Latest from Jesson Duller

• Apr 5, 2022

  U.S. and Europe draw up new sanctions against Russia over war in Ukraine

  

  From the BBC World Service: Four rounds of sanctions measures have already been approved against Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine. Plus, Sri Lanka’s newly appointed finance minister has resigned after less than 24 hours in the job. Protesters are increasing their calls for the country’s president to go amid the worst economic crisis in decades.

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• Apr 4, 2022

  Some Amazon workers have a union. Next up is a contract.

  

  It’s the difference between getting the right to collective bargaining and coming up with an actual contract. After the first successful union drive at Amazon, we speak with a labor expert about what this moment means for workers organizing in the U.S. and what comes next. And, we start the week with a look at how inflation can make inequality even worse.

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• Apr 4, 2022

  Starbucks suspends stock buybacks

  

  Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz is returning to the company. He says a pause on repurchasing shares will give the company more room to invest in staff and stores. Plus, an effort by the Biden administration to bring more production of batteries for electric vehicles to the U.S. And, Amazon, Apple, CVS, General Motors, Kellogg’s and Starbucks are among the household brands that have come out against anti-LGBTQ laws in various states. We look at the business backlash to laws like the one Texas recently instituted, which orders the state to investigate parents for child abuse if their kids receive gender-affirming health care.

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• Apr 4, 2022

  War in Ukraine worsens Turkey’s cost-of-living spiral

  

  From the BBC World Service: Inflation in Turkey soared to 61.1% in March, a new record high. We take you to Istanbul to hear why higher commodity prices resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine have exacerbated the problem in Turkey. Also, the rising cost of living is a problem being acutely felt by those in rural areas of France. And in Sri Lanka, an economic crisis has forced a series of cabinet resignations.

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• Apr 1, 2022

  More competition could help with inflation. How would that work?

  

  Economists say inflation is being driven by a number of factors, from supply chain disruptions to higher wages. But what about competition? In the food industry, restaurants that face more industry competition aren’t able to raise prices as much as food-at-home services. We spoke to Trevon Logan, a professor of economics at Ohio State University who helps us break down how a lack of competition in some markets could be contributing to rising prices.

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• Apr 1, 2022

  A German perspective on the effects of Russia’s gas-or-rubles stance

  

  This week, Germany has begun the early part of an emergency plan that could lead to the rationing of natural gas. The Kremlin is demanding payment for gas in rubles from countries sanctioning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, threatening to cut off supplies if its conditions aren’t met. We spoke to Stephen Richter, publisher and editor in chief of The Globalist and director of the Global Ideas Center, who is trying to conserve energy at home in Berlin. President Biden announced that the U.S. will release a lot more of its oil reserves over the next six months – could other countries follow suit?

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• Apr 1, 2022

  Russia’s Foreign Minister visits India to shore up long-standing friendship

  

  A meeting between Russia and India’s foreign ministers has just wrapped up in New Delhi. The BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan in Delhi says that top of the agenda was how India, which has remained neutral in the Ukraine conflict, can continue to pay for the oil it gets from Russia without breaking sanctions. Hungarians will go to the polls this Sunday as Prime Minister Viktor Orban seeks a record fifth term in office. We explain how the war in Ukraine and Orban’s relationship with Vladimir Putin have shaped this election. And last night in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, police say they arrested more than 50 people as protesters stormed the presidential palace.

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• Mar 31, 2022

  Putin: For gas, it’s rubles or nothing

  

  The Russian president said he has signed a decree that will force foreign buyers of his country’s natural gas to pay in rubles. Starting Friday, Vladimir Putin says pay in rubles – or contracts will be halted. Diane Swonk helps us dig into the latest data that shows a key inflation measure the Fed watches reach a 40-year high. The Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing new rules on the firms known as SPACs, or special-purpose acquisition companies. They raise money and buy out a startups to take them public.

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• Mar 31, 2022

  Is it time to crack open the U.S. oil reserves?

  

  President Biden is ready to order the release of up to a million barrels a day of oil from the United States strategic petroleum reserve in an effort to battle rising gas costs. American workers are failing drug tests at the highest rate in decades, because the worker shortage has caused many companies to ease drug testing. A bill heading to the Senate would provide wider access to 401(k) benefits.

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• Mar 31, 2022

  Pakistan’s PM faces tough no-confidence vote

  

  From the BBC World Service: Russia is saying it will require payments for energy exports in its own currency, the ruble, rather than via the current euro-denominated contracts. But the BBC’s Jenny Hill in Moscow says it’s not yet clear how that will work. The United Nations is launching the largest fundraising appeal in its history, hoping to raise nearly $4.5 billion for Afghanistan. And in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan faces a vote of no-confidence in parliament.

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