There’s word the Biden administration is about to drop a lawsuit against California over its authority to regulate auto emissions, as The Wall Street Journal reports. We look at how that affects automakers and the rest of the country. Plus, a tax credit for smaller businesses to help with paid time off for employees getting vaccinations. And, revisiting the deadly freeze in Texas from February: How are farmers faring two months after the icing devastated crops?

From the BBC World Service: Trade tensions between Australia and China escalate in a fresh dispute over Belt and Road Initiative plans. Also, the U.N. warns 3 million more people may go hungry in the aftermath of the February military coup in Myanmar. And, as the European Super League crumbles, a look at how a German model for sports ownership could be a template for the rest of the region.

As you’ve heard this week, a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the killing of George Floyd. The key to that case was the video taken by teenager Darnella Frazier with her smartphone. Molly speaks with Allissa Richardson, a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California. She’s the author of the book “Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones and the New Protest #Journalism.” And she argues that smartphones, in most people’s pockets, are a powerful tool for accountability.

One of our listeners noticed that the Coinstar machine at her local grocery store is dealing in bitcoins now, and she’s wondering how that works. We’ll talk about the how and the why of bitcoin ATMs on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, more listener questions and comments about the restaurant business, cicadas and good ol’ fashioned stocks.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “As Diners Return, Restaurants Face a New Hurdle: Finding Workers” from The New York Times
• “A labor shortage is forcing chains like Subway and Dunkin’ to cut hours, close dining rooms, and push employees to work harder than ever” from Insider
• “Bitcoin ATMs are coming to a gas station near you” from Reuters
• “What Happens to the Stock of a Company That Goes Bankrupt?” from Investopedia
• “What Happens To My Stock When The Company Gets Acquired?” from Benzinga

While we were stuck at home, sales of paint, furniture, exercise equipment and groceries went through the roof. But as vaccination continues and things open back up, we’re more likely to take a trip than to redo our floors. On today’s show: How the stay-home economy will change when the pandemic ends. Plus, how the plan for that new European soccer league was kicked to the curb; about that semiconductor shortage; and an interview with the CEO of Chipotle.

We speak with Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, about what progress the U.S. has made on overhauling policing, and what progress corporations have made on their pledges to address systemic racism. Also, the latest on a new cyberattack, different from the SolarWinds hack, that’s hit U.S. government agencies, defense contractors and financial institutions. And, inside the abrupt collapse of the European Super League.

This week, the Service Employees International Union and nonprofit Majority Action called on managers of pension and hedge funds to press for social justice during corporate annual meetings. Plus, a large group of religious leaders calls for a boycott of Home Depot and says the company isn’t doing enough to oppose Georgia’s new law that makes it harder to vote. And, progress for restaurants that are able to pay rent again, but the data also shows challenges for minority-owned businesses.

From the BBC World Service: After outrage from fans, politicians and former players, English clubs have withdrawn from a JPMorgan Chase-backed breakaway league. Some other European clubs now say they won’t take part either. Also, in the Philippines, a community food bank resumes operations, a day after volunteer safety worries. And Denmark’s “coronapas” is now mandatory in bars, restaurants and stadiums.

The Senate is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday on Lina Khan’s appointment to the Federal Trade Commission. Khan is an associate law professor at Columbia University. She published a paper at Yale in 2017 that laid out a new approach to antitrust enforcement, focused on how big tech companies use their power as gatekeepers to harm competitors and consumers. The example she used was Amazon. Molly speaks with Dana Mattioli, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal covering Amazon. In a recent piece, she described some of those behaviors. One example: when the CEO of the PopSockets phone accessories company met with Amazon about counterfeiters.

For nearly a decade, the Black Lives Matter movement has called attention to the everyday injustices Black Americans endure, helping to build understanding around issues from systemic racism in the criminal justice system to the racial wealth gap. Now Congress is starting to act. Today on “Make Me Smart,” we spoke with William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen, co-authors of the book “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century,” about the federal government might amends for the harm inflicted on generations of Black citizens by discriminatory public policies. Darity and Mullen walked us through the history and laid out the central characteristics they believe a reparations plan should address.

