Marketplace All-in-One

Many communities across the country voted last week to ban or limit data center development. Elsewhere, people have to rely on local elected officials to make data center decisions for them, and in many places — like Bessemer, Alabama — they’re not happy with those decisions. There, a mayor’s been ousted, a swath of local forest has been cleared, and dozens of people are debating whether to move. Also on the show: hotter-than-expected inflation and a look at debts in collections.

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Stories from this podcast:

Alabama residents weigh fighting or fleeing new data center

Back in the early 2000s, foreign investors owned the majority of the debt issued by the U.S. government. Since then, the market for U.S. debt has shifted toward domestic investors. Now, foreign investors own just a quarter of all U.S. debt. That shift can have consequences for interest rates during periods of turmoil. We dig in. Also, communities across the country have been banding together to fight data center projects, but many local governments approve them anyway.

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 in this podcast:

Alabama residents weigh fighting or fleeing new data center
One factor pushing interest rates higher? Growing domestic ownership of U.S. debt

The message that Americans have no love for AI data centers rang out loud and clear in the midterms, with dozens of jurisdictions voting to stop their construction and electing governors who oppose them.

Where they are still allowed, it's likely we'll see some concessions from data center developers — like community benefit agreements. These agreements have been used for decades for big building projects like transit or sports arenas.

Late last year, the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, signed one of the first major CBAs with data center developers.

Devashree Saha, director of the U.S. Clean Energy Economy Program at the World Resources Institute, explains how the agreement came together and where it might fall short.

More on this

After the midterms, a bigger clash over data centers could be coming — from Tech Crunch

OpenAI pledges no NDAs, protection from power costs in data center deals — from Seeking Alpha

Powering Progress: How Community Benefits Agreements Can Drive Responsible Data Center Development — from the World Resources Institute

It’s a common trope in Big Tech: an iconic CEO, interchangable with the brand itself. Jobs and Apple, Zuckerberg and Meta, Altman and OpenAI. Nvidia is no exception — its leather jacket-clad CEO Jensen Huang has superstar status among Silicon Valley elites. So what happens when that image is shattered? In this episode, celebrity CEOs come with steep consequences for a business and its investors. Plus: Mortgage rates decline modestly in the wake of the midterms and young consumers give new meaning to “Made in China” labels.

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

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:

Charismatic CEOs can be a huge asset — until they’re not
Mortgage rates are down sharply since mid-October
Rising costs pushed this candy company owner to sell
"Made in China" doesn't mean what it used to
Disability made her leave her job, but a business opportunity waited on the other side

The cost of living was a major issue for voters in the midterms, and this week, the Labor Department is set to release the October consumer price index. Economists are predicting a cooler CPI report after two months of hot inflation. This morning, we have a preview. Plus, we learn about warnings of cyberattacks on commercial refrigeration systems and hear from a sailing enthusiast who opted to retire early.

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 from this podcast:

Hackers are targeting commercial refrigeration systems. Why are they internet-connected at all?