Plain English with Derek Thompson
News:News Commentary
Last week the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.75 percentage points, continuing one of the fastest escalations of the benchmark rate in history. Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, warned that more pain was to come as the central bank fixes its eye on Sauron on our core inflation. But the theme of this episode is that U.S. interest rate policy does not stop at the U.S. border. Our monetary policy is a lever that moves the world. Soon after the Fed’s announcement last week, the British pound crashed, oil prices fell, currencies (crypto- and otherwise) fell, and the possibility of a global downturn came ever slightly into greater focus. Today’s guest is Jason Furman, the Harvard economist and former top economic adviser to President Barack Obama. We talk about the state of the U.S. economy, why the Fed is doing what it’s doing, the best arguments against rising interest rates, the global fallout of U.S. monetary policy, and the possibility that the world economy is headed for a dark, dark winter.
If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. You can find us on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@plainenglish_
Host: Derek Thompson
Guest: Jason Furman
Producer: Devon Manze
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Microplastics Are Everywhere. How Dangerous Are They?
Why the New NBA Deal Is So Weird. Plus, How Sports Rights Actually Work.
What America’s Bold New Economic Experiment Is Missing
The Five Superstars Who Invented the Modern NBA
Are Smartphones Really Driving the Rise in Teenage Depression?
Are Flying Cars Finally Here?
How the Logic of Cults Is Taking Over Modern Life
How Will the Gaza War Finally End?
A Political Scientist on How Protests Can Change Minds or Backfire
What Kind of a Superpower Is India Becoming?
Health Fads and Fictions: VO2 Max, Supplement Mania, Sunlight, and Immortality
U.S. Economy FAQ: Skyrocketing Insurance Prices, Stuck Inflation, Higher Rates, and Wrong Experts
If the 2024 Election Is So Important, Why Does It Feel So Boring?
A Psychologist Explains Four Reasons the Internet Feels So Broken
Why School Absences Have "Exploded" Across America
What Evolutionary Biology Can Teach Us About Diet, Exercise, and Staying Alive
America's Biggest Car Companies Are in Trouble
Should the U.S. Ban TikTok?
How Hollywood’s Hit Formula Flopped—and What Could Come Next
What Many Economists (and I) Got Wrong About This Economy
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Tucker Carlson Show
The Matt Walsh Show
Mark Levin Podcast
The Glenn Beck Program
The Michael Knowles Show