Here are links to everything we talked about today:

• “Black Reparations and the Racial Wealth Gap” from Brookings
• “House Panel Advances Bill to Study Reparations in Historic Vote” from The New York Times
• “Evanston approves housing grants as part of city’s local reparations program, believed to be first of its kind in the nation” from the Chicago Tribune
• “Goldman Reveals Black Workforce Numbers for the First Time” from Bloomberg
• “Dogecoin at $50 Billion Makes It Bigger Than Ford and Kraft” from Bloomberg
• “What’s new with Percy the Mars rover?” from The Washington Post
• “Americans overwhelmingly say marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical use” from Pew Research Center
• “Dozen Megadonors Gave $3.4 Billion, One in Every 13 Dollars, Since 2009” from The New York Times

The Biden administration’s push to upgrade American infrastructure is partly motivated by seeing China’s sleek infrastructure, including bullet trains that go more than 185 mph. These speedy trains have gradually replaced the slower, green-colored carriages. However, in recent years, the Chinese government has designated 81 routes remaining from the Mao era for the poor. On today’s show: A look inside those trains. Plus, commercial construction faces a rocky year, Apple bets that users will opt in to be tracked and how a food business tied to the hotel industry is recovering from COVID-19.

As the U.K. looks into a central bank-backed digital currency, how is the Federal Reserve approaching the idea in the U.S.? Plus, the House passes a bill on the relationship between cannabis businesses and banks. And, a plastics ban in Mexico City raises questions about women’s access to female sanitary products.

The nation’s largest coal miners’ union is backing President Joe Biden’s transition to renewable energy — if miners aren’t left behind. Plus, the number of people seeking work increased between November and March, and that increase was primarily driven by women entering the job market, according to the New York Federal Reserve. And, a new survey finds a lot of Black Americans under the age of 40 started investing in the stock market during the pandemic.

From the BBC World Service: Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, soccer’s governing body in Europe, told England’s “Big Six” Premier League clubs they could still change their mind. Some of Spain’s and Italy’s biggest soccer clubs are also joining the new league. Plus, as the Bank of England mulls a digital currency, we explore the advantages of a digital pound or dollar for consumers.

The shortage of semiconductors that has shut down some car factories isn’t going away anytime soon, even though chipmakers are building new factories and promising to ramp up production. The thing is, computer chips are in everything these days. Look around you right now. If you’re at home, maybe you see your laptop or your internet router. They have chips — that’s obvious. But there could also be a chip in your toaster oven, your light switch or your electric toothbrush. Marielle Segarra speaks with Hal Hodson, a technology correspondent at the Economist. He said the chip shortage is causing delays of all kinds of products, especially the ones you don’t even own yet.

The city of Oakland, California, announced a guaranteed income pilot program back in March, and now Mayor Eric Garcetti is proposing a similar plan in Los Angeles to combat poverty and aid the economic recovery. The idea of providing people living in poverty some level of basic income has been around for decades. If adopted, Los Angeles would be the biggest U.S. city to try out the policy. Plus, California is buying hotels to house the homeless, and NASA flew a helicopter on Mars!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Apple will reinstate Parler” from CNBC
• “$1,000 A Month, No Strings Attached: Garcetti Proposes A Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot In Los Angeles” from LAist
• “Oakland City Officials Announce Guaranteed Income Pilot Program” from NBC Bay Area
• “One Way to Get People Off the Streets: Buy Hotels” from The New York Times
• “After fully vaccinating a majority of its population, Israel no longer requires people to wear masks outdoors” from Business Insider
• “NASA’s Mars Helicopter Completes First Flight on Another Planet” from The New York Times
• “Meet Bearsun, the real-life teddy bear on a journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco” from CNN

As of today, all adults are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. The vaccine is free to the public, regardless of insurance. About half of all adults have received at least one dose in the U.S., and more than 200 million shots have been administered. But there are still challenges to getting more people vaccinated, including workers getting paid time off to make an appointment or deal with vaccine side effects. Also on today’s show: how businesses that have made it this far in the pandemic are doing, why lumber prices are skyrocketing and why there’s little affordable housing in wealthy Chicago neighborhoods.

