Oct 16, 2017

10/16/17: What if only the rich got tax breaks on charitable donations?

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Many nonprofits are shaking in their boots at the prospect of a GOP tax plan that would decrease incentives for giving, especially for individuals in lower tax brackets. And as the smoke begins to clear from massive wildfires in Northern California (some of which are still active), we examine the failure of maps that show places most at risk for wildfires. One neighborhood that burned last week was Coffey Park, a subdivision in the middle of Santa Rosa — the type of place that everyone assumed would be safe from wildfires. And on the latest installment of My Economy, we hear from one listener grappling with health care costs.

Segments From this episode

California law relaxes backyard building rules to ease the housing crisis

by Aaron Schrank

Oct 16, 2017

It puts growth "in the hands of individual property owners," the bill's author says.

Lawmakers are loosening rules for construction of backyard or garage homes, also known as "accessory dwelling units," to aleviate some of California's housing crisis.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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This California neighborhood was exempt from fire rules. Now much of it is in ashes.

by Kai Ryssdal

Oct 16, 2017

Over the past week, Northern California has seen some horrific fires blaze across its neighborhoods. One of the remarkable things about those fires, in addition to their speed and the scale of the destruction, is what buildings burned and where those buildings were. The Tubbs Fire, which hit the city of Santa Rosa, has burned […]

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Rising medical costs may outpace a Social Security cost-of-living raise next year

by Mitchell Hartman

Oct 16, 2017

Social Security benefits will rise 2 percent in 2018 for approximately 61 million older Americans who rely on the benefit. The annual cost-of-living adjustment is based on the third-quarter Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers. The COLA hasn’t been as high as 2 percent since 2011; it rose 0.3 percent this […]

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Can a corporate tax cut really boost average household income by $4,000?

by Kimberly Adams

Oct 16, 2017

The White House released a paper today laying out the argument that a corporate tax cut will give a $4,000 boost to the average household. The studies being used to back up its assertion come from reputable places like the Kansas City Fed and Harvard, although there are plenty of other studies that say otherwise. […]

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My Economy

My Economy: Anxious about medical bills down the road

by Robert Garrova

Oct 16, 2017

"There has to be a more efficient way" to get health insurance.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Pretty much all Wi-Fi is vulnerable, security experts reveal

by Jed Kim

Oct 16, 2017

Belgian researchers have identified a vulnerability in the way most of us connect wirelessly to the internet. The weakness even has a name: Krack. If exploited (and luckily that has not yet happened, as far as anyone can tell), information like our credit cards, passwords, basically anything we type is at risk for being seen […]