Marketplace All-in-One

From the BBC World Service: As cold weather puts European power networks under pressure, we look at the options available to keep the lights on. Plus, a further relaxation of COVID rules in Hong Kong. And, the first member of K-pop sensation BTS enrolls for mandatory military service.

China recently eased some of its strict zero-COVID policies after unprecedented protests erupted in several parts of the country. For weeks, there were demonstrations against three years of constant PCR testing and reporting, travel restrictions and citywide quarantines, nonstop tracking and surveillance of citizens. Now, Chinese authorities are deploying some of the same tools they used to limit the spread of COVID-19 to track down demonstrators who have been speaking out against the government in public and online. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with Marketplace’s China correspondent, Jennifer Pak, who’s been covering this story from Shanghai. Pak gave Adams a quick rundown of how the surveillance is being carried out.

The campaign to curb rising prices is proceeding, and some pandemic-induced inflation is cooling. But getting price hikes down to the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal may take years. In today’s episode, why the last miles of the inflation fight are so difficult. Plus, a bipartisan retirement savings bill has its limits, China’s COVID policies have kept families apart and urgent care centers expand across the U.S.

Julia Coronado of MacroPolicy Perspectives talks with us about how crude oil prices and other things could offer some positive clues about the direction of inflation. Elsewhere, the costs of heating oil could be bad news for people in the Northeast. Finally, as Haiti deals with turmoil, its migrants are facing economic struggles in the U.S.

Today is the first installment of our series on the invention of the transistor, which in myriad ways is one of the cornerstones of modern innovation. It turns 75 this week. Also, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently shared some optimism about the economy.

From the BBC World Service: The E.U. Parliament has been rocked by what’s being described as one of the most “serious and shocking” corruption scandals in its history. It involves a Gulf state – reportedly Qatar – bribing officials. We get all the details on that. Plus, businesses in Zimbabwe tell us how they’re struggling to cope with severe power cuts.

Last week, officials in San Francisco decided to scrap a plan that would have allowed law enforcement to use robots in situations that may require “deadly force.” Specifically, according to the language of the ordinance that the city’s board of supervisors initially approved, when “risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweighs any other force option available.” The plan was rolled back after a public backlash, but the technology is out there and it may be just a matter of time before it’s used by local police departments. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Ryan Jenkins, a professor of philosophy and senior fellow at the Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. There’s a concern, he said, that the deployment of robots would lower barriers to the use of force, making violence a more common occurrence in police work.

For our final episode of 2022, we’re throwing a holiday party with music, Santa hats, drinks and our favorite game, Half-Full/Half-Empty. But can’t forget about the News Fix. Today, we’re talking about a surge in COVID cases amid the holiday travel season. Also, the struggle to find housing in D.C. is real. We’ll explain what happened to a soon-to-be congressman when he went apartment hunting. Plus, we want to hear about your New Year’s resolutions!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

We’ll be back with new shows Jan. 9! Until then, we’re dropping some of our top episodes of the year in your feeds.

If you’d like to share your New Year’s resolutions, leave us a voicemail at (508) U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

The producer price index of wholesale prices rose slightly in October. But wholesale inflation has dropped seven of the last eight months because of falling demand for products and fewer supply chain kinks. In this episode, we look at how the Federal Reserve might interpret this data ahead of its meeting next week to hike interest rates. Plus, the key information often left out of financial aid letters, and tribal nations fight for a role in Colorado River management.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is asking publicly traded companies about any impacts from their exposure to cryptocurrency. We look into the possible impact of California’s Senate Bill 731, which expands the number of people who can have their criminal records sealed.