President Biden is expected to release U.S. proposals for reducing emissions at or before a virtual climate summit the U.S. is hosting later this week. China is not likely to make any new pledges at the summit. Plus, after a report on U.S. consumer prices last week, expectations of runaway inflation seem to have subsided … for now. And, are tablets more popular again thanks to the pandemic?

Four local governments in California are asking for $50 billion from four drug companies. Plus, technology to help companies better monitor and analyze their progress toward inclusivity. And, blocking middle seats on flights costs airlines money, but a new CDC study shows just how much it can reduce the risk of coronavirus exposure.

From the BBC World Service: Twelve of Europe’s biggest soccer clubs unveiled plans to form a breakaway league they’ve dubbed the European Super League. It’s aimed at bolstering pandemic-ravaged finances, but it’s been met with fierce opposition. Plus, a new travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand removes mandatory quarantine measures.

About half of U.S. states are considering right-to-repair bills. They would require manufacturers to publish manuals so that anyone can make repairs on electronics and appliances — everything from iPhones to tractors to ventilators. Some of the bills focus on just one of those categories; in Arkansas, it’s farm equipment, in Oregon, it’s consumer electronics, and in California, it’s medical equipment. And in France, a new law just went into effect requiring makers of some gadgets to put a “repairability” score on the label. Molly Wood speaks with Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. He says there may be momentum, but there’s also a lot of resistance.

The White House is walking back its plan to keep the cap on refugees at the historic low set by the Trump administration. President Joe Biden had previously indicated he wanted to raise the limit from 15,000 to several times that, and after much backlash his press secretary now says a final number will be announced next month. On today’s show, we’ll talk about that policy and the administration’s first big stumble. Plus: Kai Ryssdal’s piping hot take on the boba shortage and another round of Half Full/Half Empty.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Biden administration may keep refugee cap at Trump’s level, though it says final number will come next month” from The Washington Post
• “Another Unlikely Pandemic Shortage: Boba Tea” from The New York Times
• “NASA selects SpaceX as its sole provider for a lunar lander” from Ars Technica
• “Is shopping by livestream the next chapter of e-commerce?” from “Marketplace”
• “California ‘Zoom town’ grapples with influx of remote workers” from “Marketplace”
• “What drives corporations to sign — or not sign — a letter opposing voting restrictions?” from “Marketplace”
• “March retail sales soar 9.8% thanks to relief payments” from Marketplace.org
• “Dogecoin spikes 400% in a week, stoking fears of a cryptocurrency bubble” from CNBC
• Three things supported by our departing media designer Ben Tolliday: Sabri Ben-Achour’s ceramics, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and the Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles. We’ll miss you Ben!

Thanks to everyone who joined us live on YouTube! Join us every Friday at 3:30 p.m. Pacific/6:30 p.m. Eastern for happy hour! Subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.

Across the country, pharmacies are struggling with insufficient staffing and endless phone calls from people trying to make appointments. They run into other problems, too, like patients who think one dose of a two-dose vaccine is enough. Health care workers are feeling pressure to get this right — to make sure the vaccines are stored correctly, that no one is having an allergic reaction and that everyone’s questions are answered. On today’s show: We hear from three community pharmacists about their experience giving out COVID-19 vaccines. Plus, commercial landlords are looking to grocery stores to fill vacant space, Americans are really ready to travel again and historians weigh in on whether we’re in for another Roaring ’20s.

The House passed an equal pay measure along party lines. We look at how it would strengthen existing rules on pay discrimination and what Republicans are objecting to. Also, China’s GDP growth in the first quarter. Plus, an update on Americans’ willingness to get vaccinated. And, the rise in domestic violence during COVID lockdowns.

