Marketplace Morning Report

The AI boom has boosted tech spending to levels not seen since the IT boom of the 1990s. All of the spending on the AI infrastructure buildout is contributing to economic growth, but that kind of investment won’t necessarily support the broader economy over the long run. Also on the program: The producer price index showed a bigger drop than economists expected, and proposed changes could affect how billions of dollars in federal research grants are awarded.

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How AI investment is fueling the broader economy

Data centers, that is. That is the question that states are now grappling with. Just yesterday, New York became the first state to enact a moratorium on new large-scale data centers. Meanwhile, Louisiana is offering big tax breaks to try to attract AI companies. This morning, we dig into the economic arguments for and against data centers. Then, Delaware has long been the go-to state for registering companies because of its favorable business laws, but now Wyoming is taking the lead.

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Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Stories featured in this episode:

New York pauses data centers over water and power concerns
Could a business court help Wyoming be the next Delaware?

This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released fresh consumer price index numbers, which showed that consumer prices actually fell 0.4% month over month in June. The year-over-year inflation rate, meanwhile, clocked in at 3.5% — down from 4.2% in May but still higher than the Federal Reserve's target. We'll discuss, then learn what's behind raising hay costs and how new U.S. foreign aid contracts are shaping healthcare on the African continent.

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Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Stories featured in this episode:

Higher hay costs for farmers could spell higher beef and dairy prices for consumers
The new currency of global health aid: data

The way U.S. aid is distributed around the world has changed significantly since the beginning of President Trump's second term. Reporting by ProPublica shows that a series of new agreements between the United States and various African countries is tying funding to access to those countries' health data. So what kind of data is accessible and who stands to benefit? Also: setting the backdrop to Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s first Congressional testimony.

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Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

The Social Security trust fund is set to run out of money by 2032. Multiple policy proposals that could address this shortfall — everything from raising taxes and the retirement age, to scrapping the cap on taxable earnings. But today, labor economist Kathryn Anne Edwards shares another solution: tax companies that use gig workers. But first, the new Federal Reserve chair heads to Congress as policymakers are split about the direction of interest rates.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Stories featured in this epsiode:

How the gig economy could strengthen Social Security