Marketplace All-in-One

Tomorrow is the Preakness Stakes, the second event in the Triple Crown. Betting on horse racing in the U.S. has declined by more than 50% over the last few decades. And while you might think platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket would see opportunity in horse racing bets, they haven't made inroads. Why don’t prediction markets have a horse on that race? We explain. And later, we'll do the numbers on defense lobbying.

"LNG is the next growth story of the next decade," says Kent Britton, CEO of the Port of Corpus Christi. Liquefied natural gas exports are expected to grow 30% in the U.S. in the next year and a half. That growth is driven mostly by new and expanding LNG export projects along the Gulf Coast. What does it mean for the global energy market and coastal economies? But first: inflation, imports, and U.S.-China trade deals.

This week, WhatsApp is offering private chats with its AI. Plus, Princeton will now hold supervised exams after a rise in AI-fueled cheating.

But first, Google’s self-driving car division Waymo opted to do a voluntary recall of 3,800 of its robotaxis. This comes after a Waymo drove into a flooded road in San Antonio, Texas. The car was empty and no one was hurt, but Waymo is now updating its software to address how its cars deal with flooded roads.

Will Oremus at The Atlantic joins Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes for these stories.

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President Trump arrived for trade talks in China this week with a gaggle of corporate CEOs in tow. One expert tells us Trump’s body language, tone, and the C-suite entourage all hint Chinese President Xi has the upper hand in any negotiations. In this episode, what we expect the two world leaders to discuss. Plus: Consumers and retailers show signs of caution, the EU rethinks fiber optic cable routes in conflict zones, and traditional TV comapnies try out AI-driven ad programming.

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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.

Recent controversy surrounding the rock band Geese and a digital marketing firm Chaotic Good Projects has sparked debate over the tactics firms use to drum up hype for artists online. How can we tell if online hype is real or fake? And does it really matter? Trapital founder Dan Runcie joins Kimberly to break it down. Plus, a final thank you from Kimberly.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Geese psyop debate: Rock band raises questions about music marketing" from Fast Company
"Fake Fans" from Eliza McLamb
"The Fanfare Around the Band Geese Actually Was a Psyop" from Wired
"If Geese are a psy-op, so is everything else" from Dazed
"Are Chaotic Good’s marketing practices bad for listeners?" From CBC Arts

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