Oct 3, 2017

10/03/2017: What’s really throwing the budget out of whack?

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Two weeks after Hurricane Maria tore though Puerto Rico, and residents are struggling to get basic supplies and power. President Donald Trump made his first trip to survey the damage today and do a little back patting for the federal response. He also joked the disaster was throwing the federal budget "out of whack." The truth is the cost of aid is far from the only thing in D.C. with big budget implications. Take the GOP tax plan: White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is saying it has to add to the deficit to be effective. We'll start the show sorting through that claim. Then: Solar panels are cheaper than ever, but they're still out of reach for the people they could help most. Take Brunswick, Georgia: The poverty rate's 41 percent, and electric bills can top $250 in the summer. Can it benefit from the solar boom? Plus, the latest on Facebook's ad sales to Russian operatives.

Segments From this episode

Water managers look to new ways to save

by Marketplace Contributor

Oct 3, 2017

Phoenix made a deal with the nearby Gila River Indian Community to share the tribe's water supply.

The Gila River Indian Community could have chosen to bank their water in underground storage systems through recharge facilities like this one on their reservation.

Carrie Jung/ for Marketplace

LISTEN

EMBED

Helping low-income residents benefit from solar power

by Marketplace Contributor

Oct 3, 2017

Brunswick, Georgia is trying to install solar panels in a field, so it can sell the power to the local utility for a rebate that can be given to low-income residents.

Travis Stegall looks at what he calls his “field of dreams,” where he plans to install solar panels to help subsidize energy costs for low-income residents of Brunswick, Georgia.

Emily Jones/ for Marketplace

LISTEN

EMBED

"Milk Street" wants to take home cooking in a new direction

by Adriene Hill

Oct 3, 2017

Christopher Kimball is loosening his bow tie and having more fun in the kitchen.

Instead of focusing on the technique, Kimball says, the key to a good home meal is all about big flavors.

Courtesy of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street

LISTEN

EMBED

How Russians used a "powerful" Facebook tool to target voters

by Adriene Hill

Oct 3, 2017

This week, Facebook handed over 3,000 Russian-linked ads to congressional investigators. The ads give just a glimpse into the scope of Russian meddling in the presidential election. Facebook has characterized the ads as appearing to amplify racial and social divisions. Now The Washington Post has a story about how Russian operatives used a sophisticated Facebook advertising tool […]

LISTEN

EMBED

The Clean Power Plan is a zombie that will be hard to kill

by Scott Tong

Oct 3, 2017

The Obama-era regulation known as the Clean Power Plan is expected to be the next target for the White House to cut back regulations. It’s something of a zombie, since the Supreme Court halted its rollout, yet the EPA is required to take measures to regulate carbon pollution (due to an agency finding that greenhouse […]

LISTEN

EMBED

Taking the deficit out of the battle over tax reform

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer

Oct 3, 2017

When Congress finally gets down to hashing out a tax plan, there’s going to be a lot of talk about whether it needs to be deficit neutral. But what does that really mean, and how do you get there? A whole lot of gimmickry. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. Stories […]

LISTEN

EMBED

Two weeks after Hurricane Maria tore though Puerto Rico, and residents are struggling to get basic supplies and power. President Donald Trump made his first trip to survey the damage today and do a little back patting for the federal response. He also joked the disaster was throwing the federal budget “out of whack.” The truth is the cost of aid is far from the only thing in D.C. with big budget implications. Take the GOP tax plan: White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is saying it has to add to the deficit to be effective. We’ll start the show sorting through that claim. Then: Solar panels are cheaper than ever, but they’re still out of reach for the people they could help most. Take Brunswick, Georgia: The poverty rate’s 41 percent, and electric bills can top $250 in the summer. Can it benefit from the solar boom? Plus, the latest on Facebook’s ad sales to Russian operatives.