Mayors are hungry for details about Trump's infrastructure plan

Jun 23, 2017
More than 250 mayors are in Miami Beach for the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors. A White House infrastructure adviser is there, too, and city leaders have plenty of questions. What’s in Trump’s infrastructure plan as far as federal partnerships with cities and states? The plan includes about 200 million in federal spending to leverage […]
A handmade necklace.
Meaghan O'Malley/Flickr

Some economists think technology might be slowing inflation

Jun 21, 2017
Should inflation be added to the list of things disrupted by tech? For years, we’ve accepted the integrity of the idea of the Phillips curve: that as unemployment declines, wages rise and companies pass along those increased labor costs in the form of price hikes on goods and services. Inflation. But as unemployment has declined […]

Energy secretary details steep budget cuts to Congress this week

Jun 20, 2017
Department of Energy head Rick Perry has a history of developing renewable energy, especially wind power, as governor of Texas. He voiced support for wind and solar power expansion in his confirmation hearings and elsewhere. But the budget on the table for DOE includes drastic cuts to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, […]

Can Tidal and Jay-Z get Sprint new users?

Jun 19, 2017
The phone carrier is offering its users a 6-month free trial of the streaming service.
Rapper Jay-Z performs onstage at Barclays Center of Brooklyn in 2015.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIDAL

It could hit 120 degrees in Phoenix during the Southwest’s heatwave. Can the power grid keep up?

Jun 19, 2017
It’s likely that the heat wave California, Arizona and Nevada has been experiencing is going to hit its peak this week. Temperatures could reach as high as 120 degrees in Phoenix. Across the region, the air conditioning will be roaring. But will the power grid be able to keep up?  Click the audio player above […]

Amazon shocks with news of Whole Foods bid

Jun 16, 2017
Amazon has agreed to buy Whole Foods in a roughly $13.5 billion deal. It would be Amazon’s biggest acquisition to date, and it’s generating headlines such as “earth shaking.” Whole Foods has been underperforming a little lately. Its growth has slowed and activist investors have been after the chain to sell itself. But what’s a […]

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Small-scale manufacturing is on the rise in American cities

Jun 16, 2017
Factories are smaller and greener, and consumer tastes are changing.
Rose Lerann works on a pack at Frost River in the Lincoln Park neighborhood's craft district in Duluth, Minnesota.
Derek Montgomery for MPR News

Weekly Wrap: Amazon buys Whole Foods. Now what?

Jun 16, 2017
It wasn't long ago Amazon was just a quaint online book store.
Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. Amazon announced that it will buy Whole Foods for over $13 billion.
David Ryder/Getty Images

Nestle Crunch bars may soon be a thing of the past

Jun 16, 2017
Nestle has announced it's looking for a buyer.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images