Marketplace All-in-One

The Federal Communications Commission is set to release the first round of its updated national broadband map this week. It’s supposed to show more precise and detailed information on internet availability all over the country. Advocates have complained for years the old maps were full of inaccurate data, and getting those numbers right is a big deal because this new map will determine how the government spends the $42.5 billion in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Dustin Loup, program manager for the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, a digital advocacy group, about how the new map was developed, how the FCC will try to keep it updated and potential problems facing this updated version.

Since Elon Musk bought Twitter, over a million people (including Kai and Kimberly) have joined Mastodon, a decentralized social media network. On the show today, Robert Gehl, professor of communications and media studies at York University in Toronto, explains the ins and outs of Mastodon and decentralized social media and what it means for our public discourse. In the News Fix, we’ll talk about why mortgage rates are so darn high (it’s not all because of rising interest rates) and the future of self-driving cars — don’t plan to take your hands off the wheel anytime soon. Later, we’ll hear from a listener about what it takes to run for a local school board in Wisconsin. Plus, the eBay hack you didn’t know you needed. Here’s everything we talked about today: “What Is Mastodon and Why Are People Leaving Twitter for It?” from The New York Times “Mastodon Mobs and Mastodon Mods: Dealing with Outside Groups Pressuring Instance Administrators” from Code Sections Kai’s Mastodon handle: @kairyssdal@mastodon.world Kimberly’s Mastodon handle: @kimberlyadams@mastodon.online You can also find Kimberly on Tribel and Cohost “What Riding in a Self-Driving Tesla Tells Us About the Future of Autonomy” from The New York Times “Mortgage Rates Are High Because Nobody Is Buying Mortgages” from The Wall Street Journal We want to hear from you. If you’ve joined Mastodon or are staying with Twitter, let us know how it’s going. We’re at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Nearly 40% of workers wouldn’t, according to a new survey. The pandemic dramatically shifted people’s relationships to and feelings about work. In this episode, a look at bleak workplace attitudes and what’s driving them. Plus, what surging metal prices mean for the global economy, how a slowing housing market affects city taxes, and why low levels on the Mississippi River are problematic for agricultural supply chains.

The fines come following all the drama about flight delays and cancellations. Drew Matus of Metlife checks in with us regarding today’s market activity. The global pandemic ushered in another level of online shopping, which spelled doom for many malls across the nation – but one mall in Portland has adapted.

The tech giant has to pay millions to settle a lawsuit over how it has been collecting user data. The BBC reports on how frustration over COVID restrictions are starting to boil over in China. The Economist’s climate innovation editor checks in from the – where else – COP27 climate summit in Egypt.

From the BBC World Service: Nine rich countries have pledged at least $20 billion to enable coal-dependent Indonesia to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Residents in the Chinese city of Guangzhou have escaped a coronavirus lockdown and clashed with police. And according to the U.N., the global population is expected to hit 8 billion today.

It’s been a wild ride these past two weeks with Twitter under the ownership of Elon Musk, including Musk showing up at Twitter headquarters with a sink and laying off half of the company’s global staff. Just about every day there’s a new headline about what’s happening in the company and on the platform: leadership changes, verification subscriptions rolled out and pulled back, threats to fire employees if they work remotely. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with Alex Heath, a deputy editor at The Verge, who says Musk wants to change just about everything at Twitter, even if it’s messy.

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the leaders of the two most powerful countries in the world met face to face, on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit today. We’ll talk about why this IRL meeting matters and what the future of U.S.-China relations could mean for the global economy. Plus, there are signs the Federal Reserve is getting ready to slow its roll on interest rate hikes. And, Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams talk missions to the moon, past and present! Here’s everything we talked about today: “Biden and Xi clash over Taiwan in Bali but Cold War fears cool” from Reuters “Lael Brainard Says Fed Probably Will ‘Soon’ Slow Pace of Interest-Rate Hikes” from Bloomberg “Time Is Running Out for the Leap Second” from The New York Times “NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission still ‘go’ for Nov. 16 launch” from Space.com Kai recommends the book “Apollo Remastered” by photographer Andy Saunders If you’ve got a question for the hosts or your own answer to the Make Me Smart question, call 508-U-B-SMART and leave us a voicemail. Or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit today. Tariffs and other restrictions have hampered the already complex relationship between the two countries. Today, we outline the economic stakes of their conversation. Plus, a shortage of electrical transformers frustrates utility companies, the failure of FTX provides a painful lesson for cryptocurrency investors and retailers hope for predictability this holiday season.

Now there’s news of a possible hack at the cryptocurrency exchange. Julia Coronado at MacroPolicy Perspectives discusses the yield on the 10-year Treasury and inflation. Then, we have the story of the unionization of the nation’s first Chipotle.

Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping meet up in Bali. Target wants to make its stores bigger. Amy Scott discusses the latest on “How We Survive” with David.

From the BBC World Service: At the G20 summit in Indonesia, President Joe Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping are sitting down for the first time since Biden became president. Mozambique has begun exporting liquefied natural gas for the first time ever. And Sri Lanka’s government has unveiled a new budget which raises taxes and cuts spending as the country continues to suffer from one of its worst ever economic crises.

The National Labor Relations Board is a federal agency tasked with making sure workers can organize to improve their working conditions, wages or form a union. But the NLRB says some employers are using technology to prevent or discourage workers from doing just that. The agency released a public memo on Oct. 31 saying it plans to protect employees from “intrusive or abusive electronic monitoring and automated management,” practices the NLRB says are increasingly happening as the technology gets better and companies seek more oversight of their workers, especially with more people working remotely. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Jennifer Abruzzo, general counsel for the agency and author of the memo, about some of the new surveillance methods that concern her.

Rich countries, like the United States, are the biggest emitters of gases that drive climate change. Should they pay developing countries for climate damage? Kai and guest host Andy Uhler recap the COP27 summit and the debate over climate reparations. Plus, NASA thought it had collected all the artifacts from the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster, until now. And, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today: “About Biden’s climate pit stop” from Politico “Here’s What Happened on Tuesday at the COP27 Climate Summit” from The New York Times “Divers Discover Piece of Space Shuttle Challenger Off Florida Coast” from The New York Times “It’s not a fluke, it’s a rot: Why the political media blew the 2022 election” from Press Watch “Why high interest rates are partly responsible for the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot” from Marketplace “Coming soon to a theater near you: company Zoom meetings” from Marketplace “Elon Musk’s first big Twitter product paused after fake accounts spread” from The Washington Post “Are ‘I Voted’ stickers worth the cost?” from Marketplace We can’t do this show without you. Keep sending your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART.

When Elon Musk purchased Twitter, he borrowed billions. Now, the banks that helped finance that purchase are trying to offload those loans, but potential buyers are offering a sharply lower price of 60 cents on the dollar. Investors are wary of the risk after Musk’s first weeks as Twitter CEO. Also in today’s episode, a look back at this week’s economic data, a review of Amazon’s cost-cutting strategy and a warning for buyers in the crypto-sphere.