Marketplace All-in-One

In one of the biggest foreign investments in the U.S., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has pledged billions to make chips in Arizona, which has attracted the attention of President Biden, Apple CEO Tim Cook and others. Also, we look at where the money is moving in the Warnock-Walker Senate race in Georgia. Then, we talk mayo eggnog, much to the delight of some companies … they hope.

From the BBC World Service: Ukraine’s digital minister tells us how the country is doubling its use of Elon Musk’s Starlink network to overcome infrastructure damage. Plus, Canada sanctions three wealthy Haitian businessmen for links to criminal gangs. And, how do you clean the world’s oceans? We hear from The Ocean Cleanup’s founder Boyan Slat.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have solved a particularly challenging differential equation that dates back to the early 1900s. The explanation gets pretty technical pretty fast, but the point is that solving this equation enabled researchers to create a new type of artificial intelligence system that can learn on the spot and adapt to changing patterns, as opposed to traditional systems in which the machine learning is based on existing patterns or expected outcomes. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with MIT researcher Ramin Hasani, who said it’s called a liquid neural network, and it kind of works like a human brain.

There’s a new AI chatbot that’s going viral. Popular results shared on social media show just how scary accurate the chatbot can be. We’ll discuss what widespread use of artificial intelligence like this could mean for certain sectors of the economy and the spread of misinformation. Also, an update on the status of Iran’s morality police. And, Kimberly shares her encounter with a feisty camel.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

If you’ve got a question about the economy, business or technology, let us know. We’re at [email protected], or leave us a message at 508-U-B-SMART.

The U.S. dollar has given up about half its 2022 gains in the past month or so. That’s good news for exporters, but not so great for American companies that import pricier items. Today, a look at what’s going on with the greenback. Plus, inflation and other problems create a “perfect storm” for food banks, an Oregon bar serves up women’s sports and studios debate whether fans will flock back to movie theaters.

Solid wage and job growth showed up in the most recent jobs report, but some of that might be an illusion on the power of the labor market. For more insight, Julia Coronado of MacroPolicy Perspectives talks with us. Elsewhere, China appears to be easing up its zero-COVID restrictions. Then we learn more about the diffusion index, which could offer even more clues about the job market.

Restrictions designed to limit Russian oil exports take effect today, but there are questions as to how much actual effect they will have. Also, we look at what the wage rise reflected in Friday’s jobs report tells us. Chris Farrell talks to us about what separates Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

From the BBC World Service: Oil prices rise as an E.U. embargo on seaborne Russian oil comes into effect, along with a price cap. Estonian minister Riina Sikkut tells us it’s not low enough – but it’s a start. Elsewhere, China begins to relax its zero-COVID policy. And, we find out how Kenyan farmers are adapting to climate change.

Most websites have code running in the background to help the site run better and, of course, to target advertising. A recent investigation from “The Markup” found many tax-filing sites were sharing users’ financial data with Facebook using a code called Meta Pixel. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks to Simon Fondrie-Teitler, an infrastructure engineer at The Markup and co-author of this investigation.

Today, we’re doing the numbers on the latest national jobs report. Women got the majority of jobs gained in November. We’ll explain why this isn’t a total win. Plus, Iowa traditionally holds the first Democratic caucus, making the state superinfluential during election seasons. But that’s all about to change. And, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today:

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