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Your call is very important to the IRS
Sep 15, 2022

Your call is very important to the IRS

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The IRS will hire 5,000 reps to ease taxpayer wait times. Plus: retail sales, corn farming, and the U.K.'s shift away from cash.

Segments From this episode

Retail sales rose a smidgen in August, but some see warning signs

Sep 15, 2022
Sales rose 0.3% last month, but there are signs some consumers are pulling back on big-ticket items, excluding cars.
In August, retail sales rose by 0.3%. Some of that was likely due to consumers stocking up on back-to-school items.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The IRS aims to improve customer service by hiring 5,000 additional workers

Sep 15, 2022
The agency's budget has been shrinking, its workforce is aging, and it's been saddled with new responsibilities.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tours a new technology workspace at the Internal Revenue Service on Sep. 15. The agency is receiving $80 billion to upgrade technology and hire more staff.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

With "the merge," ethereum tries to set a greener example for crypto

Sep 15, 2022
The Ethereum Foundation says the massive software upgrade means validating transactions will require 99.95% less energy than before.
Jack Taylor/Getty Images

The Corn Belt is facing smaller yields, but higher prices are keeping this farmer's hopes up

Sep 15, 2022
Drought has made the last few years tough for farmers like Keith Alverson of Chester, South Dakota. But higher corn prices are keeping him optimistic.
Farmers in the Corn Belt have endured two years of drought.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Cash: Who needs it? Britons mull over the potential disappearance of physical money

Sep 15, 2022
Digital payment methods may render notes and coins obsolete in the United Kingdom and turn it into a cashless economy.
As many as 8 million Britons are thought to depend on physical money because they don’t have an internet connection, a smartphone or digital skills.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Arizona grapples with balancing growth and a limited water supply

Sep 15, 2022
On of the state's major sources of water, the Colorado River, has fallen to historic lows.
Rancho Sahuarita has grown fast, and its water utility has had to grow quickly with it.
Megan Myscofski/Arizona Public Media

Music from the episode

Texas Sun Khruangbin, Leon Bridges
Montara Pandrezz, j'san, Epektase
Maneater Hall & Oats
You Got Me The Roots, Erykah Badu
Greyhounds De La Soul, Usher
Midnight Khruangbin, Leon Bridges

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer
Maria Hollenhorst Producer II
Andie Corban Producer I
Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II
Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I