The Uncertain HourI've always wondered ...Econ Extra Credit with David BrancaccioRace and EconomyMake Me Smart Daily

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What have you always wondered about the economy? Tell Us

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 (4,677)

Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 383

Do we dare buy MLB tickets?

Mar 5, 2021
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Marketplace

Long-term unemployment hits highest level in 9 years

Mar 5, 2021
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Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 382

Don't overthink it: Get the COVID-19 vaccine

Mar 4, 2021
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Marketplace

What it's like to run a microbusiness in the pandemic economy

Mar 4, 2021
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Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 381

Paramount+ launches tomorrow. How many streaming services is too many?

Mar 3, 2021
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Marketplace

The jobs recovery might be running out of gas

Mar 3, 2021
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Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 380

People, at scale

Mar 2, 2021
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Marketplace

A seat at the table for workers

Mar 2, 2021
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Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly | Episode 379

How much do we really "need" sports?

Mar 1, 2021
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Marketplace

The pandemic is affecting states unequally, too

Mar 1, 2021
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Latest Stories (5,273)

U.S. productivity plummeted in Q4, and reopening the economy might be why

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
Mar 4, 2021
The measure fell at the steepest rate in 40 years, but that might not be as ominous as it sounds — if the trend is short term.
Less productive businesses like restaurants have started to reopen, which may be causing national productivity data to decline.
Scott Heins/Getty Images
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United States of Work

Why this unemployed bartender feels “betrayed” by the nation's safety net

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 4, 2021
Neil Cairns of Portland, Oregon, is finding that returning to work is a tough job.
"I'm casting my net as wide as I can," says former bartender Neil Cairns about his search for work.
Thomas Patterson
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Helping students of color thrive via entrepreneurship and self-care

by Kai Ryssdal and Daisy Palacios
Mar 4, 2021
Monika Mathews started QueenCare to provide mentorship and economic opportunity to young people in her Seattle community.
Monika Mathews owns QueenCare in Seattle and founded the Life Enrichment Group. "This is not about me, this is about we," she says.
Courtesy of Monika Mathews
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Why are people spending so much money on NFTs?

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Mar 3, 2021
Jamie Wilde from Morning Brew explains how nonfungible tokens work.
A video clip of LeBron James sold for more than $200,000 as an NFT.
Harry How/Getty Images
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Why is Bitcoin better? Let her count the ways.

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Mar 2, 2021
Laura Shin, one of the first reporters to cover crypto-assets full time, says Bitcoin's "the most fascinating thing" she's watched.
Ozan Kose/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Denver beauty bar was shut by pandemic before it even opened

by Kai Ryssdal and Daisy Palacios
Mar 1, 2021
"I could have never predicted that it would be this bad," says Ashlie Ordonez, owner of The Bare Bar.
"I actually sold my $12,000 anniversary ring to put towards the business," Ashlie Ordonez says of keeping her Denver salon, The Bare Bar, afloat.
Courtesy of Ashlie Ordonez
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COVID-19

Running a mall is "still a struggle" nearly a year into the pandemic

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Feb 26, 2021
When a customer refuses to wear a mask inside the Butte Plaza Mall, manager Alana Ferko gets called in to help.
Gil Cohen-Magen/Getty Images
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Agriculture is counting on pent-up demand for its recovery

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
Feb 25, 2021
COVID-19 killed demand for many farm products. But with vaccine rollouts and consumers venturing out again, will that turn around?
A farmer plants soybeans near Dwight, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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In Regina King's "One Night in Miami," Black icons wrestle with how to use their power

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
Feb 24, 2021
The Emmy- and Academy Award-winning actress discusses her directorial debut and what she hopes audiences take away from the film.
"All of those things that make me who I am, I'm bringing to the storytelling process," says actor-director Regina King.
Courtesy of Amazon Studios.
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What does inflation look like?

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Feb 23, 2021
Inflation’s been hard to find in this economy for years, but what if that changes?
At 2% inflation, the Federal Reserve's target rate, it takes about 35 years for prices to double.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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