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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 Hosted by Kai (4,559)

Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 329

DOW 30K IDK

Nov 25, 2020
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Marketplace

Hurtling toward a fiscal cliff

Nov 25, 2020
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Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 328

The cost of racism is incalculable. Here's a start.

Nov 24, 2020
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Marketplace

COVID restrictions are back, but there's no aid in sight

Nov 24, 2020
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Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 327

Another COVID-19 vaccine looks promising, but who will take it?

Nov 23, 2020
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Marketplace

The economic EGOT?

Nov 23, 2020
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Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 326

Please, please stay home this Thanksgiving

Nov 20, 2020
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Marketplace

Why the Treasury wants its money back

Nov 20, 2020
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Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 325

This is American exceptionalism

Nov 19, 2020
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Marketplace

It's about to get even harder for renters

Nov 19, 2020
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Latest Stories (5,199)

Principal of Detroit technical career center tackles pandemic's challenges to training

by Kai Ryssdal and Alli Fam
Nov 25, 2020
Students might be learning virtually, but they're still learning a skilled trade.
A Randolph welding student before the pandemic. Now a welding student might learn via a virtual demonstration.
Courtesy of Krista McKinney-King
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Don’t forget the garlic (industry)

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Nov 24, 2020
Demand for garlic is up during the COVID pandemic as more people cook at home.
An employee at Christopher Ranch works with boxes of fresh garlic in Gilroy, California. Ken Christopher, Executive Vice President of Christopher Ranch says there’s been a surge in demand for fresh garlic as more families cook at home.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
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Elections 2020

Are Black women being “centered” in this economy yet?

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Nov 23, 2020
Janelle Jones is "super hopeful" about Black women's influence in the next U.S. government, but worried about the disinvestment that may come with austerity.
In her victory speech, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called Black women the “backbone of democracy.” But will the new administration’s economic policy treat them that way?
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
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How Delta is avoiding Trump's import tariffs

by Kai Ryssdal and Rose Conlon
Nov 20, 2020
In a clever workaround, the airline has reportedly sent Airbus planes overseas before bringing them to the U.S.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
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COVID-19

NY Fed's John Williams on the state of the recovery

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Nov 19, 2020
The president of the NY Fed expects the economy to fully recover within a few years, despite current setbacks as the virus continues to spread.
John Williams in 2015, when he was President of the San Francisco Federal Reserve.
Rob Kim/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Using commercial real estate to create economic opportunity

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Nov 18, 2020
"Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal spoke with Arturo Sneider, the CEO of Primestor, an LA-based real estate company that works in mostly underserved areas.
During the last recession, U.S. strip mall vacancies hit a 17-year high.
David McNew/Getty Images
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What you need to know about “austerity”

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Nov 16, 2020
Calls for austerity likely slowed the economic recovery from the Great Recession. Could that happen again?
Government spending during a recession needs to be like "turning into a skid," said economist J.W. Mason. "When your tax revenue is falling, you need to pick up the spending."
Matt Cardy/Getty Images
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Challenges to output a "mixed blessing," says steel company chief

by Kai Ryssdal and Alli Fam
Nov 13, 2020
With COVID and trade barriers limiting supply, her inventory is worth more but replacing it isn't simple.
Lisa Goldenberg welcomes increased demand for vehicles and household appliances but has grappled with supply and price trends.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Will a "skinny" coronavirus relief package help those who need it most?

by Kai Ryssdal and Daisy Palacios
Nov 12, 2020
Kai Ryssdal talks with Gbenga Ajilore of the Center for American Progress, who argues that pandemic economic relief should be more inclusive.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in July.
Doug Mills/Getty Images
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Elections 2020

The presidential election is over. What does that mean for the economy?

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Nov 11, 2020
Wendy Edelberg of the Hamilton Project is feeling better after the election, but says the state of the economy is still "panic-inducing."
President-elect Joe Biden Tuesday at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware.
Angela Weiss/Getty Images
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