Marketplace

President Donald Trump signed an executive order today that will eventually allow Americans to buy health insurance with lower premiums. While younger, healthier people may be able to take advantage of these plans, they may exclude some sick people with pre-existing conditions and other factors Obamacare eradicated. The president is keeping us in business as fact-checkers: Last night he said the rising stock market will fix the debt problem. But debt and stocks are entirely different assets and can't be compared dollar for dollar. And while fires rage in Northern California, we look into the risk assessment of floods and why some in Houston would prefer their homes stay off official floodplain maps.  

The White House made a few statements recently regarding tax cuts and tax rates that could really use some fact-checking. And that's what Marketplace is here for. President Donald Trump tweeted that the massive tax cuts he'd like to see from Congress would cause an already rallying stock market to skyrocket. But historically, the effects of big tax cuts on the stock market have been small, and it has likely gone up  since Trump was elected in anticipation of cuts. Then, Sarah Huckabee Sanders assured the press corps that the U.S. has the highest tax rate in the developed world, which is technically true, but the rate most corporations actually pay is pretty average in comparison. There's also some tax trouble in Cook County, Illinois, over a soda tax that's been repealed after only two months in effect. Plus, we dive deep into home buyouts in post-flood Houston, the economic mood in Catalonia and how to make a women's magazine thrive in a competitive industry.

The venture capitalists who just gave $110 million to a sock company said that. And that's today's good news. Nearly everything else revolves around two men at the helm of their respective organizations who are losing popularity this week: Harvey Weinstein, whose business affiliates in Hollywood are fleeing from deals with his eponymous production company after years' worth of sexual assault allegations were reported, and Donald Trump. His tactics renegotiating NAFTA were described as an "existential threat" by the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, his big infrastructure plan is in limbo after he made comments trashing the public-private partnerships that had been expected to fund it, and data shows that the coal industry won't be coming back anytime soon despite his reversal of greenhouse gas emissions regulations. And we answer a listener's question: "Why are bottles of soda sold in liters but milk is sold in gallons?"    

There’s a lot of policy reform underway at the White House this week. President Donald Trump is gearing up to sign an executive order to undermine Obamacare, and people are calling it a “synthetic repeal.” He’s also worked out a deal with Democratic senators on immigration, a deal that shifts policy based on family ties to one that prioritizes skilled workers. And the clock is ticking for Trump and the Republicans to overhaul taxes — there are only 32 legislative days left in 2017. Across the globe, we look at what’s happening diplomatically behind the scenes to put pressure on North Korea, how destruction in Puerto Rico looks like opportunity to some corporations and how European Union member states are breaking apart and coming together in the name of reform.  

It's jobs day. The numbers weren't great, in part because of the hurricanes that hit Florida and the Gulf Coast, but also because of the way jobs numbers are crunched each month. We'll explain. Then: Amazon is testing a new service in its quest to (very nearly) take over this country's retail economy: shipping. Later, we'll bring you the latest on President Donald Trump and the Iran deal, and, as always, we'll wrap up the week in business news.

President Donald Trump gave his assessment of the American economy this morning on Twitter: "Stock Market hits an ALL-TIME high! Unemployment lowest in 16 years! Business and manufacturing enthusiasm at highest level in decades!" A couple things about that: Markets go down too, and unemployment was only at a 16-year low back in June. It's not clear what "business enthusiasm" metric he was using. But look: It's a long-established tradition for presidents to claim credit for the country's economic successes. Whether that credit's always deserved? That's less clear. Also on this show: We'll bring you the latest on Republicans' tax plan and examine a play all about junk bonds. Plus: Our reporter hitched a ride yesterday on a planeload of union nurses, truck drivers and electricians headed from New York to Puerto Rico.

After a tragedy, like the one in Las Vegas Sunday, we're left with many questions. Here's just one: If you run a hotel, or a festival, or anyplace where a lot of people gather, what do you do now to keep them safe? Security at big events and heavy traffic areas is already tougher than it used to be, and hardening those soft targets doesn't come cheap. Then: One very basic way to think of what the White House and Republicans in Congress are trying to do with the tax code is get rid of deductions to help pay for lower tax rates. A big one is the corporate tax deduction, and businesses hold it dear. Plus, a conversation with Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson about the election, Airbnb and how his company became the largest hotel chain in the world.

