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Welfare reform is in the air again, with a House bill and a renewed push at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. But what do we really know about welfare in America? Especially since the last reform effort two decades ago? Our podcast The Uncertain Hour will break down the latest numbers. But first: Summer homebuying season is underway, but sales fell in June for the third-straight month amid a shortage of existing homes. We'll look at why, and what that says about the housing market. Plus, why is Amazon suddenly the destination for strange novelty food items?   

President Donald Trump accused China of manipulating its currency today. It's not the first time the White House has thrown out the accusation, but this time it comes amid trade tensions, when the yuan has fallen 8 percent compared to the dollar, which could offset the effects of tariffs. We'll talk about that at the top of the show today, along with Trump's recent comments about the Fed. Then, the latest in Trump’s efforts to roll back Obama-era regulations includes the Endangered Species Act. The administration plans to analyze the economic costs of regulating endangered wildlife, which has environmentalists worried. Plus: What "WALL-E" says about us, a decade after its release, and a conversation with the author behind "The Meg" on the enduring power of sharks on the big screen.

"Domestic car company" is kind of a misnomer these days. Auto manufacturers get parts from all over the world, and companies like Ford and General Motors stand to both benefit and be hurt by tariffs, making the politics much murkier. We'll talk about it, plus we'll hear from one business owner who applied for exclusions from steel tariffs and was denied. Plus, we'll talk about urban heat islands and how we crown the Song of the Summer. 

Antitrust regulators in the European Union are charging Google a $5 billion fine for using its Android software to push out competition and making phone companies pre-install its apps. We'll talk about what that means for the company and the ways overseas regulations reach consumers in the United States. Then, we'll talk about Kathleen Kraninger, who President Donald Trump has nominated to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, despite her lack of consumer finance experience. Plus: Storm chasing as tourism.

Under the Trump administration, federal agencies are no longer required to determine the financial costs of climate change, so a group of scientists have stepped up to the plate. We'll talk about that project and what it can tell us about the real-world cost of carbon. Plus: Amid rising tensions with the United States, Japan and the European Union have struck a new trade deal with each other. Then: We'll talk with Lauren Greenfield about her new film “Generation Wealth."

We're starting today with news from overseas, not Helsinki but Geneva, where the World Trade Organization is fielding complains from China against the United States, and the U.S. against pretty much everybody. We'll talk about what happens next and what it could mean for the brewing trade war(s). Then: site glitches aside, Amazon's Prime Day has become a sort of Black Friday in July, which means a lot of packages will be on the move these next few days. We'll look at whether the shipping industry will be able to, uh, deliver. Plus: If you're sad the World Cup's over, there's always baseball ... and Major League Baseball has lots of open seats.

The Department of Justice is appealing the ruling that cleared Time Warner's $85 billion merger with AT&T, the government announced just before we put out yesterday's show. Today, we're trying to game out what's next, especially since the merger's already begun. Then, we'll look at the other huge media deal in the offing: Disney and Comcast's bidding war for 21st Century Fox, and Hulu's role in it. And, of course, we'll tackle the fire hose of political news in the Weekly Wrap.

Jay Powell's been the chairman of the Federal Reserve for about five and a half months. His office in the Federal Reserve Building on Constitution Avenue is still getting put together, but he's already put his mark on the central bank and chatting with us today is part of that. We talked about transparency, trade disputes and stagnant wages, but he wasn't able to talk about inflation. The numbers came out just minutes after our conversation ended, and they showed consumer prices are growing faster year over year than they have since 2012. We talk about what that means for the Fed and for you.

In the five months since Jerome “Jay” Powell took over as chairman of the Federal Reserve, the country is facing a growing number of tests: stagnant wage growth, tariff disputes around the world and a White House that likes to publicly offer the Fed economic advice. In his first broadcast interview since taking the job, Powell told Kai Ryssdal that he is “not concerned” about political pressure and that he’s keeping his focus on carrying out the Fed’s mandate from Congress: “We have a long tradition here of conducting policy in a particular way, and that way is independent of all political concerns,” he said. They also talked about The White House's ongoing trade disputes, why wages aren't rising and inflation. You can also read the whole thing here. 

If you thought all the Chinese trade talk was testy, you should see footage from President Donald Trump's first day of North Atlantic Treaty Organization meetings today. Trump slammed American allies, saying "many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money" from years of defense spending. And that was just the photo op. We'll fill you in on the NATO meeting and what to expect during the next few days of talks in Brussels. Plus, the latest on those tariffs. Then: Like a lot of cities hit hard by the housing crisis, foreclosed homes in South Euclid, Ohio were bought on the cheap by investors, who planned to flip them when the market recovered. But it didn't, really, and now some landlords are unloading them with shady rent-to-own deals.

President Donald Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court came with a little surprise and a lot of theater. But what happens next should come as no surprise at all: millions of dollars and hundreds of hours of advertising for and against Kavanaugh's appointment. We'll talk about what to expect. Then: We'll explain the upcoming rent control ballot measure in California, and what it could mean for the affordable housing crisis around the country. Plus, what you need to know about Trump, Pfizer and the market for one of that company's most profitable drugs: Viagra.

We've heard of a "soft Brexit" and a "hard Brexit," but what about a "BRINO: Brexit In Name Only"? We'll kick off today's show with everything you need to know about negotiations and the furor Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to manage on a tight deadline. Then, we'll look at the future of HBO after the Time Warner-AT&T merger — and why it might look a lot like Netflix. Plus: We love to do the numbers, but there are a lot of them. So what are the best figures to look at if you want to know how the economy is doing? You've always wondered, so we'll break it down.

Well, here we are. As of July 6, the U.S. is officially at odds with our biggest trading partner, to say nothing of several other large economies. So, what's the exit strategy? That's what we'll try to figure out today. Then, it's important to note this is all happening at a time when the American economy is doing quite well. We'll dig into the latest evidence of that: today's jobs report, which saw unemployment tick up, albeit for a good reason. Plus, we'll look at why even celebrity chef-owned restaurants are always "an inch from disaster."

Today might feel like a Monday, but it's actually the end of the week, which means U.S. tariffs against China go into effect tomorrow. Should you be worried about inflation? Or even ... deflation? We'll talk about it, then head to a Georgian pecan farm to see the impact of Chinese tariffs up close. Plus, how the "world's friendliest border" became the front for another trade dispute. And finally, how the box office bounced back this summer.

Happy Fourth of July, it's a hot one and your AC can feel it. The heat wave gripping parts of the midwest and northeast could have a damaging effect on the electric grid system. It also holds economic concerns for the areas poor. Although it’s a holiday, many people will be working, especially food vendors who sell at festivals all summer long. There's a big business for a lot of small businesses that work the music festival circuit. Also on today's show: lights, camera, tax breaks. The governor of New Jersey signed a bill yesterday offering tax incentives to attract film production. We took a look at how the state-by-state debate over film tax incentives affects the entertainment industry.