Those numbers: An 18.3% jump in GDP for China in the first quarter and U.S. stock market highs yesterday. They reflect an optimistic economic outlook going forward. Plus, a new Brookings Institution report on the “staggering” lack of diversity among the directors of the 12 regional Federal Reserve banks. And, continuing to gauge what’s ahead for the U.S. economy in terms of inflation.

From the BBC World Service: Economists say it’s difficult to compare the start of this year with the period between January and March 2020, because activity plunged when the pandemic started. Also, the boss of Europe’s biggest travel group TUI says vaccine passports and more testing will help save vacation season. And, why drone racing is a big money generator.

Facebook and other social media companies get plenty of criticism for allowing too much disinformation on their platforms, especially when it comes to elections, pandemic misinformation and untruths about COVID-19 vaccines. Now, critics say, even as the platforms are taking steps toward cracking down, there’s a huge hole in their already spotty enforcement. Not all of the disinformation is in English. There are more than 40 million Spanish speakers in the U.S., and critics say they’ve been targeted with disinformation campaigns since the 2020 election and beyond.

When you do the numbers on how many people police killed in nonviolent incidents just last year — to say nothing of the video and testimony coming out of multiple American cities this week alone — you can’t come to any other conclusion. This is a broken system. Also on the docket today, with guest host Marielle Segarra: A third vaccine, dating in the pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service and the “denim cycle.”

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

• Read Marielle’s work for Marketplace here
• “U.S. Economy Ramps Up on Spending Surge, Hiring Gains” from The Wall Street Journal
• “PepsiCo bets on vaccine-led reopenings for soda sales boost” from Reuters
• “Over half of police-involved killings in 2020 began after non-violent incidents ” from Axios
• “Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12 months” from CNBC
• “Stanford begins testing Pfizer vaccine in babies and young children” from Mercury News
• “‘A win-win-win proposal’: Banking and booze could save the U.S. Postal Service, experts say” from NBC News
• “Banking at the post office? Service would help millions of ‘unbanked’ Americans” from the Chicago Tribune opinion section

More than 123 million people have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and around 3 million doses are being administered every day. Four months into the vaccination campaign, however, there are still significant disparities by race and ethnicity. In nearly every state that’s reporting data, white residents are being vaccinated at higher rates than Black and Hispanic residents. On today’s show: In Philadelphia, there’s evidence walk-in clinics can help reduce those disparities. Plus, new data points to a strong economic recovery this year, President Joe Biden is imposing economic sanctions against Russia in response to December’s hacking attack, and the challenges of moving to a hybrid work model.

After spending years fighting to get disability benefits, Amber was finally approved. But she and her wife, Diana, didn’t realize they had entered a complicated, arcane system where health care might cost you your marriage.

For more “This Is Uncomfortable,” subscribe to our newsletter! This week, Reema talks about celebrating Ramadan during the pandemic. Here’s the latest issue, in case you missed it.

“This Is Uncomfortable” is Reema Khrais, Megan Detrie, Hayley Hershman, Peter Balonon-Rosen, Camila Kerwin and Marque Greene.

Vaccinations and stimulus checks are behind the news that retail sales took off, up nearly 10% in March. Plus, new U.S. sanctions for Russia target Moscow’s sovereign debt, what investors are lending to Russia. Also, hundreds of companies sign statements opposing “any discriminatory legislation” that would make it harder for people to vote in the U.S. And, why small business owners are having trouble filling open positions.

You know the one we’re talking about: sans-serif fonts, pastel palettes, long-limbed cartoon figures. Why is it so ubiquitous? And what is it hiding? Plus, expected new U.S. sanctions on Russia to respond to the massive hacking campaign attributed to Moscow, with digital intrusions into U.S. federal agencies. And, officials from Britain and the EU are set to meet and discuss the effects of Brexit on Northern Ireland.

From the BBC World Service: Top officials from the U.K. and the European Union will discuss the effect Brexit is having on Northern Ireland, which has experienced trade bottlenecks and street protests. And, Taiwan shuts off irrigation to some farmers as it prioritizes its valuable semiconductor chip industry.

