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A lot happened this week. We had some Fed Chair Jerome Powell, a little bit of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and, of course, the whole GameStop-Reddit-Wall-Street story. On today’s show: We’re looking back at the week and trying to make sense of it. Plus, unprecedented congestion at America’s ports and how the pandemic has changed bartending.

GameStop — yes, the video game store disappearing from shopping malls across the country — is making big news these days. The company’s stock has jumped 1,700% since the beginning of the year, due almost entirely to a forum on Reddit called r/WallStreetBets. On today’s show: We got Emily Stewart, business and politics reporter at Vox, to explain what is going on. Plus, a new study on the deadliest jobs during the pandemic and how government policies can lead to economic discrimination.

Running the economy hot means everyone who wants a job has a job. And the people who benefit most are those at the low end of wage distribution. The concern, though, is that a hot economy can cause a whole lot of inflation. But that’s just not happening. On today’s show: What we’ve learned in the past decade about letting an economy run hot. Plus, 71% of parents who work full time have kids who are attending school in person and a look at the shoe economy almost a year into the pandemic.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday promising that federal dollars will be used to purchase American-made products. The Trump administration basically promised the same, and there have been laws requiring such action for decades. But the Biden administration argues this time will be different. On today’s show: Why is it so hard to keep that promise? Plus, the difference that extra $300 in federal unemployment benefits made and why some brands are sitting out Super Bowl ads this year.

If you closely read the directives coming out of the Biden administration, you’ll see that they’re mostly instructions for various federal agencies to do things — a bureaucratic to-do list, if you will. The problem is there are roughly 4,000 political appointments to be made in the federal government at the start of a new administration, 1,300 of which require Senate confirmation. On today’s show: the strange way we hand over control of the government. Plus, Biden moves to raise  federal workers’ minimum wage to $15 and the complications of getting vaccines into Americans’ arms.

We take a look at the unemployment pictures in Hawaii, Nebraska and South Florida. We also discuss what kind of economic challenges await the incoming Biden administration. Treasury nominee Janet Yellen sheds light on how the U.S. should approach its debt, and a French oil giant pivots to solar.

More than 14 million people are behind on rent in the United States, and the only thing keeping them in their homes is the CDC’s eviction moratorium — which is set to expire at the end of the month. $25 billion in emergency rental assistance is on the way from the latest Congressional relief package, and President-elect Joe Biden has proposed an additional $25 billion in assistance on top of that. But with the eviction moratorium set to expire, will the money come soon enough? Plus, the business of backyard ice rinks and challenges in COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

In positive economic news, President-elect Joe Biden announced his “American Rescue Plan” Thursday — a $1.9 trillion proposal to stabilize the economy and get COVID-19 under control. But pandemic unemployment continues to be a tale of two economies. The unemployment rate among the highest-paid workers is around 5%, while the rate among low-wage employees is as high as 20%. Sustained unemployment could lead to increased homelessness, with one study predicting homelessness could be twice as high as it was after the Great Recession. On today’s show: Economic recovery depends on your wage bracket. Plus, the economic significance of last week’s insurrection and a look at China one year after the first COVID-19 lockdown.

It’s been a few weeks since the second round of COVID-19 relief started going out. Americans are spending those $600 checks on everything from tattoos and nice dinners to paying rent and electricity bills. The checks were meant to stimulate the economy, but also to provide economic relief to those seriously hurting during the pandemic. On today’s show: We check in with how a few people are using the money. Plus, how baby bonds could help close the racial wealth gap and why Netflix plans to release a new movie every week this year.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the biggest American business lobbying group and a typically reliable supporter of conservative and Republican politicians, said Tuesday that President Donald Trump “undermined our democratic institutions and ideals” last week. A chamber leader also said some members of Congress “will have forfeited the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Period. Full stop.” Small business owners aren’t feeling great about things either, with optimism at a seven-month low. On today’s show: the business world outlook. Plus, a look at systemic racism in farming and the pandemic’s continued impact on working mothers.

Following last week’s armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, corporations are starting to pull financial support from President Donald Trump and certain Republicans. JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are suspending political donations in general for at least six months. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Marriott are suspending donations specifically to Republicans who objected to the certification of the presidential election. And PGA of America pulled a championship tournament from a Trump golf course. On today’s show: the continuing economic fallout of a failed insurrection. Plus, how economic recovery might look now that COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out and the success of TV reboots.

