04/20/2017: Frexit?
Apr 20, 2017

04/20/2017: Frexit?

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This has been a relatively low-key week in Washington, politics-wise. Congress has been on recess and the president has been in and out of town. Left behind have been staffers at agencies and offices that do the work that helps the government work, among them the Congressional Budget Office and its director, Keith Hall. The CBO and it analysis work were thrown in the spotlight during the recent healthcare debate and non-vote. We'll talk with Hall about all of it. Then we'll look at the state of politics in France, where the upcoming presidential election finds voters turning against the EU. Plus: Google, which makes billions from ad sales, is said to be considering an ad-blocking feature for its Chrome web browser.

Segments From this episode

The Bank Black movement gains traction

Apr 20, 2017
Since July, people have moved about $60 million to these institutions.
Since July 2016, advocates estimate people have moved more than $60 million to black banks. Above, a picture of the black-owned OneUnited Bank.
John Phelan/Wikimedia Commons

French voters are turning against the European Union

Apr 20, 2017
As elections approach, a far-right candidate is channeling nationalist sentiment.
One of the most unpredictable French elections is being closely fought, with National Front leader Marine Le Pen promising to protect the electorate from globalization.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Why would Google want to block its own ads?

Apr 20, 2017
The Wall Street Journal is reporting, according to unnamed sources, that Google plans to introduce an ad-blocking feature on its Chrome web browser. Yes, that Google. The one that makes a lot of money selling those ads. So why would it want to make it easier for users to escape them? Click the audio player […]

CBO director worries some Americans don’t know what to believe anymore

Apr 20, 2017
Keith Hall, of the Congressional Budget Office, talks about the importance of keeping analysis nonpartisan.
"We understand our role is to be nonpartisan and to be objective," says Keith Hall, director of the Congressional Budget Office. "You don't want the economic data to be partisan."
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Why a steel tariff could hurt instead of help

Apr 20, 2017
President Trump could sign an executive order tomorrow triggering an investigation into competition in the steel industry. That in turn could lead to new tariffs on foreign steel. The idea would be to protect the U.S. steel industry, but often the imposition of tariffs can lead to unintended consequences. Click the audio player above to […]

Could California’s cap-and-trade system control other pollution, too?

Apr 20, 2017
Even as the White House rolls back national climate change programs, California is moving forward on a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Yet the Golden State still has some of the highest air pollution in the nation from other pollutants its industrial plants spew. A new bill would use California’s cap-and-trade rules to […]

This has been a relatively low-key week in Washington, politics-wise. Congress has been on recess and the president has been in and out of town. Left behind have been staffers at agencies and offices that do the work that helps the government work, among them the Congressional Budget Office and its director, Keith Hall. The CBO and it analysis work were thrown in the spotlight during the recent healthcare debate and non-vote. We’ll talk with Hall about all of it. Then we’ll look at the state of politics in France, where the upcoming presidential election finds voters turning against the EU. Plus: Google, which makes billions from ad sales, is said to be considering an ad-blocking feature for its Chrome web browser.

Music from the episode

Stressed Out Twenty One Pilots
Dirty Girl Felt
Bulletproof La Roux
Seven Nation Army The White Stripes
Surprise Hotel Fool's Gold