Marketplace

Almost two weeks after George Floyd was killed in police custody, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council has come out in favor of dismantling the city’s police department. Today, we look at how reallocating cities’ large police budgets could work. Plus: Why the jobs report needed a correction, how aggregated economic data contributes to racial inequality and the problem of child care during a pandemic.

If there’s one lesson to take from today’s show, it’s that economists are just as confused as you are. We’ll talk with experts and analysts about what to make of the May jobs report, how much of it has to do with PPP loans and what it says about the changing state of the economy. Plus: The New York Times’ Wesley Morris calls in to talk about why the protests against the police killing of George Floyd feel different.

After more than a week of protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody, businesses small, large and super-massive are declaring solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. But words are one thing, action is another. Today, we’ll take you beyond the PR of it all. Plus: America’s overnight food deserts, who’s paying overdraft fees and COVID-driven state budget cuts.

From coast to coast, communities are coming together to clean up after protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody. But some neighborhoods are better equipped to recover than others. Today, we take you inside one rebuilding effort in the Bronx. Plus, why black women entrepreneurs are missing out on startup funding and a conversation with the director of “Do Not Resist.”

George Floyd’s death in police custody sparked nationwide protests, but the kindling has been building for decades. Today we’re going to take some time to talk about the deep racial economic divide in this country. Plus: we do the numbers on states of emergency, what brands are and aren’t saying around Black Lives Matter and the disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street right now.

As protesters across the U.S. call for justice in the death of George Floyd, people are showing support by donating to bail funds, known as bail activism. The Minnesota Freedom Fund has received $20 million in donations and is focusing on the hundreds of activists being arrested nationwide. The argument is that the bail system disproportionately affects low-income people and people of color. Bail activism is just one component of the current protests against police brutality. Plus: Activists call for cuts to police budgets, the U.S.-China trade war has continued during the pandemic and the long recovery communities face after protests.

More than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance since mid-March. Many of them told the Labor Department that they considered their layoffs “temporary,” that they’d been furloughed and would be back at work at some point. But “some point” seems to be dragging on, and coming back from layoffs might not happen at all for some. Today, we do the numbers. Plus: tourism, bar reopenings and problems in the supply chain.

Another 2.1 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance this week. About  55% of the people who lost their jobs last month are women, which is a contrast from the last financial crisis. Today, we’ll look at the dynamics playing out now and why benefits have been historically hard for people to get. Plus: life on the farm and on the reservation.

Most colleges in the U.S. have been shut down for months in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. But NYU’s campus in Shanghai could provide an example of how to reopen mid-pandemic. Today, we take you there. Plus: the PPP extension, a literal economic slowdown and how breweries are adapting to social distancing.

Some companies have been experimenting with the four-day workweek to improve productivity and morale. Will the coronavirus pandemic finally push more workplaces to make the switch? Plus: what it’s like to quarantine in an RV, and will Q3 be the “fastest-growing quarter in U.S. history”?

States — and counties within those states — are reopening at different stages with different rules and guidelines. Business owners are navigating the uncertainty around those rules as they try to determine which apply to their businesses. A bar owner in Boise, Idaho, thought she might be able to reopen, but realized her bar doesn’t serve enough food to meet the state requirement. Plus: a program in California focused on housing the homeless during the pandemic, high school seniors are facing a difficult decision and the life-saving properties of soap.

It’s been about two months since Congress passed the big coronavirus relief bill, and 10 weeks since President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency. We’ll talk with some of our contributors and historians about the state of the economy and the historical context. Plus: China abandons GDP targets, Americans settle into working from home for the long haul and we chat with the president of the New York Stock Exchange.

Another 2.4 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week. That’s down from the week before, but still about the population of Houston. There are two ways the government measures joblessness in this country, and it’s important to keep an eye on both. We’ll explain. Plus: how emerging markets are faring in this crisis, why evictions could surge in Texas and a conversation with the CEO of the travel company Booking Holdings. By the way, this is the last day of our last fundraising drive for our fiscal year. If you can, make a donation today at Marketplace.org/donate.

Restaurants, already operating on thin margins, have to balance keeping customers safe and making them feel safe, while trying to restore some normalcy. Today, we look at how one Atlanta Vietnamese spot is doing it. Plus: How Americans spent their relief checks, the coming wave of farm bankruptcies and the fight over hazard pay.

Today we’re going to dig into some ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. While companies are looking for breaks from their rent, Home Depot says sales are up, and animation is about the only entertainment production still working. Plus: How remote work in oil and gas … works.