President Trump wants lower interest rates now, but what could that mean for the economy? "Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal speaks with Neil Irwin at Axios about the implications of Trump's push to cut rates, and why central banks should stay focused on stabilizing the economy, not helping the government manage its debt. Also on the show: One of the pieces passed in the GOP's sweeping budget bill was a measure that would end taxes on tips and overtime. We look at who qualifies and who doesn't. And later, how companies are viewing the cost and importance of business travel.

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Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Republicans’ newly passed tax and spending law makes good on a promise President Trump made over and over on the campaign trail: No Tax on Tips and Overtime. But the change likely won’t have the drastic impact many workers think it will. Marketplace’s Kristin Schwab joins us on the show today to break down the nuts and bolts of how the tax breaks will work and how American workers and businesses could be affected. Plus, Kimberly’s cat Artax makes an appearance.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "How the new "No Tax on Tips" and overtime laws work" from Marketplace 
• "No Tax On Tips And Overtime: What Workers Should Know" from Bankrate
• "Here’s A Tip: ‘No Taxes on Tips’ May Be Good Politics But Is Bad Policy" from the Tax Policy Center

• “An Illustrated Guide to Who Really Benefits From ‘No Tax on Tips’” from The New York Times

  
  

  Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 Pacific/6:30 Eastern. See you then!

Rideshare app Uber is rolling out a new feature in LA, San Francisco, and Detroit, allowing women drivers and passengers to request to be connected only with other women. The company says the move is in hopes of improving safety and recruiting more women drivers. But first: U.S. steel producers raise prices in response to Trump's tariffs, and we take a look at how the housing market could be complicating the jobs picture.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the Federal Reserve this afternoon. The visit is the latest turn in Trump’s campaign to pressure the Fed to lower interest rates. It's highly unusual for a president to visit the Federal Reserve; most stay away in a nod to Fed independence. And later: Did you remember to send a card? It's the 100th birthday of a research lab to which we owe much of modern life: Bell Labs.

From the BBC World Service: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in London sealing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom worth $6.5 billion. The agreement, billed as the biggest since Britain left the European Union, will slash India's tariffs on U..K goods from 15% to around 3%. We'll discuss the significance. Then, Armenia — a landlocked country of just 2.7 million people — is making big waves in tech, from coding labs and schools to startups.

This story was produced by our colleagues at the BBC.

High-flying and high-tech, the very latest in drone technology took to the skies over an airfield near the Danish city of Odense.

At the International Drone Show, 50 exhibitors showed off their wares. And because more money is flowing into military budgets, the emphasis was on defense.

Danish company Quadsat makes drones with satellite reading software. Besides civilian uses, the devices can also identify enemy radar.

"Over the years, we have seen an increasing interest from the defense side, no doubt about that, and that's also where we have a lot of work currently being carried out," said Klaus Aude, Quadsat’s chief commercial officer.

Leaders of the NATO military alliance have agreed to ramp up defense spending to 5% of their countries' economic output by 2035, following months of pressure from President Donald Trump.

Nordic countries have already committed to bigger budgets. Among them, NATO’s newest members Finland and Sweden, as well as long time members Norway and Denmark.

As Europe races to re-arm, drones are a sought-after technology. One estimate suggests the global market for defense drones is already worth over $24 billion, and could double by 2032.

"The Nordics have always been very strong in drone adoption, drone development," said Kay Wackwitz, chief executive of Drone Industry Insights.

"You can definitely see that those countries that have borders with Russia are really stocking up on those technologies. The commercial market is now struggling for its fourth year in a row with declining venture capital,” added Wackwitz. “And on the other side, we see a huge demand on the military end of things, which means a lot of companies are refocusing from the commercial space to the military space."

In June, low-cost Ukrainian drones carried out an audacious mission, destroying dozens of prized Russian fighter jets in a conflict that’s reshaped modern warfare.

North of Copenhagen in a hangar, Danish firm Nordic Wing makes drones used for battlefield surveillance and combat. Its customers are NATO countries, but they are largely destined for Ukraine, where “there was a huge need and a calling to have these systems helping on the front lines,” said Jonas Münster, CEO of Nordic Wing. “And therefore, the production went into overdrive. Now we have a European Union that is looking into what we've learned in Ukraine and realizing that we don't have a drone capability in Europe."

With a 2,000-square-kilometer flying zone, the drone port in Odense has grown into a hub for tech startups. Next year, military personnel will also be training there at a new $110 million army facility.

"Some militaries have actually made a shift from saying ‘every soldier is a rifleman,’ to ‘everyone is going to be a drone operator at some level,’” said Major Rasmus Ros, who’s part of Denmark’s Defense Command. “We're going to have drone operators in the whole joint military of Denmark. They can come here, get their basic training, share ideas and technology development, and then go back to their units and further develop that."

But not everyone is so positive about this. Outside the trade fair, protestors chanted "drones for peace, not war." New geopolitical realities are reshaping this fast-paced industry. And as this technology advances, ethical and regulatory concerns over the use of AI to pilot drones are also being raised.

Under the new agreement, American consumers will now face a 15% tax on Japanese imports — a major jump from the 1.5% rate set back in 2019. The White House says making imports more expensive will encourage more domestic production. But these tariffs could have the opposite effect when it comes to getting manufacturing back on American shores. Also on the show: AI infiltrates the perfume industry. But first, how a weak U.S. dollar is boosting earnings, and why companies are quiet about it.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

President Trump announced a trade deal with Japan that will impose 15% tariffs on imports. Wall Street is happy, but it could put the United States in an awkward position as the Trump administration continues to seek other deals. Sabri Ben-Achour explains. Also, the federal government is leading a major deregulatory crusade. And they want your input. Plus, quilts and blooming plants make us smile.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Trump's Labor Department proposes more than 60 rule changes in a push to deregulate workplaces" from AP News
• "Trump Strikes Deal With Ally Japan Setting Tariff Rate at 15%" from Bloomberg

• Listener Jen’s quilting Instagram

  
  

  We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

Later today, we'll get sales, profits, losses, and hints of the road ahead from Tesla. But its boss, Elon Musk, has had a lot to juggle as of late: Tesla, government cost-cutting, X, SpaceX, xAI, and now maybe even a new political party. We'll discuss what all of these various priorities mean for Musk, Tesla, and Tesla's shareholders. And later on the program: Could prefab homes help alleviate the housing crisis?

At an artificial intelligence summit in Washington today, we'll learn more about the Trump administration's plans for guardrails to keep a potentially dangerous technology in line. Other topics likely to be addressed include the federal government's use of AI, energy-hungry data centers, loosened export controls on AI chips, and what the administration perceives as anti-conservative bias in tech. Also: what to make of Trump's trade deal with Japan, and what to expect from Tesla's Q2 results.