era rules around net neutrality and adopt a more free-market approach. The move comes at a confusing time for telecommunications policy in this country, and we'll talk about it. Then: About 60,000 Haitians living in the United States are trying to figure out what's next. The Trump administration said it's not going to renew protections that let people driven out of their homes from disaster or war live and work legally here. Citizens of 10 countries currently have that status, and Haitians are the second group this month to get a heads up that their time is running out. Finally, we'll bring you the latest on NAFTA negotiations and a new book about Indian food.