Marketplace All-in-One

Analysts and experts around the world have been on high alert as the war in Ukraine continues, concerned about potential Russian cyberattacks. Though cyberattacks have played a minor role so far, security experts have warned that those attacks could intensify — including against targets in the U.S.  And though the federal government and many companies have beefed up cybersecurity efforts in recent years, there’s still a big worker shortage in the sector.

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It’s Monday, and we’re getting caught up on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, COVID-19 here at home and more. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reaches its second week, political pressure is mounting in the United States to stop the purchase of Russian oil. Another Russia-related story about a WNBA player detained in that country highlights pay disparities in the U.S. Plus, another round of COVID tests are available for home delivery, and a White House report on how consolidation has affected wages. Finally, before we let you go, we’ve got a Make Me Smile that’s simply eel-ectric!

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

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The average price for a gallon of gas in the United States is now more than $4. A lot of that price jump has to do with the surging cost of crude oil. With the U.S. and its allies discussing sanctions on Russian energy, we take a look at what it would mean to restrict one of the “last economic lifelines” for Russia’s economy and why the U.S. imports so much oil in the first place. Plus, the toll of war on Ukrainian students and a visit to San Francisco’s “Little Russia.”

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Good news or bad news first? Cybersecurity watchers around the world have been on high alert as the war in Ukraine continues to escalate, and there’s plenty of concern about Russian cyberattacks as the conflict continues. The good news is that the U.S. added 250,000 cybersecurity jobs between 2020 and 2021. The bad news: There’s about 500,000 more open spots to fill. Julia Coronado helps us look through market activity that signals that the markets are indeed working, despite the war in Ukraine. Many companies are cutting or suspending ties with Russia over the invasion.

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From the BBC World Service: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has confirmed America and its allies are considering further sanctions against Russia, including a potential ban on the country’s crude-oil exports. Plus, one of the world’s biggest fertilizer makers warns the conflict could deliver a shock to food supplies. And we hear from a community center in western Ukraine where volunteers are working around the clock to distribute vital supplies.

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A year ago this week, a JPEG file containing a collage of digital illustrations by the artist known as Beeple sold for $69.3 million at an art auction. It was a record-setting sale, and it’s added fuel to the hype train surrounding NFTs. We spoke to art critic Blake Gopnik about what’s changed for artists and the art world – if anything – since the sale. Western countries are thinking about a Russian oil ban, something they hoped to avoid in the past.

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More than one-third of global bitcoin is mined in the United States, and the process consumes a ton of electricity. In the coming weeks, we’ll examine the environmental impact of cryptocurrencies. But first, back to the basics: What is bitcoin mining? And why is it so energy-intensive?

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It’s the end of the week, and we’re settling in for Economics on Tap! We’ll close the loop on some questions we raised earlier about the Federal Reserve and swap lines and explore a story on a group of hospitals teaming up to bring affordable insulin to patients. And of course, a round of the game we’re all here for — Half Full/Half Empty! Our hosts offer their thoughts on the State of the Union speech, dynamic pricing for “The Batman,” Hollywood’s silver screen obsession with Uber and Theranos, and a “Reading Rainbow” reboot!

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

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Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are relatively new, but they’re already changing the global economy. Ukraine is using cryptocurrency to fund its war efforts. We’re going to spend this month explaining how the crypto economy operates and answering all of the questions you might have been too afraid to ask. First, we’ll dig into the blockchain and bitcoin mining — no hard hat required. Plus: a great jobs report, the “London laundromat” and why the West still isn’t sanctioning Russian oil.

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Dark money, or anonymous political donations funneled through corporations, nonprofit organizations and other groups, has become a dominant force in U.S. elections in the years since 2010. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams talks to us about how dark money operates at the federal, state and local levels, and whether there are any signs the rules around it could change in the future. We hear from Ukraine’s finance minister as the world’s markets react to what’s happening there. Christopher Low adds more market insight.

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