Marketplace

With a record 532 scripted series on air and an expensive streaming war on, this is a challenging time to take over a cable channel. We’ll talk about the business with AMC President Sarah Barnett. After that, we look at how Netflix measures its shows’ success and what counts as a “view.” Plus, the latest on auto tariffs, Boeing and Venezuelan refugees in Chile.

President Trump told an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos today that the U.S. was in a “blue-collar boom.” We’re going to take some time to assess that claim and the state of blue-collar work in general. Plus: AI goes to the movies, a new spate of retail closures and why China is leading the world in solar, wind and … coal.

Microsoft has recently announced plans to spend $1 billion on technologies that will help eliminate carbon from the atmosphere. It’s part of the company’s greater plan to becoming carbon negative in the next 10 years. Molly spoke to Lucas Joppa, Microsoft’s chief environmental officer, about this approach. Plus: Thousands of business leaders and lawmakers converse on Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. We also look at the IMF’s 2020 economic forecast, Ireland’s housing crisis and negative perceptions of female CEOs.

While we’ve been hearing a lot about how the trade war has negatively impacted U.S. farmers, the executive vice president of the largest garlic producer in the country wants people to know it’s helped others. “We’re apolitical as a company,” said Ken Christopher of Christopher Ranch. “What we are is pro-American garlic farmers.” Plus: negotiations over a digital tax is causing a rift between the U.S. and E.U., when companies should split in two, and we find out just how the trade deal with China was approved.

The Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission allowed corporations and unions to spend money in politics in an unprecedented way. It’ll be 10 years next week, so today we’re taking a look back on how our elections have changed. Plus: new retail and supply chain numbers, and the economics of hologram musicians.

The U.S. and China signed a phase one trade deal this morning. Today we’re answering more of your trade questions, talking with a farmer about how she’s affected by the trade deal and examining more of America’s trade disputes around the globe. Plus, Target’s sluggish growth, the affordable housing shortage and Amazon’s fraught relationship with FedEx.

The trade saga between the United States and China has gone on for almost two years. Now it might just be at the end. With President Donald Trump set to sign a phase one deal tomorrow, we’re devoting most of today’s show to the trade war: how we got here, what tensions still remain and how the conflict has impacted people, businesses and regulators here and abroad.

According to the International Federation of Journalists, more than a dozen Iranian journalists recently reported having their Instagram profiles suspended after they posted about Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani’s death. Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, said any accounts or posts that are being blocked is because the company is being careful not to violate sanctions. It makes sense that sanctioned people, like Soleimani, might be blocked from the platforms, but what about people just posting about him? Plus: How phase one of the trade deal between the U.S. and China is affecting the steel industry, a new way to measure inflation and the lack of diversity in the financial planning industry.

As soon as the electric scooters showed up America’s streets, they were gone. Some of them, anyway. One of the big players, Lime, is laying off 14% of its staff and pulling out of 12 cities. Today, we take a look at the competitive landscape of scooting. Plus: Verizon kills the bundle, gift cards had another big holiday season and, of course, we have to talk about the December jobs numbers.

While most of the conversation around streaming services has focused on big American brands like “Star Wars” or luminaries like Martin Scorsese. But don’t sleep on anime — it’s a big draw for a young, engaged international audiences, and services like HBO Max, Hulu and Netflix are inking big deals with the premier Japanese animation studios. Plus: What you need to know about Facebook’s political ad policies, credit card fee hikes and how monetary markets are reacting to the conflict with Iran.