Marketplace

During last night’s presidential debate, you might (might!) have heard moderator Chris Wallace mention the distinction between a “V-shaped” and “K-shaped” economic recovery. On today’s show, we’ll look at what both letters symbolize. Plus: Massive layoffs at Disney parks, learning pods and taking back the streets in Los Angeles.

Millions of students are in college, but not at college, this fall. They’re living and taking classes 100% remotely, but plenty more are on campus for all in-person classes or a hybrid model. Today we’ll check in on how they’re doing, and look at schools that are suspending admissions to doctoral programs for the next academic year. Plus: consumer spending, the flower business and Amtrak.

That’s how one expert described what’s happening to airlines right now. Armageddon. On today’s show, we’ll look ahead to Thursday, when carrier’s bailout terms allow them to cut tens of thousands of jobs. But first, a conversation about race and the economy with Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic. Plus: grocery store algorithms, chip wars and murder mysteries.

At the United Nations General Assembly this week, China, which is the world’s largest polluter, pledged to become carbon neutral by 2060. Today, we’ll look at how that might work. Plus: California’s gas ban, piped-in crowd noise in sports and the history of voter suppression in the United States.

You might feel adrift in the pandemic and its resulting recession, but not more than the 300,000 commercial ship workers who are stranded at sea right now. On today’s show, we’ll look at their situation. Plus: free speech online, socially distanced Fashion Week and Hollywood’s comeback.

Florida voters said formerly incarcerated people should be able to vote. But the state’s courts said no — not unless those people pay off fines and fees. Now money is pouring into the state to pay off those fees and for the legal fight. We’ll talk about it. Plus: homeschooling, the FinCEN Files, airline bailouts and PPP fraud.

There’s a lot going on in the United States right now. The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has reached 200,000. The election’s in 42 days. There are fires in the West, storms in the South and in D.C., and a bitter fight over Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court. Amid all that, negotiations over additional aid for farmers almost pushed the government into a shutdown. We’ll talk about it. Plus: TikTok, Quibi and the looming holiday shopping season.

In an unexpected move, Oracle is partnering with Walmart to take over U.S. operations for TikTok, but it’s not completely clear how much of the company’s technology they’ll control. Plus: wildfires, meat prices and COVID-19’s impacts along racial lines in Chicago.

… And both are banned under a new executive order from President Donald Trump. Today, we’ll talk about the ripple effects both on consumers, businesses, U.S.-China relations and the broader internet. Plus: futures contracts for water, remote learning and how museums are faring in the pandemic.

Due to pandemic recession and political friction, investment between the U.S. and China may have fallen to its lowest level in nine years. Plus: the LGBTQ economy, gyms going out of business and why Chuck E. Cheese wants to destroy seven billion prize tickets.