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Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer — and summer travel. Today we take a dive into the financial dimension of the holiday. Gas for road trips? The price is up. Beef and propane for grilling? Also up. Still, that doesn’t mean pandemic-weary Americans are shying away from spending. Also on the program today: New, diverse leadership is changing the landscape of American theater, and recycling electronics proves a lucrative trade.

We got a lot of data today about how people are spending money in this country. The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure slowed in April and spending rose. But as consumers stretch their dollars, they’re changing brands and dipping into savings. Today, we’ll examine how inflation is shaping the shopping experience. We’ll also look at trade complications in a post-Brexit Europe and the rising costs of hurricane season.

School shootings have enduring effects on students who survive them. Today, we talk with an economist who’s studied the educational and economic impacts that persist months or years afterward. We also look at the shock of mortgage inflation, the factors behind wage growth and the industries disrupted by the helium shortage.

Yesterday, a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Today, we revisit a story on gun sales we published after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut. If it feels like nothing has changed since then, that’s because when it comes to buying guns, nothing has. Later in the program, a look at our aging port infrastructure and a visit to rural Oregon, where mobile home parks are struggling to rebuild after  wildfires.

It’s been roughly six months since AstraZeneca released a COVID-19 antibody treatment called Evusheld, designed for immunocompromised people. But a lack of outreach and unequal distribution has led to a complicated and confusing rollout — leaving millions of vulnerable Americans without protection. Plus, what experts look for in the minutes from Federal Reserve meetings and how high energy prices please investors but burden the economy.

Some economic forecasters are downgrading their outlooks for growth for the rest of the year. Slower growth may actually help ease inflationary pressures but could still leave the economy vulnerable to a recession. Today, we’ll discuss. Also, how lifting tariffs on Chinese imports could ease inflation, the rise and fall of negative interest rates in Europe and the next big thing in higher ed: classes for TikTok influencers.

While the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates to cool down the U.S. economy, China’s central bank is taking the opposite approach to juice its slowing economy. Today, we’ll dig in. Plus, we wrestle with overstaffing at retailers and hear what the infant formula shortage teaches us about market concentration.

Then comes the upkeep. Authorities have confiscated roughly a dozen vessels with connections to the Kremlin, but to keep just one superyacht moored and maintained can cost tens of millions, and the arresting government has to foot the bill. Plus, retailers are stuck with too much inventory, farmers encounter a delayed planting season and classic cars are being electrified.

A thousand-point drop from the Dow is scary, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected either. Inflation cut into retailers’ earnings, spurring a huge market sell-off. The Federal Reserve wants the economy to cool, and the stock market may be taking the hint. We’ll talk about it all on today’s show. Plus: signs of a normalizing housing market, the legacy of California’s board diversity laws and more from our interview with former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke.

What’s the best way for the Federal Reserve to tackle decades-high inflation? For former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, the answer’s in the past. Today, Bernanke discusses what previous Fed chairs got wrong, why the Fed’s credibility is critical and how the central bank can manage inflation expectations. Plus, understanding the strength of the dollar, the extension of the public health emergency and the state of U.S. coal production.

Today, the Joe Biden administration released a plan to tackle the shortage of starter homes. The move incentivizes high-density housing and manufactured or mobile homes. But there’s a hurdle for lower-cost housing developments: the communities that don’t want them there. Also on the program: looking at a new tool for mapping wildfire risks, grappling with higher utility bills and trading in a gig at Home Depot for one in a glassmaking studio.

We’ve got Cecilia Rouse, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, on the show today to hash out President Joe Biden’s remarks on the economy this week, the past year or so in government relief and who’s ultimately responsible for driving inflation. Before that, we’ll do some postgame analysis of our exclusive interview with Fed Chair Jerome Powell. We’ll also catch you up on the crypto crash and the baby formula shortage. Your donation powers the journalism you rely on. Give today to support Marketplace.

The Senate confirmed Jerome Powell for a second term as chair of the Federal Reserve today. Last week, the Fed announced the biggest interest rate hike in 22 years and its plans for reducing the central bank’s nearly $9 trillion balance sheet, all in an effort to get torrid inflation under control. We sat down with Powell for a long interview about what the Fed can do to engineer a “soft landing” for this economy — and what it can’t. Your donation powers the journalism you rely on. Give today to support Marketplace.

At the start of the pandemic, Airbnb lost 80% of its business in about eight weeks. CEO Brian Chesky calls it a near-death experience for his company. On today’s show, we’ll talk with Chesky about where his business is going and why he believes “work from anywhere” is the future. Plus: how consumers are responding to (barely) slowing inflation, what Treasury bond yields have to do with student loans and why the Oakland A’s are playing ball for tiny crowds. Your donation powers the journalism you rely on. Give today to support Marketplace.

We’ll get an update on the consumer price index from the government tomorrow. Even if the inflation rate has slowed from its recent 40-year high, don’t expect prices to go down anytime soon. We’ll get you caught up with the economic fundamentals on today’s show. Plus: the trouble with tax holidays, management issues amid peak TV and why wildland firefighters haven’t seen a cent of their raise from last year. Your donation powers the journalism you rely on. Give today to support Marketplace.