Marketplace Morning Report

From the BBC World Service: Two of Britain’s biggest companies apologize for their ties to the slave trade and make charitable donations. An English soccer star heads up a successful campaign to ensure the nation’s most vulnerable children don’t go hungry during the coronavirus crisis.

Facebook says it’s going to let people turn off all political ads. This, as several civil rights groups are calling for major advertisers to boycott the platform. Signs of life in the housing market. And, can work-sharing programs prevent layoffs?

In 2013, the city of Camden, New Jersey, disbanded and replaced its police force. What lessons can we learn? Plus, Fed Chair Jerome Powell will be talking “pandemic economy” to Congress again today. He said there are some signs of stabilization.

From the BBC World Service: At least 20 Indian soldiers have been killed on the disputed border between India and China. Trade tensions have already been bubbling between the two nations. So how worried should we be? Also, as the world’s most popular soccer league – the English Premier League – kicks off again after a three-month hiatus, we ask if the women’s game is being left behind.

Retail sales jumped by nearly 18% in May, more than double the forecasts. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell starts two days of congressional testimony today. And, in our Reimagining the Economy project, the case for a job guarantee.

Human resources experts say companies should update employee handbooks to make clear that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender will not be tolerated. Also, activists are still pushing for Congress to pass a law on equality that would make some related forms of discrimination illegal. And, a pioneer of the shale oil and gas revolution in the U.S. is reportedly readying its bankruptcy filing.

From the BBC World Service: Crew changeover delays at major shipping hubs have led some seafarers to threaten to put down their tools. China faces fresh economic pressure from a new COVID-19 outbreak. A slump in oil demand is expected through 2021.

The pandemic has closed casinos, a major economic engine for Native American tribes. Money out of the stock market following news of a COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing and infection increases in U.S. states. Bankrupt Hertz is flooding the used-car market.

The White House is worried that the extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits makes not working too attractive. Democrats want to keep providing that money until January. The new head of the U.S. Postal Service. And, how COVID-19 is reshaping the response to domestic violence.

From the BBC World Service: As non-essential stores in England open for the first time in three months, the boss of bookseller Barnes & Noble and Waterstones explains how quarantining books works. Investors worry about a potential second wave of COVID-19 infections.