Marketplace All-in-One

From the BBC World Service: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has issued a new report, warning that the war in Ukraine will cause higher inflation and lower growth for the next year at least. Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has been holding talks in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who says Turkey supports a United Nations plan to facilitate exports of Ukrainian grain by sea. And in Australia, state, territory and federal government ministers have met for crisis talks over the soaring cost of natural gas.

The deployment of algorithms and artificial intelligence can have unintended consequences. Back in April, the Associated Press released an investigation into an algorithm used by one Pennsylvania county to help decide which families to investigate for child neglect and abuse. Researchers found that, if not for the intervention of social workers, the algorithm would have exacerbated racial disparities. Since that report, Oregon stopped using a similar tool. Sally Ho, an investigative correspondent with the Associated Press, co-authored the report. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Ho about how the algorithm in Pennsylvania worked.

This country had a problem with housing before the pandemic. But it got real bananapants in the midst of it.

A large part of why we’re in this mess comes down to supply and demand. There’s just not enough homes to go around, which is driving up prices. Housing prices are up 20% from last year, and experts say we need up to 6.8 million units to meet demand.

So if it’s a supply problem, why can’t we just build more homes?

“Builders like to talk about the three L’s that go into housing: land, labor and lumber. And all of those things are harder to get. And more expensive,” said Amy Scott, a senior correspondent at Marketplace who covers housing.

On today’s show: Amy explains how we got here and why solving the housing shortage is a lot more complicated than it sounds.

In the News Fix, as the Jan. 6 committee prepares for public hearings this week, authorities continue to make arrests in connection with the attack on the Capitol. Plus, we’re talking stagflation.

Then, we’ll hear from an educator who is rethinking the teaching profession. And, who knew so many of you loved popcorn?!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

When you’re done listening, send us your answer to the “Make Me Smart” question. We’re at [email protected] and (508) 827- 6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.

It’s been tricky for retailers to pin down what consumers want. At the height of the  pandemic, shoppers focused on furniture, appliances and other home goods online, so stores stocked up, betting that the spending on domestic stuff would last. But now that Americans are investing less in furnishings and sweatpants, stores are left with unwanted inventory. Plus, a strong dollar buys stress for international companies and winemakers try to salvage grapes tainted by wildfire smoke.

The Supreme Court ruled on a case Monday that could have an effect on how employers utilize forced arbitration. The ruling: Southwest Airlines couldn’t make a baggage handler resolve her complaint about unpaid overtime leave within the confines of private arbitration … she’s able to sue them in court. The Bureau of Land Management is attempting to address overstays and people living on public lands as a result of the housing crisis.

Say hello to Apple Pay Later, which will be the tech giant’s offering in the growing buy now, pay later space. It’ll be available with Apple’s next operating system in the fall, and it signifies the largest entry yet into the industry. We look at how teens are helping shore up shortages for plenty of business owners. JetBlue continues to sweeten its offer for Spirit Airlines, which is close to landing on a merger decision.

From the BBC World Service: Pascal Soriot, chief executive of the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant, recently sat down with the BBC to talk about the decision to sell vaccines at-cost during the height of the pandemic, and the impact of COVID-19 on the business. Sri Lanka’s new prime minister says the country will need at least $5 billion over the next six months just to maintain basic functions. And British singer Kate Bush has made a global chart comeback, thanks to the Netflix show “Stranger Things.”

Tech companies make a lot of promises about the metaverse, specifically about how we’ll watch movies, hold work meetings, buy virtual real estate and more in these immersive online spaces. Meta — formerly Facebook — and others are investing heavily to create their own territory in the metaverse, which, we’d like to remind you, still doesn’t exist in a complete form. But companies are developing proto-metaverse platforms, and our own Kai Ryssdal, host of “Marketplace” and co-host of “Make Me Smart,” explored one of the more business-oriented spaces, fashioned by a company called Engage. He was guided by Michigan State University professor Rabindra “Robby” Ratan. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Kai about his experience.

There’s a lot competing for our attention these days, from the Jan. 6 committee hearings that get underway this week to the aftermath of the massacre in Uvalde, Texas. On the show today, we discuss whether our ability to turn away from seeing horrific images and witnessing history has a price. Plus, the Elon Musk-Twitter saga continues.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Let us know what you think about today’s show. Email us at [email protected] or call us at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B- SMART.

What’s worse than putting all that time and effort into a job interview, only to be lowballed by your prospective employer? In a tight job market, applicants and new state laws are demanding greater transparency around pay, but some employers are still cagey. Today, we look at how expectations for the interview process are changing. Plus, some companies lower their earnings forecasts, and Shanghai residents spin up DIY supply chains during COVID lockdowns.