Microsoft this week announced it will acquire Nuance, a Boston-based speech recognition and artificial intelligence company, for around $16 billion. It’s the company’s largest acquisition after LinkedIn and a big bet on speech recognition technology. Nuance is used most in health care, and about 10,000 health care facilities worldwide use it to capture conversations between patients and doctors and transcribe them in real time. Molly speaks with Daniel Hong, a research director at Forrester. He said that a controlled environment like a clinic or doctor’s office can make the tech more accurate.

As a follow-up to yesterday’s show about cryptocurrencies, one of our listeners wants to know if Coinbase, which went public today, is really a reliable way to buy and sell bitcoin and other blockchain-backed assets. We’ll try and answer without thinking too hard about the money Molly might have lost when another exchange got hacked. Plus, your questions about vaccine appointment bots, the fallout from the mess in the Suez Canal and Kai pulls back the curtain a bit on “Marketplace.”

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• Revisit some old Marketplace reporting on Mt. Gox
• “Meet the vaccine appointment bots, and their foes” from the Associated Press
• “Egypt impounds Ever Given ship over $900 million Suez Canal compensation bill” from CNN
• “Ever Given Customers Face New Payments to Get Shipments Moving” from The Wall Street Journal

Finally: We need your voice memos! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood to answer! Here’s how to do it.

The concept of “company culture” is saddled with certain imagery in the imaginations of Americans: The trust exercises of decades gone by, the freewheeling indoor playground layout of Google offices, the oppressive pressure to produce at any given law firm. A company’s culture is intangible — and often privately derided as an invention of PR — but it is very real. Has that survived a year of Zoom and Slack communication? Also on today’s show: Retailers are trying to hire tens of thousands of workers, why some companies didn’t sign a statement pushing back against a restrictive Georgia voting law, and boat builders are struggling to meet soaring demand.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute studied how much material hardship has increased during the pandemic and for whom. Also, what big banks’ earnings reports have to say about consumer behavior. Plus, stockpiles of grounded airplanes parked in various deserts for the time being with air travel down. And, 50 years ago this week, “pingpong diplomacy” gave way to more economic engagement between the U.S. and China.

The cryptocurrency exchange company will be the first major crypto business to go public in the U.S. Plus, the Ever Given cargo ship of Suez Canal fame is stuck again — but this time it’s being held by Egyptian officials over $900 million. And, big declines in enrollment for tribal community colleges during COVID.

From the BBC World Service: The European Commission plans to raise money through bonds to fund its COVID recovery plan. Also, Egypt impounds the Ever Given container ship demanding compensation. Plus, India, often called the world’s pharmacy, plans fast-track approval for COVID vaccine imports. And, the Netherlands experiments with bringing cafe and bar patrons back indoors.

The Chinese company Ant Group does a lot of things. It provides loans, mobile payments through Alipay, credit scores, and it acts as an investment platform. Last year, it was headed for what might have been the biggest initial public offering in history, until the Chinese government abruptly canceled it. The government on Monday forced the company under the control of its central bank and demanded that it restructure as a financial holdings company. All this happened after founder and tech billionaire Jack Ma gave a speech critical of Chinese regulators last year. But the obvious story is not the whole story. Molly Wood speaks with Rui Ma, who advises investors about Chinese companies and technology.

We talk to Gil Luria, the director of research at D.A. Davidson, about who wins and who loses in the mainstreaming of Bitcoin. Plus: Gil answers your questions about Bitcoin mining and the related math problems that are hard to get our heads around.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Molly’s interview with Gil: “Don’t look now, but Bitcoin is going mainstream,” from “Marketplace Tech”

The 2013 article referencing Gil’s first note about Bitcoin: “Bitcoin Could Be Worth 10-100x Current Price – Analyst,” from StreetInsider.com

“SPAC Boom Faces New SEC Threat With Accounting Crackdown” from Bloomberg

“Darius, ‘World’s Longest Rabbit,’ Is Missing” from The New York Times

Over the past pandemic year, small, rural towns across the U.S. have been inundated with remote workers seeking beautiful landscapes and bigger houses. So common is the trend, the towns in question are being referred to as “Zoom towns.” On today’s show, we visit what may well be the Zoom town capital of California. Plus, why inflation numbers are gonna be wonky for a while, what’s behind the recent surge in retail investors and what happened to America’s public toilets.

