Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Latest Stories

Latest Stories

For young voters, housing is a top issue in this election

Jun 14, 2024
High home prices and high mortgage rates can make homeownership feel impossible for Gen Zers. But what can the president do about it? 
Many Gen Zers worry about the challenges of becoming a homeowner, especially affordability. But state and local officials might have more sway over the housing market than the president.
Philip Pacheco/AFP via Getty Images

All you can eat: The tumultuous history of America’s favorite restaurant deal

Jun 14, 2024
Endless shrimp, endless breadsticks, endless salad bar — they've nearly killed a lot of restaurants. So why do they keep coming back?
Red Lobster has shuttered more than 80 locations and laid off hundreds of workers, but all-you-can-eat shrimp? Still going.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

After a judge paused the University of California strike, questions about "no strike" provisions remain

Jun 14, 2024
The UC system argues that the strikes violated the union contract's "no strike" provision. But workers may have the right to violate no strike agreements in certain cases.
Above, UAW-represented academic workers at UCLA strike on May 28. A judge has temporarily halted the strike.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

There's a logic to the chaos of the global supply chain

Jun 14, 2024
Peter Goodman of The New York Times discusses the complex inner workings of our fragile system and why it broke down during the pandemic.
Increasing resilience would be costly and reduce profitability at many supply chain businesses, author Peter Goodman explains. Above, shipping containers at the Port of Oakland in California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Bad news for the job market could be good news for inflation

Jun 13, 2024
Initial jobless claims hit a 10-month high last week. If that takes pressure off prices, the Federal Reserve might reduce interest rates.
Higher unemployment can contribute to the cooling of inflation, but it comes at the expense of people's livelihoods.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Why is the Fed still so cautious about interest rates?

Jun 13, 2024
Despite the CPI coming in unexpectedly low, the Federal Reserve needs more convincing that inflation is really getting better.
"Consumers change their buying habits, they move from steak to chicken, from the upper shelf down to the lower shelf," said Dan North with Allianz Trade about inflation.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Why gay bars are closing — and what's taking their place

LGBTQ+ gatherings at less traditional venues are changing what queer nightlife can look like, professor Amin Ghaziani explains.
"Gay bars are an absolutely important part of nightlife, but they're not the sum total of [gay] nightlife," said author and professor Amin Ghaziani.
Yana Paskova/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

“Temporary” author Hilary Leichter on losing yourself to gigs

Jun 13, 2024
“You can never bring your true full self to a job because a job is not the world. It's this strange microcosm of the world.”
Images courtesy Coffee House Press and Sylvie Rosokoff

Better hurricane forecasts are preventing damage and saving money, study says

Jun 13, 2024
Computing power is helping make sure there are fewer false alarms.
False alarms can lull people into a false sense of security, says Tatyana Deryugina, an environmental economist at the University of Illinois.
David McNew/Getty Images

Listen, vinyl may be big, but cassette tapes are back too

Jun 13, 2024
It’s not always practical for smaller bands to release their music on vinyl. So some are turning to another blast from the past — cassette tapes.
For small artists, producing a vinyl record can be costly, but cassette tapes are relatively cheap to buy and produce. Cassette buyers tend to spend more on music also.
Davis Barber