Category: News

WeWork, DraftKings, Lucid Motors. These are a few companies that have taken an untraditional route to go public through something called SPACs or special purpose acquisition companies. The obscure investment vehicle took off during the pandemic, but has since fallen back to earth. Today, we consider the rise and fall of SPACs and how recent rule changes will affect these deals.

Related episodes:
The SPAC is back

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The U.S. launched the Paycheck Protection Program in April 2020 to save jobs and businesses from the worst effects of the pandemic. Today on the show, a post-mortem on the controversial program and whether it fulfilled its objective. Also, we hear from one company that voluntarily paid back its PPP loan — with interest — even though it could have qualified for forgiveness.

Related episodes:
Could cash payments ease recessions? (Apple / Spotify)
Small banks' corona crunch
The big small business rescue

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Although we have dodged the bullet for now, the threat of a recession is always a concern for policy makers. The question is: will we be prepared next time? In this episode, we consider an alternative approach to stabilizing the economy during a recession through automatic monthly cash payments. The hope: faster relief, a reduced racial wealth gap and predictable income. Can it work?

Related episodes:
The Sahm Rule with the eponymous economist

Hear us out: We ban left turns and other big ideas (Apple / Spotify)

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The most recent jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the United States economy exceeded expectations by adding 353,000 jobs in January. This continues the labor market's years-long trend of resilience in the face of the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes. However, digging deeper into the numbers reveals figures that economists are keeping a close eye on.

Today, we explain why it's not necessarily ideal for local government jobs to lift up a booming labor market.

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It's no secret — your phone knows where you are, and if that data exists, someone else might have it. Back in 2022, we covered the murky market for smartphone location data. Now, the Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on this multi-billion dollar industry. In today's episode, we explain why the agency is trying to ban a data broker from selling information tied to sensitive places like medical facilities.

Related episodes:
Ad targeting gets into your medical file (Apple / Spotify)

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In the 1980s, California was the heart of the aerospace industry. But when the Cold War ended, military spending cuts put those defense jobs in jeopardy.

This week, we're bringing you a three-part series on the defense industry. In this episode: how the state redirected some of those defense dollars to another economic opportunity provides an example of how the "peace dividend" can be used effectively.

Related episodes:
Are we overpaying for military equipment? (Apple / Spotify)

Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war? (Apple / Spotify)

Industrial policy, the debate! (Apple / Spotify)

Giant vacuums and other government climate bets (Apple / Spotify)

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Just-in-time manufacturing began as a way to save space, remove costs and improve efficiency ... for Toyota. The U.S. defense industry has since incorporated this approach. Now, leaders in the defense industry question whether it's to blame for weapons and ammunition shortages.

This week, we're bringing you a three-part series on the defense industry. Today on the show, we look at how a just-in-time mindset filtered through the military contracting system, and we ask whether bare-bones manufacturing styles are leaving the U.S. in a bind.

Related Episodes
Are we overpaying for military equipment? (Apple / Spotify)

How to transform a war economy from peacetime (Apple / Spotify)

Toyota Camry, supply-chain hero

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If the proposed defense budget is passed, it will account for roughly 3.5 % of U.S. GDP. The military buys everything from pens and paper clips to fighter jets and submarines. But the market for military equipment is very different from the commercial market. And sometimes the system results in the Pentagon, and taxpayers, overpaying. This week, we're bringing you a three-part series on the defense industry.

Today, we unpack how defense costs are getting so high and why it's happening.

Related:
Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war? (Apple / Spotify)

How to transform a war economy from peacetime (Apple / Spotify)

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It's Indicators of the Week, that time each Friday when we look at the most fascinating numbers from the news. Today, we explain the different directions of the Chinese and American economies ... and how a burrito can be a bellwether.

Related Episodes:

Young, "spoiled and miserable" in China (Apple / Spotify)
The mess at the heart of China's economy (Apple / Spotify)
China's Big Tech Crackdown

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From salsas to barbecue sauces to refrigerated beverages, small artisanal brands are infiltrating grocery shelves everywhere. How did this happen? Today on the show, we team up with Dan Pashman of The Sporkful food podcast to follow the rise of niche soda maker Olipop, and share the hidden incentives that have grocers making shelf space for these products.

Listen to The Sporkful on Apple or Spotify.

Related episodes:
Grocery delivery wars
How grocery shelves get stacked

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