Marketplace

More than 25 million Americans stand to lose $600 per week in federal unemployment benefits at the end of July if Congress and the White House can’t agree to extend them. Today, we talk with some people for whom that extra money has been a lifeline. Plus: The decline of Black-owned insurance companies, how the pandemic is affecting the auto industry and why this crisis could be the end of tipping. By the way, please help us improve this podcast by taking a quick anonymous survey at americanpublicmedia.org/survey. 

Nearly two dozen coronavirus vaccines are currently in clinical trials. With hundreds of groups racing to create their own, today we’ll look at how COVID-19 treatments could be priced. Plus: The upcoming “tsunami of evictions,” the viral hot spots along the border and another fierce competition in this pandemic: food delivery. By the way, please help us improve this podcast by taking a quick anonymous survey at americanpublicmedia.org/survey. 

Maybe less. Today we’re talking about that extra $600 per week going to the more than 30 million people claiming unemployment benefits. That extra money, set to disappear at the end of the month, is keeping a bad economic outlook from getting worse. Plus: The latest on yesterday’s big Twitter hack, this year’s political conventions and how parenting in the pandemic hurts women’s careers. By the way, please help us improve this podcast by taking a quick anonymous survey at americanpublicmedia.org/survey. Correction: (July 17, 2020): This podcast misstated the number of people currently receiving the extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits. The text has been corrected.

JPMorgan Chase announced it’s setting aside more than $10 billion to cover losses on loans for borrowers hurt by the coronavirus. Today, we’ll look at all the debt Americans have accumulated and how some of them are coping. Plus: More streaming services, more money in electric cars and more states and cities name racism a public health crisis. Later, an interview with the CEO of shared scooter company Lime.

Protests against racism and police brutality are continuing across the country — and what protesters wear when they take to the streets has long played a role in social movements. Today, we’ll look at the history of activism and fashion and where they intersect. Plus: the latest economic picture, new demand for Black therapists and the Huawei saga continues. By the way, please help us improve this podcast by taking a quick anonymous survey at americanpublicmedia.org/survey.

Coronavirus cases are surging around the U.S. They’re also surging in Honduras, where one of our guests today runs a yarn factory. Today, we’ll look at the ripple effects moving through textiles, trade and the global economy. Plus: earnings season, marketing masks and the market for fracking sand. By the way, please help us out by taking a quick anonymous survey at americanpublicmedia.org/survey.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise, and communities that were on a path to reopening their economies are now facing renewed shutdowns and restrictions. Businesses have had to adapt their operations for the pandemic. That’s not easy, because it turns out (appropriate) touching is a pretty big part of the economy. Plus: the Goya boycott, college sports and back-to-school shopping when it’s not clear who’s going back to school.

The pandemic has exacerbated the challenges of juggling full-time work with caring for and home-schooling children. Uncertainty around school reopenings has many families facing the prospect of doing double duty indefinitely, which could have an effect on job security. Plus: What’s ahead for airlines, pharmacies and retail as the pandemic stretches into another month.

There are millions of vacant and abandoned houses around the country. But in some parts of Baltimore, vacant buildings have become an intractable, even deadly, problem. Today, we take a deep dive into why. Plus: How some states are starting to close the racial pay gap, what bankrupted Brooks Brothers and why Disney World is reopening as COVID-19 cases spike.

The federal government has released the names of companies that received loans of $150,000 or more through the Paycheck Protection Program. There are some surprisingly big names in there. Today, we’ll look at how one business spent its  $90,000. Plus: Why test shortages persist, what fall holds for foreign students and the problem with the Beige Book.

All the way back to the civil rights era, McDonald’s has had a strange relationship with unrest and Black Americans. Today, we’ll explore what the Golden Arches has and hasn’t done for Black business owners. Plus: Corporate debt, home equity and other things that will help businesses and families survive this crisis.

Cheap gas coupled with uncertainty about traveling by air or rail during COVID-19 has vacationers turning to their cars. But summer travel decisions continue to be complicated during the pandemic. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut just issued a two week quarantine on any out-of-state visitors. Plus: the story of Janet’s List and the continuously rising cost of cord-cutting.

Nearly four months into this pandemic, and we’re starting to see evidence that the rental market is softening, if only in the highest-price cities. Today, we’ll do the numbers on New York real estate and what might happen to the rest of the country. Plus: The ongoing ad boycott at Facebook, arts organizations’ turn to streaming and the June jobs report.

We’re getting the June jobs report Thursday, a little early because of the holiday. The unemployment rate is expected to drop for the second month in a row, but the picture might not be as accurate as we’d like. That’s partly because since the start of the pandemic, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has said it might be  undercounting furloughed workers. Today, we’ll dig into the BLS survey and what you should make of it. Plus: How enforceable are interstate travel restrictions?

The $600 a week in extra benefits provided to every jobless worker who’s on unemployment insurance right now — about 29 million Americans — is set to expire by July 31. And if Congress doesn’t do something before then, things could get ugly in this economy. Plus: Why black-owned banks are undercapitalized and a conversation with Visa CEO Al Kelly.