Marketplace All-in-One

The Fed announces its plan for interest rates today, and it’s widely expected to raise them. We discuss many things inflation with David Kelly of J.P. Morgan. Oil and gas prices spiked this morning on the heels of Vladimir Putin’s announcement to mobilize reservists for the war in Ukraine.

The Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest move on interest rates today. While inflation is a global problem, we look at how the Fed ends up determining how the world fights it. An attorney helps us dive into the machinations surrounding the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Google.

From the BBC World Service: Margrethe Vestager, one of the European Commissioner’s executive vice presidents and its competition commissioner, says funding alternative technologies is a crucial element in the transition away from Russian energy supplies. Plus, Germany reaches a deal to nationalize one of its gas giants. Uniper has been struggling after Russia significantly curtailed gas supplies to Europe in response to Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine.

The word “meme” might bring to mind a viral picture of a weird-looking cat with silly text, a tweet or video showing up everywhere online. But some political memes can be downright dangerous, according to a new book — “Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America.” Its authors argue that memes have inspired cultural battles over the last decade both on- and offline. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Emily Dreyfuss, a senior editor at Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center and one of the book’s co-authors, about how far-right or extremist groups use memes as weaponized tools in their attempts to influence American politics.

For years, China has been forecast to overtake the U.S. as the world’s top economic superpower. But recently, the second-largest economy has been slowing under its zero-COVID policy. There’s also problems in its housing market, and its currency, the yuan, is falling.

On the show, Jennifer Pak, Marketplace’s China correspondent, makes us smart about China’s standing in the global economy and whether it’s still on track to topple the U.S. from the top spot.

In the News Fix: Supply chain problems aren’t over, and neither is the pandemic. Plus, Hurricane Fiona is still on a tear.

Then, are Make Me Smart listeners trolling the hosts? We’ll also hear about a potential solution to the beer shortage. Fizzless beer, anyone? We’re calling on all cicerones out there!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Join us tomorrow for Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday. Submit your question about money, business or the economy at [email protected] or leave us a voice mail at 508-U-B-SMART.

In anticipation of more rate hikes by the Federal Reserve this week, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note finished at the highest it’s been in more than a decade. In today’s episode, we’ll break down what a higher interest rate on the government’s debt means for everyday Americans, from higher rates on personal loans to a potential hiring slowdown. Plus, home prices still won’t come down, and many Puerto Ricans are without flood insurance.

How much is too much when it comes to fighting inflation? As central banks across the globe raise interest rates, there’s concern that all that raising could make things worse. The U.N. holds its first full in-person meeting of world leaders in years. We explore how supply chain issues have cooled off hot chicken businesses in Nashville.

From the BBC World Service: Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy company, is temporarily shutting down a pipeline to China. In Indonesia, a new digital privacy law could see huge fines and prison time for offenders. And, the European Commission’s competition watchdog, Margaret Vestager, talks to Marketplace about the future of Big Tech.

The housing market remains a rough place for both buyers and sellers under the cloud of inflation … and also rising interest rates. An expert helps explain how gerrymandering can actually impact credit.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade back in June, many states have been working on new laws related to digital privacy and access — or restricting what kind of information can be shared online. This trend highlights the increasing disparity between states in terms of what’s legal online and what might be in the future. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with Matt Perault, director of the Center on Technology Policy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a consultant on technology policy issues. He wrote an essay for Wired on what might happen when the rules for what you can say and do online are different from state to state. Perault says this kind of digital fragmentation is a relatively new concept in the U.S., but some people already know what it’s like.