Category: News

The political pressure on TikTok continues to ratchet up. This week Biden administration officials are throwing their support behind legislation that would essentially give an ultimatum to TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance. Sell TikTok to another owner not controlled by a "foreign adversary" or be banned from US app stores.

It's a big step towards an outcome that some high-ranking U.S. officials have desired for years. But why is there so much concern about TikTok, and just how likely is a ban?

Today, a couple of TikTok creators talk about what a ban would mean for them, and NPR tech correspondent Bobby Allyn explains how we got where we are and what could be coming next.

Related episodes:
Is Project Texas enough to save TikTok? (Apple / Spotify)

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The majority of European members of NATO are not spending as much on defense as they agreed to. But that may change as the European Union considers a move to a "war economy." Today, we examine what that means and what barriers to a "war economy" look like.

Related episodes:
The Military Industry ... It's Complex
Are we overpaying for military equipment? (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war? (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
How to transform a war economy for peacetime (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)

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It's Indicators of the Week, our up close and personal examination of economic headlines. Today we have three indicators from President Joe Biden's economic agenda. His budget proposals include fixes for childcare, home buying and hiking corporate taxes.

Related episodes:
Shopping for parental benefits around the world (Apple / Spotify)
When mortgages are too low to give up (Apple / Spotify)
Paying for the Inflation Reduction Act
'Dune: Part Two' is a grand spice opera

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HOOAH! It's our first Beigie Award for 2024! The Beigie Award is back to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. This edition's winner took us to the City of Brotherly Love, detailing how high home interest rates and low existing home sales in the area are financially affecting our buff brethren in arms: movers.

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Cyberattacks are plaguing the healthcare industry. It's an expensive and dangerous trend that's on the rise. Today, we consider why hacking is surging right now, why healthcare companies are being targeted and what hackers want from them.

Related episodes:
Cracking the code on cyber insurance
One hack to fool them all (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
How to launder $600 million on the internet (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)

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The introduction of brand new spot bitcoin ETFs has put bitcoin on a bit of a hot streak. Just this week, the price of bitcoin reached a record high of about $72,000 which is about 70% higher than it was a couple of months ago. So why exactly have these ETFs changed the perception around bitcoin so quickly?

Today on the show, we talk with a Bitcoin believer and a skeptic to understand what exactly all the fuss is about for these bitcoin ETFs.

Related episodes:
WTF is a bitcoin ETF? (Apple / Spotify)

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There's been a disconnect between how the US economy is doing and how people actually feel about it. Maybe people are still burnt from when inflation was high, maybe it's the expensive cost of borrowing for a car or a mortgage, or maybe it's ... wait, are WE the problem?! Today we look in the mirror and find out if financial media contributes to negative economic sentiment.

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The job that's projected to be the fastest-growing in the U.S. is wind turbine service technician. So we wanted to learn what they actually do. Today on the show, reporter Darian Woods travels to a windy corner of Maine for a day in the life of one of these green-collar jobs.

Related episodes:
Why offshore wind is facing headwinds (Apple / Spotify)
A Man, a plan, wind power, Uruguay (Apple / Spotify)

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Ukraine desperately needs money. And there's a tempting solution sitting in a Belgian financial institution: nearly $200 billion in frozen Russian assets. In today's episode, we learn about this unique depository where most of the Russian assets are stored and two proposals to get some of this money to Ukraine.

Related episodes:
The cost of a dollar in Ukraine (Apple / Spotify)
Russia's sanctions, graded (Apple)
Why Israel uses diaspora bonds (Apple / Spotify)
Economic warfare vs. Fortress Russia

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The rising cost of living and longer life expectancy is making it harder for Americans to retire comfortably. Millions of Americans are behind on saving for retirement and face the possibility of working in their old age.

Economist Teresa Ghilarducci says she has a plan that could fix retirement in America. In her book, "Work, Retire, Repeat: The Uncertainty of Retirement in the New Economy," she proposes a few policies that she believes can help Americans currently struggling to retire. Today on the show, we talk to her about her ideas and why the current status quo is more serious than we think.

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