Marketplace All-in-One

President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a 90-minute phone call late yesterday. President Biden is trying to improve U.S and China relations, which are contentious on many levels. United Airlines announces that employees exempt from the company’s vaccination mandate for religious reasons will be put on temporary unpaid leave. In Pennsylvania, the nationwide worker shortage haunts the businesses around the United Flight 93 memorial, which are preparing for visitors as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches.

Friday marks the statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has already been a very active and destructive one. Marketplace’s Jed Kim continues his discussion with Paul Robinson about how tech can help us cope with flooding. Robinson’s executive director of RISE Resilience Innovations, a nonprofit tech accelerator in Norfolk, Virginia. It supports a wide range of startups that are focused on climate resilience. Some aim to train up a workforce that’s ready to do flood-resistant construction. Others try to aid our adaptability, like developing apps that predict and monitor flooding and map it in real time.

The White House isn’t messing around. Now that the COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the Joe Biden administration has ordered two-thirds of the American workforce to get the jab. We’ll discuss the latest round of vaccine mandates. Plus, an update on the abortion ban in Texas and the buy now, pay later boom — what can possibly go wrong? Finally, we fill our hollowed-out shells with Blue’s Clues and some fun facts about rats!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Read the transcript here.

Our show needs your voice! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for our hosts to answer! Send a voice memo or give us a call at 508-82-SMART (508-827-6278).

First-time jobless claims dropped to their lowest point since March of last year. But with many industries still seeing labor shortages, what do the numbers really say about the state of the economic recovery? And how can we build back a more equitable labor market, closing racial unemployment gaps? That’s where we’re starting off on today’s show. Plus: Airline earnings, Biden’s vaccine mandates and a legacy of 9/11 at work you probably don’t even notice.

Many of the people who survived the 9/11 terror attacks 20 years ago are still dealing with a mountain of ongoing health costs. Claims have risen in recent years, many from those diagnosed with cancer. Diane Swonk is today’s guest to add more facets to the unemployment numbers discussion. A new study says racial inequalities have cost the U.S. $51 trillion dollars in lost output since 1990. And, while Google and Microsoft have pledged billions toward cybersecurity, there’s a shortage of people with cybersecurity skills.

From the BBC World Service: A new warning from Beijing authorities about what it sees as the danger of online gaming has sent tech shares in Hong Kong tumbling. Plus, a campaign group accuses Facebook of breaking U.K. equality law in how it advertises jobs. And, could farmed seaweed provide a sustainable way to make cosmetics, recyclable packaging and even protein?

The Biden administration laid out an ambitious solar power plan earlier this week in a new study from the Department of Energy. The study shows that the U.S. could power about 40 percent of electricity needs with solar energy. The BBC reports with more on China’s declining video game stocks. And, we take another look at post 9/11 Pennsylvania, where a memorial commemorates the crash of Flight 93 in a Shanksville field.

Water infrastructure — it’s boring. Invisible. We only care about it when things go wrong, and things have been going wrong. Punishing storms have caused catastrophic flooding in New York, Texas, Louisiana and elsewhere. But water systems are expensive, time consuming and hard to fix. Technology may provide some relief. Marketplace’s Jed Kim talks to Paul Robinson, the executive director of RISE, a nonprofit accelerator in Norfolk, Virginia, that helps develop climate tech. Robinson says one of the companies they fund is StormSensor, which puts sensors in storm and sewer pipes

We often hear Social Security is running out of money, but what does that actually mean?

On today’s show, we answer a listener’s question about the future of Social Security. TLDR, recipients won’t stop getting Social Security checks, but their payments might shrink. Plus, we’ll explain why semiconductors are so hard to make, what’s the deal with returnless refunds, and hollowed-out shell Thursday vs. hollowed-out shell of a Thursday.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Read the transcript here.

Our show needs your voice! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for our hosts to answer! Send a voice memo or give us a call at 508-82-SMART (508-827-6278).

Starting next week, New York City will begin enforcing a requirement of at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot for entrance to businesses like restaurants, bars, museums, theaters and gyms. That’s easier said than done, however, as customers struggle to navigate apps and business owners attempt to verify vaccine statuses and enforce the mandate. Plus: Record-number job openings are met with a “meh” number of hires, how North Dakota is aiming to distribute rent relief and more Americans look to retire at a younger age.