Nov 30, 2021

Food banks are being squeezed by inflation too

Spencer Platt via Getty Images

We'll also hear about holiday shopping successes for buy now, pay later companies and why ramping up coal production is easier said than done.

Segments From this episode

Dented by the delta variant, consumer confidence now confronts omicron

by Justin Ho

Nov 30, 2021

Confidence ticked down in November, but so far, each wave of COVID seems to have less of an impact on how consumers feel.

Shoppers stroll in a Houston mall on Black Friday. Though consumer confidence may dip if the omicron variant spreads, higher vaccination rates and a strong job market may help.

Brandon Bell via Getty Images

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Buy now, pay later services are flourishing

by Kristin Schwab

Nov 30, 2021

Millennials are opting for plans that allow them to spread payments without accruing debt or interest.

Younger shoppers have changing attitudes about programs that allow them to spread out the payments of purchases.

Spencer Platt via Getty Images

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Corner Office

Substack CEO Chris Best does not want to tell you what to read

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst

Nov 30, 2021

“We're going to give you the tools to make this decision for yourself,” the newsletter startup co-founder says.

Tero Vesalainen via Getty Images

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Coal prices are high as stockpiles hit new lows

by Andy Uhler

Nov 30, 2021

Coal producers are reluctant to ramp up production because it takes a lot of money. And who knows how long demand will last?

A labor shortage is, in part, limiting a ramp up in coal production.

George Frey/AFP via Getty Images

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Food banks feel pinch of inflation

by Savannah Maher

Nov 30, 2021

The nonprofits faced higher demand through the pandemic. Now, with food costs rising, their resources are stretched even further.

Inflation and supply chain issues are hitting food banks hard and limiting the aid they're able to distribute.

Spencer Platt via Getty Images

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The U.K. aspires to become the "Qatar of hydrogen"

by Stephen Beard

Nov 30, 2021

British prime minister Boris Johnson pledges to turn the U.K. into a leading producer of carbon-free hydrogen to cash in on a global boom.

Building an electrolyzer, the machine splits hydrogen from oxygen creating what some regard as the "dream, green fuel."

Courtesy of ITM Power

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Music from the episode

The Spirit Blossoms All Over the Land Onra

Wavelengths Mocky

Day 45 Ta-ku

Otomo Bonobo, O'Flynn

Sin Rumbo Panoptica Orchestra

TV Queen Wild Nothing

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Daisy Palacios Senior Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer

Sean McHenry Associate Producer

Andie Corban Associate Producer

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer

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