Erika Soderstrom

Latest from Erika Soderstrom

• Jul 13, 2021

  An experiment to reduce child poverty begins

  

  Starting Thursday, most families will receive $300 per child, per month, from the federal government. Experts estimate the expanded child tax credit can cut child poverty by half. Plus, how inflation can disproportionately hurt retirees on fixed incomes and how to interpret the second-quarter earnings this week of big banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.

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• Jul 12, 2021

  More agreement on global tax crackdown

  

  G-20 finance leaders just backed a proposal for a global corporate minimum tax rate of at least 15%. There’s still a long way to go before that becomes a reality. Plus, a look at an upcoming economic “report card” and the upshot for student borrowers of loan servicer FedLoan’s decision to bow out.

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• Jul 12, 2021

  A used car can now cost you more than a new car

  

  While many new-car assembly lines are backed up, older cars are available … and they’re fetching premium prices. Plus, Caleb Watney, director of innovation policy at the Progressive Policy Institute, on the importance of immigration reform to America’s research and development efforts.

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• Jul 12, 2021

  Cuba’s biggest anti-government protests in decades

  

  From the BBC World Service: Anti-government demonstrators in Cuba are protesting food shortages and calling for freedom, democracy, and a more efficient COVID-19 vaccination program. Cuba’s economy is in crisis due to a combination of tough U.S. sanctions and the pandemic’s disruption to tourism. Elsewhere, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai on why he believes the idea of free and open internet is under attack. And, why Taiwanese tech giants Foxconn and TSMC are buying 10 million COVID vaccine doses and donating them to the Taiwanese government. Correction (July 12, 2021): An earlier version of this podcast misstated the pronouns of Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen. The audio has been amended.

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• Jul 9, 2021

  Biden takes up the cause of competition

  

  With an executive order that President Biden is set to sign today, the White House is trying to encourage more competition across the board in the U.S. economy. One part of the executive order tells federal regulators to give greater scrutiny to proposed mergers, including when a Big Tech company wants to swallow a smaller competitor. Plus, a reminder that COVID anywhere is COVID everywhere in a global economy that is so interconnected. Also, how much it costs for businesses to adjust to more extreme weather. And, robots delivering food in Austin, Texas, are competing with humans for space on the road.

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• Jul 9, 2021

  Nothing brings people together like infrastructure

  

  Both labor unions and business groups are uniting to push for the bipartisan infrastructure spending bill on the table in Washington. Plus, as the Olympic flame arrives in Tokyo, an update on the new no-spectator policy for the Summer Games. And, President Biden could sign an executive order as early as today intended to increase competition and cut down on aggressive pricing in the ocean shipping and freight rail industries.

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• Jul 9, 2021

  Chinese companies are some of pro soccer’s biggest sponsors

  

  From the BBC World Service: You’ll see ads and billboards for brands like Alipay, TikTok and Hisense while watching this weekend’s championship game in the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. Why are Chinese firms so keen on reaching sports fans at this international soccer competition? Plus, the Biden administration is expected to add several more Chinese companies to its list of firms that are restricted from doing business with Americans companies. Beijing pledges to take action to protect its interests. And, 10 years since South Sudan became the newest country in the world, what a decade of political unrest has done to its people and economy.

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• Jul 8, 2021

  Why more people are quitting their jobs, and why that’s good

  

  We’re quitting our jobs at a very fast pace — not something you do if you’re worried about the future. Workers may be looking for something that’s a better fit with their values and goals, and they’re willing to take a risk to find that job and career. Also, people are starting new businesses at a high rate. Plus, why it’s looking like we might hear from the Federal Reserve about raising interest rates sooner than previously expected. And, now that the economy is opening up, are we going to start swiping our way back to credit card debt?

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• Jul 8, 2021

  Going after Google in court … again

  

  Attorneys general of 36 states plus the District of Columbia are suing Google over the way it runs its mobile app store. It’s just the latest antitrust challenge to Big Tech. Also, President Biden is expected to sign an executive order this week that will give workers more freedom from noncompete clauses after they leave a job, and make it easier for some workers to move across state lines. And, summer music festivals start their comeback tour.

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• Jul 8, 2021

  How much inflation is too much inflation?

  

  From the BBC World Service: The European Central Bank seems to be taking a page out of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s book, incorporating some flexibility on inflation, as economies react to the easing of COVID restrictions. Plus, the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse is a fresh blow to the Caribbean country, which has a long history of political instability and dismal economic performance. And, as COVID cases rise, Japan declares another state of emergency in Tokyo for the duration of the Olympic Games this summer.

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