Settling the BillUAW StrikeI've Always Wondered ...How We Survive

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💙 We need 2,000 donors this fall to stay on track. Count me in! ✔

Kai Ryssdal

Host and senior editor

SHORT BIO

I speak my native tongue into a microphone.

What was your first job?

Lifeguard. (Well, that and mowing lawns.)

What do you think is the hardest part of your job that no one knows?

Staying calm.

What advice do you wish someone had given you before you started this career?

Don't think — just talk.

In your next life, what would your career be?

Helicopter pilot.

Episodes by Kai (5,692)

Make Me Smart | Episode 1009

What a shock to the economy could mean right now

Sep 21, 2023
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Marketplace

50 years after the oil embargo, the U.S. is playing catch-up

Sep 21, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1008

AI and its role in elections

Sep 20, 2023
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Marketplace

Do you advertise en Español?

Sep 20, 2023
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Marketplace

The facial recognition software cops are raving about

Sep 19, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1007

The clash of Bidenomics and MAGAnomics

Sep 19, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1006

What's happening in Congress is not normal

Sep 18, 2023
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Marketplace

Would you take a job that might make you work for free?

Sep 18, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1005

The quest for a perfect smile

Sep 15, 2023
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Marketplace

Is it time to question the economic vibe?

Sep 15, 2023
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Latest Stories (5,696)

What a “de facto ban” on Airbnb means for New York City 

by Kai Ryssdal and Livi Burdette
Sep 21, 2023
Will housing prices go down with fewer short-term renters around?
Airbnb has a long history in New York City. But New York's stance towards short-term rentals has just gone from one of the most relaxed policies out there, to one of the strictest.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
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Did Burger King tell a whopper? Why false advertising suits are on the rise

by Kai Ryssdal and Sofia Terenzio
Sep 20, 2023
Rebecca Tushnet of Harvard Law School explains the incentive behind companies making vague promises to consumers.
A class-action lawsuit accuses Burger King of falsely advertising the size of its Whopper.
Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images
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Where did all the G-rated blockbusters go?

by Kai Ryssdal , Livi Burdette and Sean McHenry
Sep 13, 2023
A look at why PG is the new G for family movies in theaters this year.
Even this year's sequel to the "Trolls" movie didn't pass the G-rated test.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images
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"People are feeling the pinch," Montana mall manager says

by Kai Ryssdal , Richard Cunningham and Andie Corban
Sep 12, 2023
We check in with Alana Ferko, manager of the Butte Plaza Mall, who tells us about vacancy rates and a few special guests.
"People are very good at patronizing, and I appreciate that. But it's not enough," says Alana Ferko of the Butte Plaza Mall's vacancies. "I mean, they're gonna put out the energy to come to the mall, we want it to be worth it." Above, a mall in Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Patents are about to get more enforceable

by Kai Ryssdal and Livi Burdette
Sep 12, 2023
You've probably infringed several patents today.
Patented items are everywhere, and the current system "depends on most people in most situations ignoring patents and ignoring patent infringement," says Janet Freilich, law professor at Fordham University.
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
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Is retail theft really rising?

by Kai Ryssdal and Livi Burdette
Sep 11, 2023
Retailers want stiffer sentences for what they say is rising theft. But the data isn't clear, says Nicole Lewis of The Marshall Project.
Retailers are locking up some items on shelves to prevent theft.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
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Fed is nearing a point when it is not a matter of raising rates, but how long to keep them high, says Chicago Fed CEO Austan Goolsbee

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Sep 7, 2023
There is growing confidence that the Fed can pull off lowering inflation without a recession, said Chicago Fed CEO Austan Goolsbee.
"There's a growing confidence that we can pull off" a soft landing, says Chicago Fed chief Austan Goolsbee. "The only thing I want to caution you is that it's not a guarantee."
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
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Banks in Turmoil

6 months out from SVB's failure, a bank president's optimism has waned

by Kai Ryssdal and Livi Burdette
Sep 6, 2023
Pressure to keep more capital puts constraints on banks, says Laurie Stewart of Sound Community in Seattle.
Laurie Stewart, the head of Sound Community Bank in Seattle, says pressures to hold more capital will "impact our ability to serve clients and to be investable."
Courtesy Sound Community Bank
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That best-selling romance book? It might be based on fan fiction

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Sep 6, 2023
Major publishing houses are looking to popular fan fiction sites to find new authors.
One popular fan fiction romantic pairing is Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver in the "Star Wars" movies, and Rey Skywalker.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
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Consumers are finding ways to justify spending, even if it busts their budget

by Kai Ryssdal and Sofia Terenzio
Sep 5, 2023
The rebound from pandemic deprivation continues, says Adriana Samper of Arizona State, and the reasoning can get pretty creative.
Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
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Let’s do the numbers… together. 💙 

Here’s a number – 2,000. That’s how many donors we need this fall to stay on track. Can we count on you? 

Count me in! ✔