We start with news on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine: Federal health officials want a temporarily pause on giving it out. Plus, a former employee of the online retailer Wayfair sued the company, claiming he was fired because he needed to care for his kids during the pandemic. More cases like this are on the way, corporate lawyers say. Also, the latest reading of consumer prices shows they’re up, but let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture. And, White House data on how it thinks each state would benefit from the American Jobs Plan infrastructure proposal.

From the BBC World Service: European producers have complained that cheaper Chinese metal imports were putting them out of business. Could these provisional tariffs spark a tit-for-tat trade spat? Plus, we explore how Brexit may be fueling more conflict in Northern Ireland and how the U.S. could look to help ease tensions.

Economists say there’s nothing inherently wrong with the federal government spending more than it has, given its borrowing power and this pandemic emergency. But we do watch the size of the deficit. Plus, what to expect from big banks reporting their latest quarterly results this week. And, if you’re on the hunt for a new bike this spring, expect to pay more.

Cryptocurrency is still kind of niche and a little confusing. The fact that it’s so beloved by eccentric tech billionaires doesn’t make it seem totally normal. But despite being developed as a decentralized alternative to government-created currencies, cryptocurrency is getting increasingly legit. The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is going public Wednesday on the Nasdaq. PayPal is now allowing users to pay merchants with cryptocurrency. Visa will accept one type for payments. You can now use crypto to buy a Tesla or to send money on Signal. Molly Wood speaks with Gil Luria, the director of research at D.A. Davidson, who says even though cryptocurrency is a purely digital invented asset, it’s as real as it needs to be right now.

We’re going to get the latest year-over-year inflation data early tomorrow morning. It will, in all likelihood, be followed by some misleading headlines — remember what was happening a year ago? Today, we’ll tell you what to keep an eye on. Plus: Kai and Molly talk about Alibaba, fire season, Mars and rhinos to round out this catch-up, grab-bag episode.

Here’s what we talked about today:

• “Ant Group Announces Overhaul as China Tightens Its Grip” from The New York Times
• “Jack Ma’s Ant Group Bows to Beijing With Company Overhaul” from The Wall Street Journal
• “‘This has never happened’: California’s only wildfire research center makes scary discovery” from SF Gate
• “As Biden works to fix chips shortage, Intel promises help for hurting automakers” from Reuters
• “Nepal’s Rhino Population Grows, Likely Boosted by Covid-19 Closures” from The Wall Street Journal
• “NASA’s Mars helicopter gets ready to make history” from National Geographic

Finally: We need your voice memos! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood to answer! Here’s how to do it.

It’s been a tough year for small businesses, as many were forced to alter business models and implement extreme safety precautions for employees and customers alike. While most businesses reported declines in revenue and employment, Asian-owned businesses in the U.S. were among the hardest hit. Now, with violence against Asian Americans on the rise, there’s an added economic and emotional toll. On today’s show, we hear from one business owner in Oakland, California, about her experience. Plus, the pushback against vaccine passports is growing, New York created a fund for undocumented workers, and why corporations are betting on “livestreamed shopping” to continue post-pandemic.

Nearly 100 CEOs and experts met on a videoconference over the weekend to discuss taking action over states and politicians that restrict voting access. Plus, prioritizing Latinx farmworkers for vaccines.

The IRS says $1.3 billion in tax refunds is unclaimed — from 2017. Plus, President Biden is set to meet with more than a dozen chief executives from automakers and technology companies over the global chip shortage. And, Toms Shoes is changing its business model, moving away from donating footwear and instead focusing on giving away profits.