Marketplace All-in-One

The attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are suing Meta for $1.4 trillion, claiming the social media giant designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users.

The case is heading to court in Oakland, California, next month. It follows a landmark verdict earlier this year: A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for mental health harms to a young woman who said she'd become addicted to the platforms starting at nine years old.

And there are a slew of similar cases coming down the pike. To help break this down we're joined by Gaia Bernstein, law professor at Seton Hall Univerisity and author of the book "Unwired: Gaining Control over Addictive Technologies."

Have you ever daydreamed about leaving your office job, moving to the countryside, and living off the land? In 2008, Laura Griggs and her husband did just that: they moved to a small farm in rural Missouri and raised their family there for nearly a decade. Reema talks with Laura about the real cost of homesteading, and why she ultimately had to leave it behind.

And later in the episode, we’ve got another edition of Alice Gets Her Life Together, where producer Alice Wilder shuts down a high-interest credit card and learns why it’s so easy to get into debt.

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Though the latest inflation reports show price growth cooled a bit in June, U.S. inflation remains higher than its peer nations, which include the U.K., Canada, France, and Japan. President Trump’s tariffs are partially to blame. But so is hefty capital expenditure by AI giants. Can anything counterbalance all that spending? After that: Kai explains the utility of Beige Book “soft” data, IBM posts mediocre earnings, farmers fret over fertilizer prices, and student borrowers weather five years of policy whiplash.

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Marketplace 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.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

Why is inflation in the U.S. worse than other developed countries?
IBM and other old-school tech companies feel the AI pinch
Fertilizer costs worry farmers as Iran conflict continues
Student loan policy changes give borrowers whiplash
For these entrepreneurs, it's all in the details

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.

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.

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.

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 episode:

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