May 31, 2017

05/31/2017: Another Uber executive is out

QUIQUE GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images

Uber has just let go of one of its top engineers, Anthony Levandowski. He's at the center of a high-stakes legal battle between the company and Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous car company. We'll recap the controversy surrounding his hire and discuss what it could mean for the future of Uber's self-driving initiative. Afterwards, we'll hear from Marc Morial — the CEO of the National Urban League and a former mayor of New Orleans — about why America's economic progress isn't where it should be. And finally, we'll examine a new report that shows U.S. tourism is down — a decline that countries like Canada are trying to take advantage of.

Segments From this episode

Two US standards for fuel efficiency: California and everyone else

by Andy Uhler

May 31, 2017

California is at the forefront of pollution control and other states have signed onto its standards in anticipation of stricter federal rules. But one of President Trump’s first executive orders mandated a review of national fuel economy standards.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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U.S. foreign tourism loss may be Canada’s gain

by Ryan Kailath

May 31, 2017

International visitors spent nearly $250 billion in the U.S. last year, according to federal data. Now, a report shows that foreign tourism is down 16 percent from a year ago. That’s from the location intelligence company Foursquare. Major destinations like New York and Los Angeles have separately reported their own declines. Canada and other countries […]

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Our economy isn't where it should be, former New Orleans mayor says

by David Brancaccio

May 31, 2017

Marc Morial, the president of National Urban League, says the U.S. needs to improve on home ownership and income inequality.

Maceo Grigsby, a homeless man, sits by a waterfront in San Francisco, California.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Which states spend more on high-poverty schools? The Urban Institute takes a look

by Amy Scott

May 31, 2017

Education policy experts generally agree that it costs more to teach kids living in poverty. They come into school at a disadvantage, often need support services and it’s harder to attract good teachers to high-poverty schools. The Urban Institute is out with new data Wednesday looking at which states spend more money on those schools. […]

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Uber fires star engineer at heart of self-driving legal battle

by Reema Khrais

May 31, 2017

A top and very expensive engineer at Uber is out. The company has fired the engineer at the center of a high-stakes legal battle with Waymo, the self-driving venture of Alphabet’s Google. Earlier this year, Anthony Levandowski was accused of stealing trade secrets from his former job at Google. After he refused to hand over evidence, […]

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Mid-day Update

05/31/2017: Goldman Sachs' $2.8 billion bond deal with Venezuela

by David Brancaccio

May 31, 2017

It's California vs. Trump when it comes to fuel efficiency standards. The president has called for a review of them, but the state wants to stick to the tough requirements it has. On today's show, we'll talk about what this conflict means for U.S. auto companies. Afterwards, we'll discuss what a series of upcoming elections in the U.K., Germany and possibly Italy mean for the financial markets. Plus: A look at how opponents of Venezuela's government are putting pressure on Wall Street to stop giving the regime financial support.

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Uber has just let go of one of its top engineers, Anthony Levandowski. He’s at the center of a high-stakes legal battle between the company and Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous car company. We’ll recap the controversy surrounding his hire and discuss what it could mean for the future of Uber’s self-driving initiative. Afterwards, we’ll hear from Marc Morial — the CEO of the National Urban League and a former mayor of New Orleans — about why America’s economic progress isn’t where it should be. And finally, we’ll examine a new report that shows U.S. tourism is down — a decline that countries like Canada are trying to take advantage of.