Marketplace Morning Report

Alice Lee, Cornell organizational behavior researcher who studies how pay ranges shape negotiation. Henry Epp, Marketplace reporter covering TSA and airport fallout from the partial shutdown. They discuss growing security lines and staffing problems at airports. They explore how posted salary ranges influence who negotiates and why range width matters.

Elizabeth Troval, Marketplace reporter on agriculture and economic impacts, discusses rising fertilizer and diesel costs for U.S. farmers. Carla Javier, Marketplace business reporter, outlines the U.S. Postal Service's deep financial struggles and possible fixes like fewer delivery days or higher stamps. They focus on the postal cash crisis and how global conflict drives farm input prices.

Jiajie Xu, assistant professor of finance who studies how trade shocks affect local banks. Russ Mould, investment director who analyzes energy markets and macro effects. They discuss Iran's attacks on LNG and oil infrastructure and why Europe feels the gas shock harder. They also cover how China’s WTO entry reshaped U.S. local banking, causing long-lasting fallout.

Scott Kennedy, CSIS China expert, explains how Middle East tensions reshape U.S.-China bargaining. Nancy Marshall-Genzer, Marketplace economic reporter, recaps the Fed's pause and Powell’s caution. Nova Safo, energy reporter, breaks down the Jones Act waiver and why its gasoline relief may be limited. They discuss oil price spikes, shipping rules, Fed uncertainty, and shifting diplomatic leverage.

Kaylee Wells, a Marketplace reporter who covers local-interest stories, and Nancy Marshall-Genzer, a Marketplace technology and business reporter. They discuss tracing gold and gems through conflict zones and a jeweler working with women miners in Colombia. They also cover a brewing legal spat between big tech around cloud deals and an unexpected run on red yarn sparked by a vintage knitting pattern.

Kristen Schwab, Marketplace reporter on business and regulatory affairs, breaks down the push to shift from quarterly to semiannual corporate earnings reporting. She explains why companies favor fewer filings. She also covers worries about reduced transparency for investors and what regulators are weighing.

Joel Jacobs, a ProPublica data reporter who uncovered credit bureau complaint trends, and Ken Wattret, S&P Global economist tracking energy and inflation. They discuss shrinking corrections by major credit bureaus and the implications of CFPB staffing changes. They also cover the recent surge in Brent crude, oil price scenarios, and how fuel-driven inflation could ripple through the economy.

Samantha Fields, Marketplace reporter on personal finance and taxes, explains why refunds are larger this year and who stands to gain. Stephanie Hughes, consumer behavior reporter, discusses why discount stores stay popular and how shoppers spend. Nancy Marshall-Genzer, monetary policy correspondent, breaks down how the Middle East conflict complicates Fed rate decisions.

Elizabeth Hudson, a BBC reporter covering European digital sovereignty moves. Kimberly Adams, a Marketplace correspondent on consumer finance and housing. They discuss Europe shifting away from U.S. tech with open-source alternatives and institutional changes. They also cover how buy now, pay later is being used by new homeowners and the risks that brings.

Daniel Holtz, director at the University of Chicago’s Existential Risks Laboratory and Bulletin science chair, offers expert takes on how AI can amplify global threats. Nova Safo, Marketplace transportation reporter, details how the DHS shutdown left TSA and controllers missing pay and snarled air travel. They discuss rising resignations, legislative fixes to protect pay, and the widening risks tech can introduce.