Feb 19, 2025

Vote with your wallet

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More than 40% of consumers say that since the last election, they've altered their spending habits to align with their morals. Plus, Trump threatens federal agencies' independence and businesses decide whether to pass tariff costs on to consumers.

Segments From this episode

Trump's Second Term

New Trump order takes aim at autonomy of independent agencies

by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson

Feb 19, 2025

White House seeks sway over FCC, FEC, FTC and some Fed operations. Politics professor Sarah Binder says it "grabs power from Congress."

President Trump signs an executive order Tuesday meant to expand White House control over independent agencies.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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Homebuilders have lots of reasons to feel downbeat about the housing market

by Henry Epp

Feb 19, 2025

Tariffs and higher mortgage interest rates are at the top of the list.

Homebuilder sentiment has fallen to its lowest level in five months, said the National Association of Home Builders.

Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

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Why is Etsy struggling?

by Caleigh Wells

Feb 19, 2025

The e-commerce site is learning the hard way that consumers often choose inexpensive mass-produced products over hand-crafted ones.

Etsy offers a mish-mosh of mass-produced goods that can be found for cheaper elsewhere and artisanal items that uncertain consumers aren't eager to spend on right now.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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People's politics are changing the way they shop — and where

by Samantha Fields

Feb 19, 2025

More than 40% of consumers say they’ve changed their spending habits to align with their beliefs, according to a new Harris Poll.

More people are starting to change their spending habits based on politics, according to a new Harris Poll.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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Trade War 2.0

Whether or not a business can pass along the cost of tariffs depends on who its customers are

by Justin Ho

Feb 19, 2025

The impact of tariffs will be uneven.

For some sectors, raising prices on goods that have already been impacted by inflation may just drag down sales.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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Siri and Alexa are playing catch-up with chatbots

by Meghan McCarty Carino

Feb 19, 2025

The once-leading voice assistants have fallen behind other AI tools, but upcoming revamps could make them more useful.

Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri were once pioneers in virtual assistants. Now, some users see their conversational abilities as outdated compared to AI chatbots.

Eric Lee/The Washington Post via Getty Images

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The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sarah Leeson Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Sofia Terenzio Associate Producer I

Jordan Mangi Assistant Digital Producer

Nicholas Guiang Assistant Producer

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