Author: Marketplace

It’s Day 28 of the government shutdown, and lawmakers still aren’t budging on the budget. But Congress faces key deadlines this week: Funds for assistance programs like SNAP could run out, and Americans may see their healthcare premiums skyrocket as open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans begins Nov. 1. On today’s show, Kimberly unpacks what’s at stake with CQ Roll Call reporter Aris Folley. Plus, we’ll answer some of your questions along the way.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• ”6 ways the shutdown is about to get worse” from Politico
• ”Largest federal workers union calls for an end to the shutdown, putting pressure on Democrats” from NBC
• ”Government shutdown continues to add to stress on air traffic controllers and disrupt flights” from AP News
• ”As Shutdown Drags and Trump Flexes, Congress Cedes Its Relevance” from the New York Times

We want to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

More than half of homeowners say their insurance premiums went up in the last year, according to Consumer Reports. The biggest culprits? Inflation, construction costs, and extreme weather. In response, Consumer Reports has drawn up what it calls a "Homeowners Insurance Bill of Rights," which it hopes will be adopted by states around the country. Today, we'll hear more. But first, Elon Musk has released an artificial intelligence-powered rival to Wikipedia.

The Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee starts a two-day meeting on interest rates today. Most of the government data the Fed usually considers when voting on rates isn’t available because of the shutdown. We did get a tardy consumer price index report last Friday, though, and the Fed also produces some data itself. But can that paint a clear enough economic picture? Also: why workplace insurance premiums are likely to climb.

From the BBC World Service: During the financial crisis of 2008, the crimes of Bernie Madoff came to light. The ripple effects of his Ponzi scheme — one of the biggest frauds in Wall Street's history — are still being felt today. Now, banking giant HSBC has put aside over $1 billion for litigation related to Madoff. And later, we'll learn more about India's hard-hit carpet industry and a sports betting scandal in Turkey.

It’s Halloween, and Bridget and Ryan are trying to answer a question about the national debt while preparing for their town’s giant Halloween extravaganza. The town has taken on debt to make things extra spooky this year and things are starting to get a little out of control! Can Bridget and Ryan help the town navigate their monster debt?

(Grownups: This is episode does contain monsters but no jump scares! You know your kid listeners best, so exercise caution if Halloween is more tricky than treat for them!)

If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s question, check out our website. We’ve got conversation starters and a tip sheet!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

In his new book, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales writes ”in the early years of the internet, we were right to be bullish about people and the technology. Our capacity for social connection, community and cooperation can deliver amazing things. But the very same human nature can deliver atrocities.”

Wales’s says he wrote this book to help combat a crisis of trust in society that is leading to the rise of authoritarianism. Marketplace’s Nova Safo asked him about the main lessons he learned from building Wikipedia into a highly-relied-upon source of information.

The shutdown has delayed October's durable goods report. But fear not! Michigan-based appliance manufacturer Whirlpool reported earnings today, and they were pretty tepid. What does that tell us about Trump's tariffs, or the housing market? In this episode, corporate earnings act as a stand-in for missing federal data. Plus: There are winners and losers during a period of high beef prices, small business owners scrutinize their staffing strategies, and regional banks consolidate to compete with fintech.

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The federal shutdown is already having intense effects on unpaid federal workers. But we could be approaching a tipping point. In a memo, the USDA says about 42 million people will not get their SNAP benefits, starting Saturday. We'll hear more. Also, even if we don't get an inflation report, consumers are still pinched by rising prices. And, will Canada's transportation systems be ready for the FIFA World Cup next year?

Hey Smarties! Today we’re sharing another episode from the latest season of “How We Survive,” Marketplace’s climate solutions podcast. Host Amy Scott and the “How We Survive” crew continue their exploration into the future of climate-conscious food with a look at the cutting edge of meat alternatives. Plus, Francis Lam, host of “The Splendid Table,” joins Amy to put cell cultivated meat to the test and shares some tips for cooking climate-friendly proteins.

Price increases are price increases, and consumers will bemoan inflation no matter the cause, right? Maybe not so much. Research shows that consumers tend to view inflation brought on by tariffs in a different light. Today, University of Chicago economist Alex Imas joins the program and uses behavioral economics to help make sense of it. But first, Louisiana will be building the first “rare earths separation facility” in the U.S.