Mar 6, 2024

The Federal Reserve’s political independence matters

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Fed is an independent body, but that hasn’t stopped politicians from trying to influence it over the years.

Segments From this episode

How independent are Fed officials from the politicians who appoint them?

by Matt Levin

Mar 6, 2024

Biden has mostly shied away from publicly criticizing the Fed chair, while Trump tweeted about the Fed hundreds of times while in office.

It’s a mistake to think the Federal Reserve is completely immune from politics, says Sarah Binder at George Washington University. Above, Fed Chair Jerome Powell testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing.

Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

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Signs point to a labor market that's cooling, but not cold

by Mitchell Hartman

Mar 6, 2024

Private employers added 140,000 jobs in February and January’s job openings didn’t budge — though they were down from mid-2023.

In December and January, the economy added nearly 700,000 new jobs.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

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Macy's isn't facing a retail apocalypse. It's facing a shrinking middle class.

by Kristin Schwab

Mar 6, 2024

Department stores were created to serve an income group that's declining while the poorer and wealthier cohorts expand.

Macy's is one of the retailers that have downsized in recent years. Gap, Foot Locker and Bed Bath & Beyond have also struggled.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Junk bonds offer insight into the economy

by Sabri Ben-Achour

Mar 6, 2024

Right now, the junk bond market suggests the economy is fairly strong.

Junk bonds come from companies that have a higher debt, giving them a less than stellar credit rating.

David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

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Warm winter forces some businesses and events to get creative

by Henry Epp

Mar 6, 2024

Parts of the Upper Midwest and Northeast were especially warm from December through February. These are areas of the country that rely on snow and cold to attract tourists and their dollars to ski resorts, ice rinks and snowmobile trails.

Water sits on the surface of the Millennium Park ice rink during an unusually warm winter day in Chicago last month.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

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The IRS pilots its free tax-filing program

by Kai Ryssdal , Aleezeh Hasan and Sean McHenry

Mar 6, 2024

The new program, called Direct File, has been rolled out in a dozen states. But how does it stack up to private tax-filing software?

“I give it a solid B,” says Dylan Matthews of Vox about the IRS' free filing software.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

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The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sarah Leeson Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I

Sofia Terenzio Assistant Producer

Jordan Mangi Assistant Digital Producer

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