Marketplace All-in-One

Today, a group of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted to reject a plan from the White House to approve vaccine boosters for most Americans. That was followed up by a vote to approve boosters for people who are at serious risk of coronavirus disease or over the age of 65. We’ll talk about what makes the discussion around boosters so complicated. We’ll also talk about the Pentagon’s acknowledgment of a drone strike gone very wrong. Finally, we wrap up the show with a round of our favorite game, Half Full/Half Empty.

Give now to support the show you love and to get the “Make Me Smart” banana pants and ringtones! Marketplace.org/givesmart.

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

Read the transcript here.

Progressive Democrats are pushing President Joe Biden to appoint a Federal Reserve chair who will be more proactive about climate change than Jerome Powell. Before the Fed could act more rigorously, however, Congress would need to direct it to. Claudia Sahm, a former Federal Reserve economist, joins us to discuss. Plus: The Weekly Wrap, some background on that pesky computer chip shortage and the building buzz around drive-thru coffee shops.

The Justice Department has moved to block the opioid settlement between OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, saying the deal would unfairly protect the Sackler family, which owns Purdue, from future litigation. Italy becomes the first European nation to mandate proof of vaccination and other safeguards for public and private employees. We also have a discussion about the economic legacy of the Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel.

The third installment of the advance child tax credit hit the bank accounts of most American households with children this week, but a new national survey suggests that some low-income families may not be getting them. President Biden is set to hold a virtual meeting with world leaders to discuss climate change in light of recent hurricanes and other climate-related incidents. China wants to sign up for a partnership that was originally designed to counter its trade practices. The BBC checks in with a preview of the elections in Germany to pick the next chancellor.

From the BBC World Service: Despite U.S. sanctions, thousands of tons of Iranian fuel have been delivered to Lebanon. And Italy has become the first country in Europe to mandate that workers provide proof of coronavirus vaccination, recovery from the disease, or a recent negative test, in order to go to work.

Facebook knows a lot about how it affects its users, because it’s investigated possible negative impacts. For instance, internal research showed that one of its algorithms actually encourages angrier content. Or that Instagram, which it owns, makes body image issues worse for teen girls. And even though it knows all this, it doesn’t share the information, either with Congress or its own oversight board. That’s the finding of an investigation out this week from The Wall Street Journal, called the Facebook Files. It’s a topic for “Quality Assurance.” Marketplace’s Jed Kim speaks with Jeff Horwitz, a reporter for the Journal and an author of the series.

Today we get hallowed out from more revelations from The Wall Street Journal’s ongoing reporting of what goes on behind the scenes at Facebook and the tradeoffs the tech giant makes in order to stay a tech giant. We also take a look at the Federal Reserve’s review of its ethics rules. And a Make Me Smile courtesy of listeners like you.

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

Read the transcript here.

Give now to support the show you love and to get the “Make Me Smart” banana pants and ringtones! Marketplace.org/givesmart.

Competition for homebuyers is finally easing up a bit. There are more new listings, houses are staying on the market longer and there are fewer bidding wars. Though buyers may revel in a return to seasonal expectations for the housing market, real estate experts still think a return to “normal” may be a ways off. Later in the show, we’ll look also into the rise of Portland’s “placeless” restaurants, how Lebanon’s economic crisis came to be and why homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood damage.

A paper by economists at Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Chicago indicates that one explanation for the low interest rates we’ve seen in the American economy for decades has been income inequality. Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell helps us analyze this possibility. Diane Swonk chats with us for our markets discussion. It also turns out the pandemic has spurred a record number of people to sign up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

Some people might be excited about heading back to the office, but there are plenty of others who aren’t, and that’s taking a toll on their mental health. We talk to a mental health professional about how returning to the office is affecting people and steps employers and workers can take to prioritize mental health in the workplace. Also, we look at how recent hurricanes in the Gulf have affected oil prices.