The pilot program chose people on the city's long waitlist for housing vouchers to test how much direct cash payments can help. HUD, the federal housing agency, is interested in the possibility.
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.
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.
The Savannah College of Art and Design’s (SCAD) economic impact on Georgia has reached an all-time high, according to a study conducted by Tripp Umbach, a national consulting firm for not-for-profit, arts, and tourism sectors.
When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that rum must be sent to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's an unusual system that Congress designed decades ago to help fund these two U.S. territories. In 2021 alone, these rum tax payments added up to more than $700 million.
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands split the money according to how much rum each territory produces. And the territories produce a lot of it — especially Puerto Rico, which single handedly supplies the majority of the rum that Americans drink.
But in 2008, the U.S. Virgin Islands pulled off a coup. It convinced one of the largest rum brands in the world, Captain Morgan, to abandon Puerto Rico and to shift its operations to the tiny island of St. Croix.
This was the beginning of the Rum Wars.
On today's show, the story of how a scheme designed to help Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands turned them into bitter rivals. And how it ended up putting hundreds of millions of dollars a year — U.S. taxpayer dollars — into the pockets of big liquor companies instead.
This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo and Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Molly Messick, engineered by Cena Loffredo, and fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
The National Association of Realtors has reached a national settlement that could change the way real estate agents are paid. Critics say the current system keeps commissions artificially high.
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.
The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It's showing signs of boom and bust seemingly all at once.
The story of wind energy markets in two acts today. First, the Gulf of Mexico saw its first-ever auction of leases for offshore wind this summer. It was another sign of the Biden administration's desire to get more renewable energy online as fast as possible. Expectations were high, but results did not deliver. Two of the three patches of sea didn't get any bids at all. Hidden in the flop for this auction are some keys to what it takes to spark a whole new market, quickly.
Then, the booming side of wind power: the job that's projected to be the fastest-growing in the U.S. is wind turbine service technician. Is it a "good" job? Reporter Darian Woods suits up to see a green-collar job above the clouds for himself.
Today's episode is adapted from episodes for Planet Money's daily show, The Indicator. Subscribe here.
The original Indicator episodes were produced by Cooper Katz McKim and Julia Ritchey with engineering by Valentina Rodriguez Sanchez and James Willetts. They were fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and edited by Dave Blanchard and Kate Concannon.
Here's one sign that shrinkflation is no longer just a topic for economics nerds.
Cookie Monster recently complained on social media that his favorite food was getting smaller. "Me hate shrinkflation!" the fuzzy blue monster declared. "Guess me going to have to eat double da cookies!"
President Biden promised to sign a bill banning it during his State of the Union address.
Shrinkflation isn't new.
It's been happening for years. But people seem to be paying more attention right now amidst high food prices and inflation. And the White House is clearly aware of that.
After years of rising prices, many Americans are fed up with paying more and getting less. Will the pendulum ever swing back?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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.
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)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Flint, Mich., aims to be a model for wiping out deep poverty during a crucial time for child development. The new benefits start during pregnancy to encourage prenatal care.
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams announced on Tuesday that $207,645,161 in new federal funding has been secured for The Stitch project in downtown Atlanta and to connect the Atlanta BeltLine to the Fint River Trail.
The state’s top economic development official expressed disappointment Monday with electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian’s decision to delay building a new plant east of Atlanta but said the company remains committed to Georgia.
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.