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China aims sanctions at the U.S.; Senate report finds carmakers used parts from a banned supplier; Target cuts prices; Red Lobster files for bankruptcy.

The popular Red Lobster restaurant seafood chain has officially filed for bankruptcy protection. The eatery has struggled with high labor costs, expensive leases and a popular promotion that ate into profits. Today, we’ll trace back Red Lobster’s struggles. Then, the final results of major New York auction house sales show the art world is struggling to overcome a recession. And later: What’s it like living in a multigenerational residential community?

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The Chinese government is putting sanctions on three U.S. defense companies. The move came as Taiwan swore in its new president, who called on China to stop trying to intimidate the country, and includes the latest economic restrictions between the U.S. and China as both countries move to protect domestic industries. Plus, health care providers continue to reel from a February cyberattack, and analysts worry about the adverse effects of Google’s AI-powered search results.

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From the BBC World Service: Taiwan’s new leader, William Lai, has called for China to stop threatening the island, with tensions between the two keenly watched from abroad. But the economy remains a major issue for Taiwan residents. We’ll hear more. Also on the program: Brazil counts the costs of major, devastating flooding activity. Then, people in the Italian city of Latina talk about the impact of inflation and immigration.

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If you drive 45 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, you’ll come across a facility packed with thousands of computers trying to “mine” the next bitcoin. The popular cryptocurrency’s value recently shot past $60,000 per bitcoin. Mining those bitcoins is a lucrative operation, and several crypto mining outfits have moved to the state since the passage of the Arkansas Data Centers Act last year, also known as the “right-to-mine” bill. Similar bills giving crypto mining operations protections from local regulations have popped up a couple of states. But it turns out residents don’t particularly welcome many of these operations. And Arkansas recently changed course and restored to municipalities the ability to regulate crypto miners. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali recently spoke with Gabriel Dance, senior deputy investigations editor at The New York Times, about the crypto mining situation in Arkansas. He explained what the biggest complaints have been since these mining operations moved in.

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Prices have been rising for pretty much everything these days. And for some, it’s raising the cost of making friends as more folks turn to paid activities like art classes and happy hours to socialize. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll explain the latest scandal that’s left the Supreme Court in a bind. Plus, we’ll weigh in on Chuck E. Cheese animatronics and bridesmaid debt during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!



Here’s everything we talked about today:












“Supreme Court Justice Alito’s House Displayed a ‘Stop the Steal’ Flag After Jan. 6” from The New York Times


“Want to Make a New Friend? How Much Money Have You Got?” from The Wall Street Journal


“Watching the NFL This Season? You’ll Need at Least 5 Streaming Services” from How-To Geek


“Chuck E. Cheese saying goodbye to animatronic band” from CBS News


“The Bridesmaids Going Into Debt for Their Friends’ Weddings” from The Cut


“Mindy Kaling Shares Her Simple but Important Advice for The Office Spinoff’s New Cast: ‘I Was Not Professional'” from People


“The days of free refills may be over” from Marketplace


“It was a classic rap beef. Then Drake revived Tupac with AI and Congress got involved” from NPR













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