Two weeks after Hurricane Maria tore though Puerto Rico, and residents are struggling to get basic supplies and power. President Donald Trump made his first trip to survey the damage today and do a little back patting for the federal response. He also joked the disaster was throwing the federal budget "out of whack." The truth is the cost of aid is far from the only thing in D.C. with big budget implications. Take the GOP tax plan: White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is saying it has to add to the deficit to be effective. We'll start the show sorting through that claim. Then: Solar panels are cheaper than ever, but they're still out of reach for the people they could help most. Take Brunswick, Georgia: The poverty rate's 41 percent, and electric bills can top $250 in the summer. Can it benefit from the solar boom? Plus, the latest on Facebook's ad sales to Russian operatives.

As the police and FBI in Las Vegas try to figure out the "whys" of last night — not that there can really ever be an answer to that question — we're going to stay in our lane today and just note that President Trump will make a trip to the city Wednesday. Before that he'll travel to Puerto Rico, bringing with him news of a $13 billion request to Congress for emergency assistance. FEMA director Brock Long pointedly defended the federal response amid mounting criticism, adding that Washington's trying to get the private sector more involved. Then, onto tax reform: There's a disconnect between Republicans, who are pushing tax cuts to spur growth, and the Federal Reserve, which says things are doing just fine. Plus, what you need to know about the unrest in Spain.

Lobbying is the word of the day as we look toward the rest of Congress' year. Tax policy might be the only issue that affects more Americans than health care, and if you thought the fight over Obamacare was intense, you ain't seen nothing yet. Then, we'll look at Facebook and Twitter, who are both in hot water with lawmakers over Russian interference in the 2016 election. Later, we'll examine the rebuilding effort in Puerto Rico and what debt's got to do with it. Plus, we'll talk about President Donald Trump's tax cut in the Weekly Wrap.

As tax week marches on, ranking Republicans in Congress and the White House are busy talking up their reform proposal. We'll do some fact-checking around who wins and who loses, then tackle all the potential changes to the corporate tax code. After that, we'll look at how one Los Angeles neighborhood group is fighting off gentrification by buying its own building. Plus: The second half our conversation with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Congressional Republicans and the White House took the wraps off their plans for the tax code today. It's still pretty broad, but we'll start the show by working though some of the details we got today: doubling the standard deduction, how companies will use tax savings on profits they bring home and maybe most importantly, how party leaders are gonna sell this thing. Then, we'll take a look back to 1986, the last time the government got tax reform through. Plus: A conversation with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about his new book, immigration and — what else? — tax reform. 

Hurricane Maria left 3.5 million Americans scrounging to find food, water and electrical power. President Donald Trump announced today he'll be heading to Puerto Rico to assess the damage and check on aid efforts. "It’s the most difficult job," he said. “It’s out in the ocean. You can’t just drive your trucks there from other states.” That's true! We'll talk about it. Then: Facebook touches 2 billion people around the world, and some in Congress are calling for regulations that would treat it more like a media company. But what would that even look like? Plus: A conversation with outgoing Vanity Fair Editor (and long-time Trump enemy) Graydon Carter.

Congressional Republicans and the White House have promised they'll start filling in the blanks on their proposals to overhaul the tax code Wednesday, though you'd be forgiven if it escaped your notice. Anyway, the early glimpses we've gotten of the White House's plans have been a bit confusing, so we'll start today's show trying to sort it all out. Then: Critics have accused the government of being slow to respond to the devastation in Puerto Rico, but one industry is watching very closely: Big Pharma. More than a quarter of all the drugs we export are made in the territory. Plus, Nebraska has more refugees than any other state in the country per capita. Today we'll take a look at Yazidis, a religious minority in Iraq that has found a second home in Lincoln.

When Senator John McCain announced he'd vote no on the latest GOP replacement for Obamacare, he said: "The specter of September 30th budget reconciliation deadline has hung over this entire process," and he's right. We keep hearing about how Republicans need to get something done by the end of the month, and we'll start today's show with the health care drama and the legislative mechanism driving it. Then: Aaron Hernandez's autopsy result showed severe brain damage, and it's just the latest in a string of injury revelations for the NFL, but what effect will they really have on the league's $14 billion business? Plus, the latest bad news for Uber.