CoinDesk’s Chief Content Officer Michael Casey and Head of Research Noelle Acheson join for a lively debate about the new $2 trillion stimulus package and era of “unlimited” QE, including:
Whether (and on what time scale) fiscal and monetary stimulus might lead to inflation
Whether the Fed buying corporate bonds amounts to a nationalization of the bond markets
Why the appearance of a ‘digital dollar’ in an earlier stimulus proposal was a huge surprise
How a digital dollar in the form proposed would upset the balance of power between the Fed, commercial banks, and citizens
Why trust in governments and financial institutions is likely to achieve new lows in the wake of COVID-19
Why people are reevaluating the meaning and purpose of money
We?ve dedicated this special episode to the numbers surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic. Statistical national treasure Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter put the risks of Covid-19 into perspective. We ask whether young people are safe from serious illness, or if statistics from hospitalisations in the US show a high proportion of patients are under 50. We try to understand what the ever-tightening restrictions on businesses and movement mean for the UK?s economy, and we take a look at the mystery of coronavirus numbers in Iran.
As American lawmakers reach a deal on the country’s largest-ever rescue package, we examine how planners are balancing the health of their citizens and that of their economies. China’s lockdown came in the midst of the spring planting season; what can other countries learn about how to keep food flowing? And the increasingly perilous lives of crocodile hunters in the Congo River basin. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer
Encore episode: Pioneering ecologist Nalini Nadkarni takes us up into the canopy — the area above the forest floor — where she helped research and document this unexplored ecosystem. Plus: the story of her decades-long effort to get more women into science, and how she found a surprising ally in the fight — Barbie. Video and more from Maddie's trip to the canopy is here. Follow Maddie on Twitter @maddie_sofia. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
Choosing to homeschool your child is a big decision, but many Americans just had the choice made for them. Schools all over the country are closing their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic - with some states like Virginia already announcing that schools will remain closed through the end of the academic year.
Leigh Bortins is the founder of Classical Conversations, a homeschool curriculum focused on classical education. Bortins joins The Daily Signal podcast to offer practical advice and resources to parents who suddenly find themselves overseeing their child’s education.
We also discuss:
President Trump wants to ‘reopen’ the economy by Easter despite rapid coronavirus spread.
Vice President Pence says the White House is not considering a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
The International Olympic Committee and Japan have both agreed to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
