Marketplace All-in-One

Actor and producer LeVar Burton is famous for many things, like his iconic roles in “Star Trek” and “Roots” and as host of the PBS show “Reading Rainbow.” His run with the show ended in the mid-2000s, but he is still promoting literacy for kids as the “chief reading officer” at ed-tech company Byju’s Osmo. Together, they’re launching a reading program for kids ages 5 to 7 that uses an iPad and the Osmo app’s artificial intelligence and speech recognition. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams asked Burton about the unique reading challenges facing kids today.

Ford announced it’s slashing 3,000 white-collar jobs as part of its transition to electric vehicles. We’ll discuss what the layoffs reveal about our changing economy. Plus, could a free tax filing system finally be in the works at the IRS? Then, want to hear what outer space sounds like? Listen till the end to find out.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

We want to hear from you. Write us at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART.

Supply chain issues haven’t gone away — we’ll hear from business owners about them in this episode. We’ll also hear about recent “reshoring,” which a new report says is on the rise, with 350,000 manufacturing jobs coming back to the U.S. this year. Plus, Ukrainians in the U.S. find new ways to send money home, Taiwan trade discussions progress and speed limiters gain traction.

A federal relief program for farmers of color is facing changes with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. We delve into how the legislation strips out language referencing race, and what that means for farmers who have been waiting for the money. We talked to Julia Coronado, founder and president of MacroPolicy Perspectives, on the latest in the global economy and the buzz ahead of the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium hosted by the Federal Reserve. Also, we hear from Japan about the country’s struggle to combat work days that are so long they might be illegal.

The oil giant Chevron recently launched a news website geared toward the population of the Permian Basin in Texas, complete with local stories about puppies laid side by side with stories about the company. We talk to Molly Taft, who writes for Gizmodo, about what this site says about journalism in the digital age. Plus, there’s a new report out today from the Joint Economic Committee in Congress that delves into which people are most susceptible to being “unbanked” and “underbanked,” and what kinds of problems that causes. And, Cineworld, the owner of the Regal chain of movie theaters in the U.S., has filed for bankruptcy protection.

From the BBC World Service: A rare cargo of liquified natural gas is arriving in England, and some of it could be piped to mainland Europe. Many European countries are struggling to find a solution to an energy crisis after Russia cut gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to just 20% of normal levels. Plus, more than 10,000 employers in Japan have been found to be forcing staff to work illegally long hours. And, as South Africa expands its vaccine production capacity, is more localized manufacturing still relevant?

Sometimes, innovative ideas can be hard to visualize when you don’t have an image in front of you. Now, there’s a machine-learning program to help. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams explores the artificial intelligence model DALL-E 2 and the images it renders using text prompts.

The housing market has slowed, and that’s caused some mortgage lenders to go out of business. Kai and Amy Scott explain why we’re not in 2008 territory and what to actually take away from this news. Then, in today’s Half Full/Half Empty, we discuss muscle cars, creative inflation compensation, store brands and automatic college admissions!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

We want to hear from you. If you’ve got a question, comment or suggestion, send us a voice memo at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART.

General Motors announced that it will spend $5 billion repurchasing its shares, which companies sometimes do to boost stock prices when they have extra cash. Buybacks have a bad reputation; we’ll discuss the pros and cons on today’s show. Plus, we’ll look at the streaming industry’s growing pains and ponder peak inflation with our panel of experts.

Data this week seem to indicate that the white-hot housing market is finally cooling down. We dive into what could be causing the chilling effect, including rising interest rates and still-sky-high prices for homes. And, we speak to FHN Financial chief economist Christopher Low about the latest buzz with the Federal Reserve and meme stocks.