The U.S. economy lost jobs for the first time since April, shedding 140,000 positions, the December jobs report showed. And long-term unemployment ticked up to 37% — quadruple what it was before the pandemic. It’s unclear if businesses will start hiring again anytime soon, as the COVID-19 rages across the United States. On today’s show: The worsening pandemic will continue to slow jobs recovery. Plus, how the vaccine rollout is going in rural America, and restaurant workers in Washington, D.C., can get vaccinated starting Feb. 1.

The stock market is not the economy; this we know. But the market seems completely disconnected from events happening in the United States. After Wednesday’s pro-Trump insurrection, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a record high. And again Thursday, after 787,000 Americans filed first-time unemployment claims, markets closed at record highs. On today’s show: A look at the disconnects between the markets, the economy and our democracy. Plus, social media platforms are putting greater restrictions on the president, and parents are still navigating working from home with their kids.

Extreme supporters of President Donald Trump gathered for protests at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, which turned violent as hoards of people broke into the U.S. Capitol Building. Lawmakers, in session to certify the 2020 presidential election, were forced into hiding and tear gas was deployed in the Capitol Rotunda. On today’s show: What this unprecedented day means for the U.S. economy going forward. Plus, more PPP loans are on the way and colleges are slow to reopen.

As we enter the second calendar year of COVID-19 life, small businesses are taking stock and adjusting their pandemic plans. The economic crisis brought on by the pandemic has shuttered more than 160,000 small businesses. And a December survey found that 1 in 4 small business owners might have to close permanently in the next six months if economic conditions don’t improve. On today’s show: How the pandemic has altered small business owners’ plans — and lives. Plus, health care is a hard system to change, Biden’s plans for COVID testing and who gets to decide what feminism looks like?

Relief is finally on the way in the form of $600 checks to Americans who qualify. But that might be too little, too late for those hurting the most during this economic crisis. On today’s show: A look at how more relief might play out with a new Congress and a new administration in the White House. Plus, Texas food banks say they could be short millions of pounds of food and Congress lets paid sick, family and medical leave mandate expire. Your support makes our reporting possible — become a Marketplace Investor today to keep us going strong.

2020 is finally coming to a close. This year has been historic: the COVID-19 pandemic, a summer of long overdue racial reckoning, the 2020 election and the ongoing economic crisis. We’ll begin the new year with millions of Americans out of work. The highly anticipated Jan. 5 runoffs in Georgia will decide control of the Senate. And, like always, the fate of the U.S. economy rests in consumers’ hands — and wallets. On today’s show: We look back at the year that was, and how the problems of 2020 will continue in 2021. Your support makes our reporting possible — become a Marketplace Investor today to keep us going strong.

The Treasury Department is starting to distribute the $600 relief checks Congress agreed to in the latest COVID-19 relief package, and the IRS said it began making direct deposits into bank accounts Tuesday. For those who don’t have an account on file with the agency, paper checks or prepaid debit cards will be sent out. On today’s show: Those prepaid cards have advantages and drawbacks. Plus, Congress finally bans surprise medical bills and how 2020 became the year of the hobby. Your support makes our reporting possible — become a Marketplace Investor today to keep us going strong.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked an effort Tuesday by Democrats to raise the next round of relief checks to $2,000. So Americans will be getting $600 checks this time around. In the spring, people spent only about a third of the relief money. But nine months into the pandemic, millions of Americans are still out of work and unemployment benefits are dwindling; it might not be so easy to hold on to the money now. On today’s show: Americans are likely to spend their stimulus on necessities right away. Plus, public transit is getting $14 billion in aid and the beef industry is still feeling the effects of COVID-19. Your support makes our reporting possible — become a Marketplace Investor today to keep us going strong. 

With the COVID-19 relief bill still in limbo, we talk about how people working from home are attempting to take care of their mental health. It hasn’t been easy. Also, the travel industry is hurting, even during the holidays. Then we look at how a Black-owned puzzle company has managed to piece together success as a small business during the pandemic.