

The National Labor Relations Board is redefining what it means to be an employer by changing the so-called joint-employer rule. We’ll explain how the change could impact the rights of contract and franchise workers across many industries, from tech to fast food. And, polling numbers on congressional approval are sinking lower and lower. Plus, are SEO-bait names and bloated movie runtimes the new norms? We’ll get into it in a round of Half Full / Half Empty.
 
Here’s everything we talked about:
 



“New labor rule could be a big deal for millions of franchise and contract workers. Here’s why.” from CBS News



 



“NLRB joint-employer rule triggers fears of higher trucking costs” from FreightWaves



 



“Congress’ Job Approval Drops to 13%, Lowest Since 2017” from Gallup



 



“‘Overemployed’ people secretly work overlapping remote jobs” from Marketplace



 



“Why it feels like movies are getting longer” from CNN



 



“In tight labor market, businesses practice ‘strategic retention'” from Marketplace



 



“Do CEOs make too much money?” from Marketplace



 



“The restaurant nearest Google” from The Verge



 



“Halloween 2023: Costumes fuel expected record holiday spending” from Axios




 
If you’ve got a question about today’s economy, send it our way. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.



Why the definition of “employer” really matters

Each weekday, Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams make today make sense. Along with our supersmart listeners, we break down happenings in tech, the economy and culture. Every Tuesday we bring on a guest to dive deeper into one important topic. Because none of us is as smart as all of us.

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News

It’s Friday, folks! Today we’re talking about some news coming from former President Donald Trump, who has vowed to take away key spending powers from Congress if reelected. We’ll get into what that would mean in practice. Plus, we’ll talk through the latest from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which just announced it’ll be decreasing the number of households surveyed for important reports like the monthly jobs report. It’s a move that will make decoding what’s going on in our economy more a little more challenging. Plus, we’ll get into Bazooka gum, the rise of Uncrustables and Forever Stamps getting more expensive during a round of Half Full/Half Empty.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“US Jobs Household Survey Size to Be Cut Due to Budget Constraints” from Bloomberg
“Trump plans to claim sweeping powers to cancel federal spending” from The Washington Post 
“Does Texas need its own stock exchange?” from Marketplace
“From school cafeterias to professional athletes, Uncrustables sandwiches are everywhere” from Marketplace
“Bazooka Candy’s CEO on the brand’s sweet athlete investment deal” from Marketplace
“Some New Yorkers are pushing for open streets to be permanent” from Marketplace
“Forever stamps are about to get more expensive — again” from Marketplace

We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Less is not always more in economic data

The European Central Bank is joining Canada in cutting interest rates after months and months of holding them steady. But the U.S. Federal Reserve isn’t likely to follow suit, at least not yet. We’ll explain why. Then, we’ll dig deeper into the political and financial motivations for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s abrupt decision to block congestion pricing in New York City. Plus, what antitrust investigations into Nvidia, Microsoft and OpenAI could mean for AI mania.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“European Central Bank Cuts Interest Rates for the First Time Since 2019” from The New York Times
“ECB: Interest rates are coming down in Europe. The Fed won’t follow yet” from CNN
“Canada becomes first G7 nation to cut interest rates” from Reuters
“Advocates for congestion pricing want Governor Hochul to think about long-term benefits” from ABC7 New York
“Big Auto And The Death Of Traffic Congestion Reform” from The Lever 
“Banerji: Seeing a true mania in Nvidia and meme stock trading” from CNBC
“Angel Reese: People watch WNBA for me too, not just one person!” from ESPN
“The ugly discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark” from The Washington Post 

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap! The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern. We’ll have news, drinks, and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Why the Fed won’t hop on the rate-cutting bandwagon just yet

Triple-digit heat waves are spreading across the Southwest, and many incarcerated people have to endure the extreme weather without air conditioning. We’ll get into why state legislatures have been slow to address the problem and why it’ll only get worse as temperatures rise. Plus, we’ll get into New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s last minute switch-up on congestion pricing. And, the story of a TikTok influencer treating day laborers to days off at Disneyland is making us smile.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Hochul Halts Congestion Pricing in a Stunning 11th-Hour Shift” from The New York Times
“A year of record global heat has pushed Earth closer to dangerous threshold” from The Washington Post
“‘Cooking someone to death’: Southern states resist calls to add air conditioning to prisons” from Politico
“This 27-year-old keeps taking day laborers to Disneyland. One thing always catches his attention” from CNN
“Boeing Starliner launches 2 NASA astronauts into space in first piloted test flight” from Fox Business

We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

What summer heat waves mean for prisons


With the 2024 election only five months away, polls abound. But since 2016, polls have had somewhat of a bad rap, and many Americans have become skeptical of their reliability.
David Dutwin, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at NORC at the University of Chicago, said we’re thinking about polls all wrong. On the show today, Dutwin explains what polls can and can’t tell us, how to spot a high-quality poll and what kind of role polling should play in our understanding of elections. Plus, what’s keeping pollsters up at night.
 
Then, we’ll talk about how the Joe Biden administration is addressing an issue that’s top of mind, according to a new Gallup survey: immigration. And, a Half Full/Half Empty update on the job market.
Later, one listener’s small-scale solution to the Big Food problem, and a divisive grammar debate. Plus, a listener was wrong about the meaning of “vibecession.”
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“What Can Election 2024 Polls Really Tell Us?” from Scientific American
“Polling in 2024” from Reuters
View the latest national polls from FiveThirtyEight
“Public Opinion Polling Basics” from Pew Research Center
“We still don’t know much about this election — except that the media and pollsters blew it again” from The Washington Post
“US Job Openings Fall to Lowest Since 2021 in Broad Cooldown” from Bloomberg  
“Immigration Named Top U.S. Problem for Third Straight Month” from Gallup
“Biden issues new executive action: Much of southern border to close at midnight” from Politico 
“Biden prepares an order that would shut down asylum requests at US-Mexico border” from The Associated Press
“Kyla Scanlon wants to remind us that ‘people are the economy’” from Marketplace

We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The good, the bad and the ugly of election polling

The results of a new Bloomberg poll indicate that the markets suspect a second Trump presidency would put the Federal Reserve’s independence in jeopardy. We’ll get into what the former president’s advisors have said about his plans for the central bank. And, Republicans are gearing up to challenge upcoming election results while Democrats prepare to counter those lawsuits. Plus, why we want to be Simone Biles when we grow up.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Launch of NASA Astronauts in Boeing’s Starliner Is Scrubbed” from The New York Times
“A Trump Win Would Threaten Fed Independence, Move Bonds: Poll” from Bloomberg
“Washington Journal: Stephen Moore on Economic Issues and Campaign 2024” from C-SPAN
“The legal fight over the 2024 election has begun” from Axios
“Congress Just Made It Basically Impossible to Track Taylor Swift’s Private Jet” from Gizmodo
“Clarence Thomas Secretly Accepted Luxury Trips From GOP Donor” from ProPublica
“Simone Biles cruises to 9th national title and gives Olympic champ Sunisa Lee a boost along the way” from The Associated Press

We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Why the definition of “employer” really matters

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