Marketplace

Between Christmas Day and the end of the year, a whole slew of government relief programs put into place to help Americans through the pandemic are expiring and there’s no extension in sight. Unemployment assistance, food programs, eviction bans and paused student loan payments will all end before the new year. On today’s show: millions of Americans are about to go over a fiscal cliff. Plus, how the pandemic affected our helium supply and a look at how toy drives are navigating COVID-19.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to worsen across the U.S., and states are starting to impose restrictions similar to those we had in the spring. One key difference this time: There’s no federal relief package. Without another round of something like the Paycheck Protection Program, the outlook for small businesses is bleak. On today’s show: We check in with restaurants preparing for lockdowns.  Plus, a look at the future of the Housing Department and why dating apps are popular during the pandemic.

TFC: The Treasury, the Fed and the Council of Economic Advisers. Janet Yellen is the first to capture this economic version of the EGOT as President-elect Joe Biden reportedly tapped the former Federal Reserve chair to lead the Treasury Department. Yellen, who was the first woman to lead the Fed, would be the first woman to serve as Treasury secretary. On today’s show: We take a look at what Yellen’s appointment means for the shaky U.S. economy. Plus, around 1 in 5 U.S. hospitals are facing a critical staffing shortage, and what an economy centered around Black women would look like.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the Federal Reserve Thursday that he wants his money back. Well, not his money, but rather $455 billion from the CARES Act. The money supported about a half a dozen Fed programs that stabilized credit markets. On today’s show: a look at what the Fed was using that money for, and what it could still do as the pandemic rages on. Later: California has new workplace safety rules, and home births are on the rise during COVID-19.

A report out from Harvard shows the economic fallout from the pandemic is hitting the lowest-income renters especially hard. And two policies that have helped keep renters in their homes — an eviction moratorium and extended unemployment benefits — are set to expire next month. On today’s show: the coming rental crisis. Plus, a conversation with the president of the New York Fed, and why Starbucks and Home Depot are raising employees’ wages.

The deluge of unemployment claims overwhelmed state unemployment systems across the United States at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Laid-off workers waited hours on hold, online application portals crashed and applications sat in the system for weeks or months in limbo. Antiquated equipment and systems have made it a challenge to get aid to the people who need it. On today’s show: Can we fix the unemployment system in the U.S.? Plus, Boeing’s 737 Max planes have been approved for takeoff, and some hackers are trying to rebrand themselves as ethical.

China and 14 other countries — including economic powerhouses Japan and Korea — signed a trade deal over the weekend that covers a third of the global economy. One country not included? The United States. The U.S. has tried to deal with China’s influence over trade before. The Obama administration negotiated the Trans-Pacific Partnership with Pacific Rim countries, but President Trump torched that agreement at the beginning of his term. On today’s show: The U.S. is on the outside looking in. Later, the fate of the U.S. economy once again hangs on consumers and what royals might be saying with their fashion.

The coronavirus continues to surge across the U.S., with more than a 100,000 new cases each day over the past week. Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and the city of Chicago have all issued stay-at-home orders, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday the state is “pulling an emergency brake” on its reopening plans. On today’s show: We check in with the small businesses preparing for another round of lockdowns. Later, why cardboard boxes are in high demand and the odds of a free trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.

No, seriously, who is in charge of the economy right now? President Donald Trump? President-elect Joe Biden? Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell? With millions of Americans still unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic, another relief package couldn’t come soon enough. Powell said Thursday that “we’re recovering, but to a different economy.” We kick off today’s show with a look at who’s taking charge of economic recovery. Later, why kayaks are sold out everywhere and a look at the lessons campaigns learned in 2020 about how to spend their money.

On a normal school day, there would be 850 students learning inside John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore. But these are not normal times. A total of 65 students are at the school these days; it’s one of 15 hubs the district opened to serve students who are struggling with remote learning. And priority is given to children who are homeless or have parents who can’t work from home. On today’s show: a moment of normalcy for about 1,000 of Baltimore’s most vulnerable students. Plus, what a “skinny” COVID-19 relief package means and why steady consumer prices might not be a good thing.