Receipts with Catherine Rampell

Catherine Rampell and Sam Stein discuss Scott Bessent’s strange interview, from his “I am the house” bravado and boasts about Melania’s friends to his temper and possible political ambitions. They also react to Trump’s latest pitch for $5,000 checks and his remarkable claim that he knows more about basically everything than anyone.

Then Jasper Hill Farm’s Mateo Kehler joins to explains how Trump’s trade war with Canada wiped out his cheese company’s fastest-growing export market and why policies sold as a lifeline for American dairy farmers are instead driving up costs and squeezing businesses. 

Catherine Rampell and JVL break down the weak jobs report, the impact of immigration and tariffs on the labor market, and the economic challenges facing Trump’s manufacturing agenda. They also discuss Trump’s ideas for dealing with the national debt, including his suggestion that inflation could help pay it off, and what his attacks on the Federal Reserve could mean for America’s borrowing costs.

Plus, they examine why Republican counties are losing population, the country’s declining fertility rate, the economic consequences of an aging population, and Trump’s reported reliance on Grok to kidnap Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro.

Catherine Rampell and JVL break down the latest economic warning signs, from surging Treasury yields and 7% mortgage rates to the fallout from the Iran war and rising energy prices.

They discuss why Scott Bessent’s efforts to push down bond yields are running into broader problems with inflation, government debt and uncertainty over the war. Catherine also explains why Donald Trump’s proposed diesel export ban could backfire by raising prices for gasoline and other petroleum products while disrupting global energy markets.

Plus, they discuss the growing influence of corporate leaders in the Trump administration, the erosion of the rule of law and what economic uncertainty means for long-term business investment. And they debate Jensen Huang’s argument that students may not need to learn basic math in the age of AI—and what gets lost when foundational skills are treated as obsolete.

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Catherine Rampell welcomes former Obama economic adviser Jason Furman to make sense of an economy that keeps confusing almost everyone. They also talk about Trump’s pressure on the Fed, the White House’s economic spin, the risks of politicizing scientific research, and why Democrats may be learning the wrong lessons from inflation and the affordability crisis.

If you like the kinds of conversations Catherine is having on Receipts, with smart people willing to question conventional wisdom, challenge their own side, and follow the evidence wherever it goes, help us spread the word. Rate and review the show, and recommend it to someone you think would enjoy it. Those small things really do help a new show find its audience. Thank you.

On Receipts, Catherine follows the money, challenges conventional wisdom, and digs into the data behind the biggest economic and political stories of the moment. What’s actually happening? Who’s responsible? And what does it mean for you?