North Korea-U.S. tensions raise fears for global economy

Aug 10, 2017
Relations between the U.S. and North Korea have seldom been more strained. President Trump has threatened to bring, “fire and fury like the world has never seen,” if North Korea continues to threaten the U.S. with military action. Pyongyang responded by saying it’s considering an attack on the U.S. territory of Guam. If it came […]

Pushing kids to succeed in Detroit Public Schools amid a literacy crisis

Aug 9, 2017
Murcy Jones has been a student, teacher and parent in the Detroit School System.
Murcy Jones holds her twin granddaughters outside her home in Detroit, MI. 
Eliza Mills/Marketplace

Trump wants to end the opioid crisis, but offers no new policies to do it

Aug 8, 2017
President Trump this afternoon acknowledged the epidemic of opioid abuse in the U.S., but took no action on a report by a commission he created to study the crisis. That report urged the president to declare a national emergency to combat the health crisis. In a briefing with his top officials, Trump said there is […]

Treating wastewater at the bottom of the world

Aug 8, 2017
"Just like the children's book 'Everyone Poops,' it's definitely the ultimate in job security."
Jeanne Sabin riding snowmobiles on Ross Island. 
Photo Courtesy Jeanne Sabin

With lottery wins, the bottom line depends on where you live

Aug 8, 2017
It’s that time again when lottery jackpots are big enough that even non-regulars are daydreaming about what they might do with the windfall. The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are both over $300 million. You know, of course that if you win, you’ll have to pay big federal income taxes. But state income taxes on […]

Wind power cuts into Nebraska's increasing use of coal

Aug 8, 2017
Nebraska is the only state in the lower 48 using more coal for generating electricity than it did a decade ago.
 Caterpillar front-loading machinery operates on mounds of coal.
Luke Sharrett/Getty Images

Can sanctions deter North Korea’s nuclear ambitions?

Aug 7, 2017
Over the weekend, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a new round of sanctions against North Korea. The sanctions could shave a billion dollars off the country’s annual export revenue, essentially cutting it by a third. This is in response to North Korea’s recent tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, which broke existing international sanctions. Is there […]

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What went wrong with globalization?

Aug 7, 2017
Opening up borders created economic winners, but the losers were hit disproportionately hard.
Ken Garduno, Illustrator

Connecticut's budget gap will likely hurt social service recipients

Aug 7, 2017
Some lawmakers are eyeing the hedge fund industry as a potential piggy bank.
Barbara Deindorfer said she's concerned for her brother John's future without state services.
Harriet Jones/ for Marketplace

Hassle-free returns will apply to all sellers on Amazon’s site from October

Aug 4, 2017
Amazon announced this week that it’s going to apply its hassle-free returns policy to all items purchased on the website from October. That’s good news for consumers, but it’s a new burden for some third-party Amazon sellers, who, until now, could have policies of their own.  Click the audio player above to hear the full […]