Marketplace All-in-One

T-Mobile and SpaceX are partnering to provide mobile service everywhere, using satellites to patch up coverage in areas where there are no cell towers. And, we take today’s “Economic Pulse” by speaking with Pedro, an immigrant day laborer who organizes other workers to prevent wage theft and poor working conditions.

From the BBC World Service: As Fed Chair Jay Powell takes to the stage at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, anticipation is building that he’ll double down on the U.S. central bank’s commitment to stamp out inflation. Rising prices are a problem all around the world. But economist Dr. Mohamed El-Erian explains the factors driving it are different region to region. Plus, Russia appears to be burning natural gas it could have sent to Europe. And, the French government says energy giant TotalEnergies has questions to answer about reports it’s been indirectly involved in supplying fuel to Russia’s airforce.

Bashing Big Tech has become something of a rare, unifying pastime in these divided times. But more nuanced views, in our world of thumbs up and crying emoji, can be harder to pin down. Researchers from the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University want to shed more light on the attitudes of Americans more broadly and how they view our biggest tech firms. The Center worked with YouGov on its latest poll, which found there’s plenty of distrust. But in the words of a Facebook relationship status — it’s complicated. Marketplace Tech received exclusive, advance access to the center’s latest poll results. Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Taylor Barkley, technology and innovation director at CGO to discuss which companies people trust or distrust and the various distinctions behind those trust issues.

Picture this: In the not-too-distant future, gas cars will be a thing of the past. This week, California moved to ban sales of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. We’ll discuss what it means for our clean-er economic future. Plus, big ups to the person running the White House Twitter account. And, if you paid a fee for being tardy on your taxes, the IRS might be sending you a check.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Grab a beverage and join us Friday for Economics on Tap. We’ll be on the YouTube livestream starting at 6:30 ET/3:30 PT. We’ll have more news, drinks and a game.

Gross domestic product and gross domestic income are two ways of measuring the economy that are usually like two sides of the same coin. All that spending and all that income should be roughly the same, but right now they’re totally different. Today, we’ll examine why that gap exists and why it matters so much. Also on the program: Supply chain bottlenecks drive rising prices, and inflation comes to the classroom.

Officials in the Golden State are expected to approve a plan today that will ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. Auto regulations in California often influence other states to adopt similar rules. Also, we’ll preview the Federal Reserve’s big Jackson Hole Economic Symposium with economist Diane Swonk who will be in attendance. Plus, how China is aiming to boost the country’s economy with stimulus as it’s being hit by a strict zero-COVID policy, heat waves and more. Finally, a look at how your conduct matters when it comes to tort law and amusement parks. It’s some legal context for our “Econ Extra Credit” selection this month, “Class Action Park.”

The Biden administration has officially rolled out a plan to cancel some student debt for certain individual borrowers. But that doesn’t change the fact that the cost of college tuition is running at record-high levels. We look at why higher education is so expensive. Plus, get your Federal Reserve “bingo cards” ready for the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, which kicks off today. If you want to know what to watch for in Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech planned for tomorrow, we have you covered. And, welcome news for consumers: A handful of retailers have recently announced they’ll be marking down products to try to get them out the door and clear excess inventory they’ve accumulated during the pandemic.

From the BBC World Service: Chinese officials are putting a total of $146 billion toward measures aimed at propping up an economy hit by severe drought, energy shortages and a strict zero-COVID strategy. Also, French President Macron is in Algeria for a trip aimed at repairing relations between the two nations. He will also likely focus on how the country can help Europe achieve energy security without Russia. And, the war in Ukraine hasn’t just disrupted daily life in that country. We hear how it’s wreaked havoc on the global food supply chain and those who work in it.

As much as parents worry about children and screen time, there’s a growing market of video game-based apps designed to help kids work through their feelings. Now the Medicaid program in Wisconsin will cover the cost of at least one of those apps. We talked to a family in the state who tried it out.

It’s happening! After months of debate, President Joe Biden is forgiving up to $20,000 in student loan debt. One listener wants to know whether the bankruptcy system can offer an alternative solution to the student loan debt crisis. We’ll help break it down. Plus, more of your questions about how congressional staffers get paid, congestion at our ports and hard seltzer.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Have more questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected], or leave a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART.