Marketplace Morning Report – Details, episodes & analysis

Millions of federal workers have until Thursday to decide whether to accept a buyout promising pay through September if they quit now. The Trump administration styles it as a long, paid vacation, but the arrangement isn’t set in stone and unions are urging members against it. We’ll hear more. Also on the show: why lenders are rejecting so many applications for loans and why China’s tariff reaction includes an investigation into Google.

Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” was a hit when released in 1956. But the original was recorded several years earlier by Big Mama Thornton. Today, we’ll hear learn about the economics behind recording and some of the Black artists who inspired the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. But first: Your Temu, Shein and Amazon packages might be delayed. After new tariffs by the Trump administration, USPS says it’s suspending package acceptance from China and Hong Kong.

Social Security, signed into law 90 years ago by President Franklin Roosevelt, is the financial foundation of retirement in America. But it’s not just those getting to retire who feel positive impacts from the retirement benefits — more children living with older adults are benefiting from Social Security too. Also on the show: new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and a summit on artificial intelligence.

The latest numbers on Friday showed that job creation was weaker than expected in January, but the survey of households found that unemployment fell slightly. There were also revisions showing that 100,000 more people got jobs in the last two months of 2024 than previously thought. Revisions are normal, but how should we read these? Plus, as part of our What’s That Like? series, we’ll hear an Air Force musician reflect on his career.

From the BBC World Service: U.S. President Donald Trump plans a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminum entering the U.S. China, Canada and Mexico — some of the biggest suppliers — could be hit hard. Also: China’s trade flow shifted in response to tariffs, three Baltic nations cut ties with Russia’s power grid, and global leaders and tech bosses meet in Paris to figure out how to regulate artificial intelligence.

Key parts of the 2017 tax cuts expire at the end of this year, and the Trump administration is interested in Congress making them permanent. Supporters of a tax cut extension say it would pay for itself. But was that the case in 2017? We’ll do the numbers. Plus, it may sound straight out of a sci-fi flick, but one bioscience firm is attempting to resurrect woolly mammoths, dodo birds and other extinct wildlife.

Elon Musk is leading efforts to buy artificial intelligence leader OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, for roughly $100 billion. OpenAI’s founder, however, is not interested. We’ll hear more about the unsolicited bid. Plus, the new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ordered employees to stop work. We’ll look at the problems the CFPB was set up to solve. Also: how blue state republicans in the House could throw their weight around.

Newly-installed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that when it comes to interest rates, he and the president are less worried about what the Federal Reserve will do and more focused on one particular number: the 10-year treasury yield, which affects consumer borrowing costs. We’ll hear more. Also on the show: USAID supporters rallied on Capitol Hill yesterday, and the climate crisis is driving up business insurance — including at ski resorts.

From the BBC World Service: Beijing has strongly denied U.S. claims that illegal drug shipments from China are a national emergency. In a formal complaint to the World Trade Organization over tariffs imposed by Washington, China dismissed the allegations as unfounded. Plus, Norwegian energy giant Equinor is cutting its renewable investment in half over the next two years, and The Sims video game turns 25 this week.

From the BBC World Service: The U.S. Postal Service has stopped accepting parcels from China and Hong Kong, just as new tariffs from President Donald Trump kick in. It’s a surprising escalation in the U.S.-China trade war that would impact millions of packages flowing into the U.S. from companies like Temu and Shein — and it’s hit markets hard. Then later: Is Germany’s generous sick leave policy impacting its economy?