{"podcast":{"title":"Optimist Economy","slug":"optimist-economy-7257068","podcast_index_feed_id":7257068,"rss_url":"https://publicfeeds.net/f/14811/feed-rss.xml","website_url":"https://optimisteconomy.com/","image_url":"https://f.prxu.org/14811/images/160bea8c-1709-420c-9302-11462f46d1b6/20250316_120343_934a657c8303c901ea17b8b7452ae07d.png","author":"Kathryn Anne Edwards and Robin Rauzi","episode_count":62,"summary":"Optimist Economy is the anti-doomscroll economics podcast. Work rules, tax fairness, healthcare, housing costs, retirement security — the economic forces shaping American life have real problems. But also real solutions. Each week, economist Kathryn Anne Edwards and editor Robin Rauzi break down one problem and solution with data, history, humor, and a belief that tools to build a better economy exist. We just haven't tried them. New episodes on Tuesdays. ✨ Support the podcast at: optimisteconomy.com ✨ Ask questions or share your economic worries with us at: optimist.economy@gmail.com","last_synced_at":"2026-07-07T18:17:17.071935+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/optimist-economy-7257068"},"episode":{"title":"The 2026 Economy: Make it Make Sense","slug":"the-2026-economy-make-it-make-sense","published_at":"2026-05-05T08:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/optimist-economy-7257068/the-2026-economy-make-it-make-sense","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/optimist-economy-7257068","url":"https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_14811_1930983f-f418-45e0-a755-b6e3bf109f0f&uf=https%3A%2F%2Fpublicfeeds.net%2Ff%2F14811%2Ffeed-rss.xml","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/sblTq32fyWAjsHzze2LG/dovetail.prxu.org/14811/1930983f-f418-45e0-a755-b6e3bf109f0f/215_EconCheckUp_Final.mp3","summary":"Consumer sentiment is in the basement. Jobs aren't being added. Prices keep climbing. GDP barely grew at the end of 2025, and a ‘meh’ 2% last quarter. Shouldn’t this be a recession? Not so far. Economist Kathryn Anne Edwards walks through the clear cause of each bad number: Tariffs explain the prices and foul mood. Mass deportations explain the jobs. The government shutdown explained last quarter. Still, knowing the passing reasons for economic pain doesn't make it hurt less. And none of it changes the long-term economic reforms we still need. Chapters: 00:01:06 Announcements 00:01:57 Retcon: Wealth at retirement 00:03:52 Terms & Conditions: Recession, Slack, Tight, Loose, Goodflation/Badflation 00:09:10 Centerpiece: What is going on with the U.S. Economy right now? The vibe is don’t panic. But don’t not panic. 00:53:38 Executive Orders: Free work parking. Legislators do their own taxes. 00:55:00 Spiritual Sponsors: Genre-specific bookstores and great newstands Donate to Optimist Economy: https://optimisteconomy.com Hey, we are on Facebook ! Follow us! Or, on Instagram at ⁠⁠ @optimist_economy or TikTok at ⁠⁠ @optimist_economy . Or on the Optimist Economy YouTube channel⁠⁠ . Chat with other Optimists on Substack. You need this hat: https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy Send us your economic questions and concerns at optimist.economy@gmail.com","meta_description":"Consumer sentiment is in the basement. Jobs aren't being added. Prices keep climbing. GDP barely grew at the end of 2025, and a ‘meh’ 2% last quarter. Sho…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3492,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/optimist-economy-7257068/episodes/the-2026-economy-make-it-make-sense/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/optimist-economy-7257068/the-2026-economy-make-it-make-sense.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}