So now that we've covered a real hearing with brave whistleblowers that got NO attention, it's time to look at what happens over on the other side of the aisle.
1A - The Evolution Of The American Housing Crisis
Owning a house appears further and further out of reach for many people in the U.S. The problem is a national one. The median price for an American home is now just over $400,000. On average, houses cost five years of the median salary for someone working in the U.S. In some cities on the West Coast and in parts of Florida, that ratio is now eight years of salary to buy a home.
Rents have also gone up significantly. Since 2020, the nation’s average rent is 27 percent higher. Some cities have seen much bigger gains – Miami’s average rent is up 51 percent. Housing policy advocates point to one big cause: the U.S. has not built enough housing for a growing population. But “build more housing” is a complex problem, not a single policy fix.
Congress recently turned its attention to the problem of housing affordability. The Senate passed a bill with a basket of different policies, aiming to bring down the cost of housing and encourage more building.
What’s in the bill specifically? And how could those policies make a dent in the housing crisis? And how has the housing crisis evolved in the past few years?
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Rents have also gone up significantly. Since 2020, the nation’s average rent is 27 percent higher. Some cities have seen much bigger gains – Miami’s average rent is up 51 percent. Housing policy advocates point to one big cause: the U.S. has not built enough housing for a growing population. But “build more housing” is a complex problem, not a single policy fix.
Congress recently turned its attention to the problem of housing affordability. The Senate passed a bill with a basket of different policies, aiming to bring down the cost of housing and encourage more building.
What’s in the bill specifically? And how could those policies make a dent in the housing crisis? And how has the housing crisis evolved in the past few years?
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Global News Podcast - Trump’s peace plan still vague as war with Iran continues
Israel and Iran continue to strike each other after the US says plans for talks with Tehran remain "fluid". We also hear how President Trump's vague peace plan gives only temporary relief to unstable markets, and about life in Iran under constant bombardment. In other news, the United States pays a French energy company $1 billion not to build a wind farm. Danes go to the polls: will they re-elect their prime minister for a third term? The plight of some of Cuba's most vulnerable people under a US oil embargo. And, the BBC follows an illegal trade as valuable as cocaine - in baby eels.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Audio Poem of the Day - from Dante Études, Book One: We Will Endeavor
By Robert Duncan
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Marketplace All-in-One - The super PAC spending flooding the primaries
Primary season for the 2026 midterm elections is underway. And the money from super PACs is already flowing. But how well is it working? On today’s show, Kimberly talks with democratic strategist Tim Lim about how spending from outside groups is shaping this year’s races so far and why strategists are waiting on the outcome of an under-the-radar Supreme Court case that could loosen the rules on how parties can coordinate with candidates.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- "MAGA Inc.’s $300 Million War Chest Waits for Go-Ahead From Trump" from Bloomberg
- "Super PAC spending passes $200M, with some groups hiding their cause" from The Washington Post
- "Big-spending Democratic PACs see mixed results in Illinois" from Semafor
- "This Supreme Court decision could upend millions in political spending ahead of the midterms. Here’s how the parties are preparing." from Politico
- "Pivotal U.S. Supreme Court Case Could Further Reshape Federal Campaign Finance Law" from Bernstein Shur
Got a question about the Iran war and its impact on the global economy? Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.
WSJ Minute Briefing - Insurance Prices Soar for Ships in the Persian Gulf
Apollo shares fall after one of its private-credit funds caps redemptions. And FedEx is launching a new same-day delivery service. Anthony Bansie hosts.
Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter.
An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Newshour - Confusion about talks between Washington and Tehran
As confusion surrounds the prospect of talks between Washington and Tehran over a possible end to the war, could Iran's parliamentary speaker play a role? We learn more about that speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Also in the programme: The AI company Anthropic vs the Pentagon; and rescuing moon bears from captivity in Vietnam.
(Photo: A view of a residential building damaged by a strike, in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Tehran, March 23, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
Focus on Africa - Controversy regarding Nigeria’s Ozoro fertility festival
The Ozoro fertility festival, a long-standing tradition in Delta state, southern Nigeria, has come under scrutiny after several videos online appeared to show men chasing after and sexually harassing women. Local police told local news channels that no formal report of rape had been made in connection with the festival. Witnesses, gender activists and local residents say that women were warned not to go out during the festival, and that those found outside were deliberately targeted. This has raised concerns that sexual violence may have been organised or tolerated under the cover of tradition.
Also, we look at how the conflict in the Middle East is affecting the supply of fertiliser on the African continent. Oliver Kirui, a Research Fellow and Country Program Leader for Nigeria and Ghana at the International Food Policy Research Institute, highlights what this means for food security in Africa.
Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Keikantse Shumba, Chiamaka Dike and Daniel Dadzie Technical Producer: Mbarak Abdallah Senior Producer: Bella Twine Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla
The Commentary Magazine Podcast - Popping Crazy Pills
Today we conduct a brief review of the things that make us feel like we're taking crazy pills: The reactions to Trump deploying ICE to help assist with TSA logjams, Stanley McChrystal's interview on Iran, Mike Mullen's farcical recounting of the Bin Laden raid, the upcoming hagiographical Michael Jackson biopic, Claudine Gay's new teaching career, and Tucker Carlson's praise of Islamic culture and Sharia law.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Marketplace All-in-One - Investors, Treasury bonds, and war in the Middle East
The Treasury Department is holding several government bond auctions this week. Treasury auctions can tell us a lot about the interest rates investors are demanding to be paid, which in turn can tell us about what investors expect the economy to do in the future. We'll also learn about a ban on foreign-made consumer routers. Plus, from Marketplace's "This Is Uncomfortable," should I turn my hobby into a side hustle?