Marketplace All-in-One

Five years ago, Winter Storm Uri took out the lights across the Lone Star State. Hundreds of people died, millions of Texans were left without heat, and it cost the state billions. What’s changed since then? Plus, new payroll numbers are higher than expected, and unemployment is slightly down, but revisions to last year’s totals complicate the story. And later, we check out what one of the country’s most environmentally friendly homes looks like 18 years later.

The U.S. is facing a housing affordability crisis — one that's been exacerbated by natural disasters like Hurricane Helene in 2024 and last year in California, when fires destroyed 12,000 homes. This morning, "Marketplace Morning Report" host David Brancaccio checks in with two people who are rebuilding differently to ensure the safety and comfort of their new abodes. Also on the show: a look at January's job market and votes to repeal President Donald Trump's import taxes.

From the BBC World Service: Cuba's tourism industry suffered a major blow after dozens of flights were cancelled because of a lack of aviation fuel; Air Canada, which flies many tourists to the Caribbean island, suspended flights because of the shortages. Plus, British department store Harrods said more than 180 survivors of abuse by the store's former owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed, are currently engaged in its compensation scheme. And later, could 2026 be the year high-powered electric motorcycles go mainstream?

NASA’s Artemis II mission, which will send humans around the moon for the first time in over five decades, could launch as early as March. This is part of a larger campaign to establish a long-term presence on the moon and eventually prepare for human space flight to Mars.

Meanwhile, China also has a goal of landing humans on the moon by 2030, setting up a kind of modern space race. One reason for the rush: It's like a game of finders keepers, said Saadia Pekkanen, a professor focused on space law and policy at the University of Washington.

New data show retail sales were flat in December, despite high expectations for the holiday season. So did shoppers spend less? Or did they just frontload that gift spending in November? Also in this episode: AI tools propel widespread online shopping scams, a Colorado utility company shuts off power to prevent wildfires, and what’s next for crypto after last week’s freefall.

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