Marketplace Morning Report

Today, “Marketplace Morning Report” host Kimberly Adams talks with Marketplace’s Henry Epp about his reporting on the tournament. High ticket prices are making it an expensive endeavor for fans, and those in host cities — like Kansas City — aren’t seeing the boon they may have expected from increased economic activity. But first, Adams is joined by Marketplace’s Nova Safo to discuss Visa, which says it integrated its payments network into ChatGPT to allow autonomous agents to shop for you.

This morning, we’re taking a look at screwworms — little flies that’ll essentially eat an animal alive if untreated. When cases started spreading in Mexico in late 2024, the U.S. mostly banned the import of live animals. Now, Mexico is responding in kind, with the most visible impact being to the horse industry. Later in the show, “Marketplace Morning Report” host Kimberly Adams will unpack how, in Alabama, rural communities and healthcare systems are taking funding issues into their own hands.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the consumer price index for May this morning, with some bad news for consumers. Headline inflation soared over 4% for the first time in three years, driven in part by higher energy prices caused by the war in the Middle East. The question remains of how much higher oil prices will continue to seep into other areas of the economy. Also on today’s show is a look at how index fund providers could react to SpaceX’s upcoming IPO.

This week, “Marketplace Morning Report” host Kimberly Adams has been in Thomasville, Alabama as part of our series examining the economic challenges facing rural health care. This morning, we’ll look at how low wages in Alabama can mean low Medicare reimbursement rates — shaping how much doctors and nurses get paid, and how much money hospitals and clinics can make. But first, we’ll cover how solar power use in the U.S. is hitting new milestones amid energy price fluctuations.

We heard earlier about the closure of a hospital in Thomasville, Alabama, as part of our series chronicling the economic crisis that rural hospitals are facing. Now, “Marketplace Morning Report” host Kimberly Adams speaks with the director of Thomasville’s public library about the critical role the hospital played during a personal emergency and where community members turn now that it’s closed. But first, we’ll check on how small businesses feel about inflation and find out how SpaceX’s initial public offering could affect the rest of the market.