Segments From This Episode

• The last time the U.S. almost defaulted on its loans, the consequences were expensive

  by Nancy Marshall-Genzer

  

  The phrase “debt ceiling” brings some people right back to 2011, when the U.S. also went down to the wire.

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• You can pay your taxes in cash — if you’re up for the challenge

  by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson

  

  Jay Zagorsky of Boston University paid his taxes in $100 bills and exact change. A cashless society has some disadvantages, he says.

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• Why more workers in China are ruling out factory jobs

  by Jennifer Pak

  

  Despite high unemployment among young people, most factories are short of workers. It might reflect false promises and poor conditions.

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• Layoffs signal retailers are adjusting to more sharp turns

  by Savannah Peters

  

  Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy are cutting staff as consumers pull back on discretionary spending.

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• Could AI be used to sway federal rule-making?

  by Kimberly Adams

  

  Federal agencies often ask the public to weigh in on rules and their implementation. But how could programs like ChatGPT affect or influence that process?

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• The way of water: Running a business on the banks of the Wisconsin River

  

  As seasonal businesses focus on inflation and new hires for the summer, the shadow of a possible recession looms in the background.

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