Latest from James Graham

• Apr 13, 2023

  How a historical housing scandal resonates 50 years later

  

  More than 50 years ago, a nationwide housing scandal involving predatory real-estate speculators and the Federal Housing Administration hastened the decline of many urban centers in cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, and New York City. Sunset Park, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, was among those hit particularly hard. We traveled to there with Majora Carter, a Bronx-based urban revitalization specialist, to explore the scandal and its enduring legacy. And, a federal appeals court has maintained access to an abortion drug previously blocked by a Texas lower court judge.

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• Apr 13, 2023

  Grocery giant Tesco’s profits halve in a year

  

  From the BBC World Service: One of the world’s largest grocery stores, Tesco, has announced that its pre-tax profits halved last year to $1.25 billion. We look at what’s driven the decline. Plus, Kenya is struggling to pay government workers due to its huge national debt, but the government won’t borrow to fix the problem. And, an Instagram post promoting eyeshadow by the French fashion company Dior has prompted an angry backlash from people in China.

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• Apr 12, 2023

  Today’s inflation data is good news for the Fed

  

  The latest Consumer Price Index data is out this morning, and it showed a slowdown in inflation that may tempt hope in policymakers the world over. We talk with Susan Schmidt, Head of Public Equity at the State of Wisconsin Investment Fund, who helps us unpack what’s behind the 5% inflation number and what that portends for the Fed in the months ahead. And, hear what Elon Musk had to say about Twitter’s recent headline-making problems in an exclusive interview with the BBC.

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• Apr 12, 2023

  One casualty of a tight labor market? College enrollment

  

  The announcement of the shuttering of a small college in Milwaukee later this year — one of more than half a dozen in the last year — is a sign of troubling times for higher education. We look at how a hot job market is incentivizing some would-be students to work instead of study, and what that could mean for the future workforce. Also, the Fed is due to release its much-watch meeting minutes later today. Plus, a snippet from the BBC’s exclusive interview with Elon Musk. And, how some “drone whisperers” in Ukraine are taking apart the machines to stop critical components from reaching Russia. 

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• Apr 12, 2023

  Twitter is ‘roughly break-even,’ Elon Musk says in an exclusive BBC interview

  

  From the BBC World Service: Six months into his ownership of Twitter, Elon Musk sits down for an exclusive interview with the BBC’s James Clayton in San Francisco and tells him Twitter is ‘roughly break even’. It follows the cutting of nearly 75% of the company’s workforce since he bought the social media company. Plus, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, tells us most economies will avoid going into recession this year.

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• Apr 11, 2023

  The White House takes a first step toward AI regulation

  

  The Biden administration announced late yesterday that it wants to study what rules may need to be implemented to make sure so-called generative AI doesn’t threaten society. We look at what the government has said thus far and how it could move forward on potential AI regulation. Plus, Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, has released its own rival to Microsoft’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard AI chatbots. And, how some museums in the UK, including the famous British Museum, are dealing with requests from other countries to return artifacts that they claim were taken under duress or stolen. 

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• Apr 11, 2023

  Tupperware’s troubles reveal problems with direct-selling models

  

  Tupperware’s stock tumbled yesterday after the company revealed it would need an infusion of investment money to keep afloat. We look at what the saga reveals about so-called “Tupperware parties” and the broader direct-selling model that some brands rely on. Plus, as the tax deadline rapidly approaches, an analysis of how immigrant workers and their families form a crucial revenue stream for all levels of government. And, how the recent spate of labor organizing has led to more workers filing complaints against their bosses — and how an understaffed NLRB is responding. 

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• Apr 11, 2023

  Hopes in Britain for a trade breakthrough as Biden visits Northern Ireland

  

  From the BBC World Service: President Biden is set to begin his visit to Northern Ireland, marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. We look at the American leader’s visit and what it could mean for trade. Plus, it’s the first day of a doctors’ strike in the UK as junior doctors demand a 35% pay increase. And, how the cost of living crisis has put the squeeze on Ramadan celebrations in Tanzania.

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• Apr 10, 2023

  How new regulations could help EVs take over the roads by 2032

  

  The Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly set to adopt new rules on vehicle emissions that could significantly boost the number of electric vehicles on the roads in less than a decade. We look into what happens going forward, and how the standards may affect what cars are on America’s roads by 2032. Plus, economist Julia Coronado walks us through the economic week and how inflation is continuing to remain “sticky.” And, the BBC reports on the economic and business legacy of the Good Friday Agreement that ended The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

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• Apr 10, 2023

  A big week ahead in Washington for the global economy

  

  The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the titans of international finance, start their joint spring meetings in Washington, D.C. this week. We talk with World Bank chief David Malpass about what he’s looking to discuss at the meeting, including the precarious debt positions of developing nations and rising interest rates in advanced economies. And, a look into how workers are dealing with lower wage increases as inflation remains stubbornly high. 

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