Manufacturing boomed in July. Thank all that AI money

Segments From This Episode

• Manufacturing sector benefits from continued AI demand

  by Justin Ho

  

  Many manufacturers are also finding themselves with the need to restock, which also floats demand.

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• Tracking down the Trump administration's $27.6 billion in investments

  by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry

  

  “We're tracking 37 deals since January 2025 involving equity or quasi-equity stakes,” said Jonathan Hillman, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “We're doing the best we can in terms of collecting what's out there, but it's a little bit like investigative work.”

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• Why job openings have been rising slowly this year

  by Henry Epp

  

  Separations (that’s layoffs and quits) were essentially flat in June. Hiring ticked up.

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• Record store owner hits a new milestone: a day off

  by Livi Burdette

  Phillip Rollins, owner of OffBeat in Jackson, Mississippi, has hired an accountant who can handle some of the day-to-day in his shop.

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• The Numbers

  by Kai Ryssdal

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• McDonald's sales soften as diners spend cautiously

  by Caleigh Wells

  

  McDonald's reported second-quarter U.S. sales growth of just 0.8%, about a third of what it posted a year ago. The fast-food giant also replaced the head of its U.S. operations.

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• Where did China's oil imports go?

  by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson

  

  After the Strait of Hormuz closed, China slashed its oil imports, seemingly without reducing energy demand or tapping into reserves. How China is doing it — and why — remains a mystery.

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