Nov 8, 2021

Unpacking the $1 trillion infrastructure bill

Sarah Silbiger via Getty Images

Plus: Kai Ryssdal talks bond yields in light of the Federal Reserve's tapering announcement, and supply chain issues are changing how retailers value the products they import.

Segments From this episode

So what exactly is in the infrastructure bill?

by Matt Levin

Nov 8, 2021

And how exactly does it address the biggest challenges facing this economy?

President Joe Biden speaks Saturday, after the House passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill. It invests in climate-friendly transportation and addresses equity for marginalized communities, among other issues.

Samuel Corum via Getty Images

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When will we see the economic impact of new infrastructure spending?

by Sabri Ben-Achour

Nov 8, 2021

There are shorter- and longer-term projects in Biden's $1 trillion plan. State and local governments will influence how it’s spent.

President Biden's $1 trillion plan invests in long-term infrastructure change, although state and local officials will have plenty of say in how the money is spent.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images

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Reading the bond yield tea leaves

The Federal Reserve announced its plans to taper its bond-buying last week. So, Kai Ryssdal chatted with Tiffany Wilding, chief North American economist at PIMCO, and Kathy Bostjancic at Oxford Economics about what it all means.

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With shipping costs sky-high, is importing products even worth it?

by Justin Ho

Nov 8, 2021

For some businesses, the answer is no, but it depends on the value of the product in question.

With costly manufacturing and delayed shipping timelines, the value of certain products is shifting in the eyes of retailers. Above, people watch a container ship at the Port of Los Angeles.

Mario Tama via Getty Images

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A Warmer World

There isn't enough space for all of the trees companies want to plant

by Amanda Peacher

Nov 8, 2021

By one estimate, the pledges out there already would require a forest five times the size of India.

New research by Oxfam indicates that there may not be enough room to plant all the trees proposed in corporate climate pledges. Above, native birch trees grow next to a desert of volcanic sand in Iceland.

Sean Gallup via Getty Images

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COVID & Unemployment

Unemployment is unavailable to many who lose jobs over vaccination rules

by Blake Farmer

Nov 8, 2021

States are taking different paths on paying benefits to people who lose their jobs for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Employers from hospitals to meatpacking plants are pushing vaccination for their employees' and customers' safety. In some cases, the unjabbed have lost their jobs.

Blake Farmer/WPLN News

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Music from the episode

Chords Kleerup

Lush Four Tet

You Know I'm No Good Amy Winehouse, Ghostface Killah

Colors Collide - Instrumental The Seshen

Brisk Freddie Joachim

Mobius Streak Hiatus Kaiyote

Music Save Me (One More Time) Mocky

Ooh Wee (feat. Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg, Trife & Saigon) Mark Ronson, Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg, Trife, Saigon

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I

Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer

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