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Katharine Rampell

3episodes
1podcast

Featured On 1 Podcast

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3 episodes
Marketplace

Inside the "biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history"

Marketplace
25 minAnalyst at the Bulwark and MS Now

AI Summary

→ WHAT IT COVERS The EPA repeals its 2009 endangerment finding that classified greenhouse gases as public health threats, eliminating regulatory authority over emissions. The administration claims this saves $1.3 trillion in costs, but experts warn of hidden expenses from climate damage, regulatory uncertainty, and reduced vehicle efficiency that may offset any savings. → KEY INSIGHTS - **Inflation trajectory:** Consumer prices rose 2.4% annually in January 2024, down from 2.7% in December and 9% peak in 2022. Core inflation excluding food and energy reached 2.5%, the lowest since 2021, though the Fed's preferred gauge remains stuck at 3%, above the 2% target rate. - **Tariff impact timing:** Tariff-related price increases peaked in early 2024 and will decline through year-end as companies complete cost absorption. Appliances, furniture, and new cars show sharp January increases, but forecasts predict only 0.5 percentage points of tariff inflation versus earlier 1.0 percentage point predictions. - **Concierge medicine growth:** Primary care doctors charging annual fees of $2,000 or more nearly doubled between 2018 and 2023. Doctors reduce patient rosters from 3,800 to 600 patients, enabling hour-long appointments versus ten-minute visits, but this intensifies the existing primary care shortage in rural areas and for lower-income patients. - **AI weather forecasting capability:** Deep learning models trained on government weather data now outperform traditional supercomputer forecasts, particularly for tracking hurricanes and cold fronts. These models cost significantly less to run once trained and could extend reliable forecasting from the current seven to ten days out to potentially one month ahead. - **Regulatory uncertainty costs:** Removing emissions regulations creates investment hesitation as companies make ten to twenty year decisions based on expected future policy, not current rules. This regulatory whiplash delays cost-saving investments in efficient technology, even as new clean energy becomes cheaper than coal, potentially eliminating projected consumer savings from deregulation. → NOTABLE MOMENT An environmental policy professor directly challenges EPA claims that repealing emissions regulations saves taxpayers money, arguing the calculation ignores costs from increased extreme weather events including fires, floods, and heat waves that reduce worker productivity, increase illness, and cause deaths beyond any transportation savings from cheaper vehicle manufacturing. 💼 SPONSORS [{"name": "Wealth Enhancement", "url": "wealthenhancement.com/blueprint"}, {"name": "Capital One VentureX Card", "url": "capital1.com"}, {"name": "GitLab", "url": "gitlab.com"}, {"name": "Intuit QuickBooks Payroll", "url": "quickbooks.com/payroll"}] 🏷️ EPA Deregulation, Inflation Trends, Concierge Medicine, AI Weather Forecasting, Climate Policy

Marketplace

The deal with "back door" betting

Marketplace
26 minMSNBC Contributor/Economics Editor

AI Summary

→ WHAT IT COVERS Trump administration escalates trade war with China through massive tariff threats, triggering market selloffs while federal workforce reductions during government shutdown create economic uncertainty and complicate Federal Reserve inflation management efforts. → KEY INSIGHTS - **Trade Policy Impact:** Trump's threatened massive tariffs on Chinese rare earth metals create market volatility and economic uncertainty that damages growth even when tariffs don't materialize, trapping economy in endless cycle of threats and reversals. - **Shutdown Economics:** Federal workforce reductions during shutdown through RIF (reduction in force) processes at Treasury and HHS eliminate traditional economic recovery patterns, creating permanent rather than temporary impacts on regional economies like Washington DC metro area. - **Inflation Expectations Rising:** Consumer inflation expectations jumped to 3.4% over next year per New York Fed survey, complicating Federal Reserve rate cut plans as ongoing tariff threats risk creating persistent inflation beyond transitory price increases. - **Auto Industry Tariff Burden:** Automakers absorb $40 billion in tariff costs equivalent to 40% of global industry profits, with price increases expected in 2026 model year hitting most affordable vehicles under $30,000 that rely on overseas parts. → NOTABLE MOMENT Economist notes presidents typically receive excessive credit or blame for economic performance they cannot control, but Trump demonstrates presidents possess significant power to damage economies through trade wars, workforce deportations, and policy uncertainty. 💼 SPONSORS [{"name": "Odoo", "url": "https://odoo.com"}] 🏷️ Trade Policy, Federal Workforce, Inflation Expectations, Automotive Tariffs

Marketplace

Small businesses walk an affordability tightrope

Marketplace
26 minMS Now and the Borg Reporter

AI Summary

→ WHAT IT COVERS Small businesses navigate affordability pressures by cutting margins, negotiating with suppliers, and reducing services while Fed faces data gaps from government shutdown affecting policy decisions. → KEY INSIGHTS - **Fed Policy Handicap:** September inflation data arrived over month late due to government shutdown, forcing Fed policymakers to rely on private real-time data instead of preferred dashboard metrics. - **Childcare Cost Strategy:** Daycare owner keeps $2,800 monthly tuition flat despite rising costs, plans to make soccer and yoga classes optional to reduce base price by hundreds. - **Grocery Margin Pressure:** Asian grocery store maintains competitive pricing by pressuring distributors for better deals and reducing product variety to increase purchasing leverage with wholesalers. - **Oat Farming Diversification:** Minnesota farmers take losses on oat crops but build local mill processing 4,000,000 bushels annually to bypass Canadian suppliers and create sustainable rotation systems. → NOTABLE MOMENT Netflix plans to acquire Warner Brothers for $83 billion, potentially reducing streaming subscriptions but raising concerns about content removal and fewer platforms for creative pitches. 💼 SPONSORS [{"name": "Faye Gree Drinker", "url": "fayegraydrinker.com"}, {"name": "Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation", "url": "spmcf.org/more"}, {"name": "Odoo", "url": "odoo.com"}, {"name": "Wealth Enhancement", "url": "wealthenhancement.com/blueprint"}] 🏷️ Small Business Strategy, Federal Reserve Policy, Streaming Consolidation, Agricultural Diversification

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