Marketplace All-in-One

From the BBC World Service: The cash-strapped construction firm said the halt comes ahead of an announcement of a major transaction, following reports that one of its rivals could buy a majority stake. Plus, the U.K. simplifies its COVID-19 traffic light system for international travel. And, why many families in India are unable to move into their dream homes, even years after making a down payment.

The Senate held a hearing last week about the often old, outdated computer systems that our governments often use to run their programs and what it’ll take to move things forward. Those aging systems are a problem because when they break down or just can’t keep up with changing needs, it’s hard to fix them. One example: Last spring, the state of New Jersey had to recruit people who knew the 60-year-old programming language COBOL in order to keep its unemployment system from going down. Marketplace’s Marielle Segarra speaks with Joseph Steinberg, a cybersecurity expert who’s worked with the government and author of “Cybersecurity for Dummies.”

With the debt ceiling crisis still pending, a popular old idea has sprung up: a trillion-dollar coin. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said it’s a no-go, but how come? We talk about what the trillion-dollar coin is and why it isn’t the best (or worst) idea. We also discuss Google backing out of the finance game and share some interesting sound from Disneyworld’s 50th anniversary. Finally, a round of everybody’s favorite game, Half Full/Half Empty!

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

Read the transcript here.

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The pandemic has helped shift power in the economy from employers to workers. Public support for unions is among the highest its been in recent years. On today’s show, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, discusses what she sees as the beginning stages of a modern labor movement that can grow and change with the needs of working people. But first: The Weekly Wrap, consumer pessimism grows and what budget constraints will mean for federal agencies.

A Facebook whistleblower is scheduled to testify in Congress about new revelations regarding the company’s Instagram service and its mental health effects on children. Lawmakers grilled a Facebook executive about findings from the company’s own research during a hearing on Thursday. Christopher Low chats with us about the markets. And, there are murder hornets in the Pacific Northwest whose presence leads to plenty of agricultural concerns.

California is known for its fire season, but a new report tells us that other states would take longer to recover from a major blazes that would eradicate homes. What are the factors that go into what’s known as wildfire resiliency? A new bill ensures hourly wages for garment workers, who were being paid by the piece, which added up to as little as $6 per hour or less in some cases. We check in with the BBC about their chat with the leader of CureVac, the German company that’s been on a winding journey in the creation of their own COVID-19 vaccine.

From the BBC World Service: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to relax some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 measures in November as the country looks to kickstart its economy. It all hinges on vaccination. Plus, how financial support from the German government and European Investment Bank has been crucial to Curevac’s development of a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

On Wednesday’s show we talked about Tesla’s full self-driving mode, which it is about to make available to more drivers. And yes, the name implies that the cars will drive themselves, but the technology isn’t there yet. A human will still have to be in control. But while the technology is advancing, there is no federal regulation of self-driving cars. And that’s created a patchwork of different rules across the country. Marketplace’s Marielle Segarra speaks with Jason Levine, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety.

Let’s talk about the results of Facebook investigating itself. TLDR: The company says the research it did — on its apps having a negative effect on young people — isn’t what we think it is. Plus, Sen. Joe Manchin is “feeling his oats,” and get ready for slower mail delivery.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

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Hospitals and intensive care units have seen a wave of nurses leave the field, prompted by the stressors of COVID-19. Enrollment has picked up in many nursing programs, but schools project that there won’t be enough graduates to fill the gap. Also on today’s program: Supply chain-induced inflation may be with us for a while, an Iowa farmer recounts her difficult growing season, and need proof of vaccination? There are apps for that.