Real estate accounts for 18% GDP and each home sale generates two jobs. It’s a top priority for state officials and business leaders across the country to build stable communities. In Minnesota, efforts to address inequity that keeps people locked out of the property market are well-advanced. Lee sits down to interview those directly involved.

This special episode comes from “Unlocking the Gates,” a new collaboration from Marketplace and APM Studios.

Racial covenants along with violence, hostility and coercion played an outsized role in keeping non-white families out of sought-after suburbs. Lee learns how these practices became national policy after endorsement by the state’s wealthy business owners and powerful politicians.

This special episode comes from “Unlocking the Gates,” a new collaboration from Marketplace and APM Studios.

Host Lee Hawkins investigates how a secret nighttime business deal unlocked the gates of a Minnesota suburb for dozens of Black families seeking better housing, schools, and safer neighborhoods. His own family included.

This special episode comes from “Unlocking the Gates,” a new collaboration from Marketplace and APM Studios.

Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to rehire fired federal workers who were on probation. The judges say the White House didn’t have the authority to execute mass layoffs and didn’t follow the law. And later: from our special series “Unlocking The Gates,” Marketplace special correspondent Lee Hawkins explores the lasting impact of housing discrimination in Minnesota, where racial covenants were first devised.

If you want to know how investors feel, check out the stock market. If you want to know how the rest of America feels — particularly low-income Americans — look to Dollar General. Its CEO said this week that its “core customers,” people who earn under $40,000 per year, are struggling. Also: “I’ve met fighter pilots, and I think you have a cooler job.” A vintage race car mechanic reflects on his work.

From the BBC World Service: Apple is appealing against a U.K. government demand to access its encrypted customer data, the outcome of which could shape the future of data protection. Then, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened a 200% tariff on alcohol from EU countries. And we’ll hear from the co-founder of Roblox, one of the world’s biggest gaming platforms with ambitions to become the future of communication.

Miami Beach has long been a famous (or infamous) destination for spring break revelers. But the city is starting to be over it; past spring breaks have devolved into stampedes, stabbings and even fatal shootings. Now, the city has drawn up rules to keep tourists and residents safe — but some locals wonder how that could affect businesses that rely on spring breakers. Also: less environmental regulation and rising corporate bond yields.

Federal agencies have until today to submit reorganization plans to the Office of Management and Budget. Those plans include layoffs, and the Social Security Administration is not immune. The agency is slated to reduce its staff by 7,000 employees, and many are worried about the problems that could result. Then, a wide-ranging antitrust probe into Microsoft is moving ahead, and students are suing the feds after staff cuts at federally-run tribal colleges.