Marketplace

It's rare that foreign exchange markets top the news, but when they do, it's never good. Turkey's currency, the lira, fell to record lows against the dollar as President Donald Trump hit the country with additional tariffs on steel and aluminum. We'll break down what happened and try to figure out if other countries should be worried. Then, we'll talk to a business near the wildfires that closed down Yosemite National Park during peak season. Plus: The sun sets on the celebrity chef restaurant.

There are no trade stories in today's podcast (you're welcome). Instead, we're talking about mergers and acquisitions. This summer has seen several high-profile deals go through and others fall apart. That's not unusual. In fact, one out of five announced mergers don't end up happening at all, and only half are successful. Why do they fall apart? Mostly because of people. Then, in light of the insider trading charges against Rep. Chris Collins, we'll look at congressional investing do's and don'ts. Plus, the business of the Academy Awards and what "outstanding achievement in popular film" means anyway.

Remember when we had to pay for credit scores? It wasn’t all that long ago. Now it seems everybody wants us to check our scores all the time, for free. Why? But first: It's been 160 days since President Donald Trump announced his steel and aluminum tariffs, kicking off the trade war. As White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow told us last week, the effect on real gross domestic product has been minimal. That's true, but it doesn't mean people aren't feeling the effects — and the longer the trade war goes on, the more pain people are gonna feel. We'll look at the micro and the macro today. Plus: Elon Musk's tweet yesterday about taking Tesla private was a big deal, but until he shows us the money, it's only theoretical. We'll talk about the implications (and the legality) of the announcement. 

Say what you will about Elon Musk — he's not shy about saying what he thinks. The Tesla CEO tweeted this morning that he was considering taking the electric car company private, "funding secured." We'll talk about what that meant for markets, but also what it might mean for the American car consumer, because if there's gonna be a lot more Model 3s on the road, we're gonna have to learn how they work. Then: Google likes to do big things, but whether it gets those big things done is a whole other matter. Case in point: What ever happened to Google Fiber? Plus, what you need to know about Disney's foray into the streaming video business.

President Donald Trump's tweets made a lot of news Sunday, but we want to zoom in on this bit: "Because of Tariffs we will be able to start paying down large amounts of the $21 Trillion in debt," Trump wrote. "While at the same time reducing taxes for our people." Leaving aside that tariffs are taxes, could they ever pay off the national debt? Or even just the deficit? We looked into it. Then, a look at JPay, a company that lets prison inmates and their families exchange emails — for a cost. Plus, we'll talk with Mandy Harris Williams about her Instagram account @idealblackfemale and her experience as a woman of color at the mercy of Facebook's algorithms.

With the caveat that President Donald Trump is often his own economic adviser, we headed to the West Wing today to chat with National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow. He joined the administration just as Trump levied new tariffs on steel and aluminum. We talked with him about those tariffs, today's jobs numbers and more in a wide-ranging interview. Plus, of course, we run it all back with our panelists on the Weekly Wrap.

We do the numbers all the time, but today's is the biggest yet: Apple is the first company to reach an estimated $1 trillion market capitalization. We'll talk about what that means on today's show. But first: The Trump administration announced its plans to freeze automobile fuel economy and emissions standards at 2020 levels. In theory, that's meant to help the car industry, right? It has to worry not quite as much about environmental regulations. But another way to look at it is that it's hard to do business when the goalposts keep moving. Plus: We'll talk with the director of "The Spy Who Dumped Me."

The NBA has become the first major sports league in this country to sign a deal with a sports betting operation. Back in May, the Supreme Court said it was OK for states to legalize sports betting, meaning Las Vegas would no longer have a monopoly. ESPN reports the deal the NBA signed with MGM Resorts is worth $25 million over three years. We'll talk about how that might play out. Then: A MoviePass competitor is expanding to the United States just as the company is struggling. Can Sinemia make the business model work? We asked its CEO. Plus: Google might be developing a new version of its search engine just for China. We'll tell you what you need to know.

Southern California's housing market is as hot as ever, with home prices double the national average. That has many buyers searching for more affordable houses outside the city, and that means a much longer commute. Think 90+ minutes. Then: The Labor Department says employer benefit spending is the highest they've seen in 10 years. But are benefits really getting better, or just more expensive? Plus, the latest on pressures on the Chinese economy and Utah's plan to break the cycle of poverty.

It’s report card time for U.S. companies. Every three months, corporate executives from publicly traded companies sit down with shareholders to share their quarterly earnings. This quarter, CEOs are stuck between those shareholders and the trade war. They're hoping you'll help save them. Then: Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is picking up and leaving Venice, the beach community in LA it's called home for years. We'll look at the legacy the company is leaving behind there. Plus, a conversation with a Montana mall owner who says business these days is like "3D chess and all the pieces are the same color."