What Could Go Right?

Every time we open a news app, we are hit with a fresh wave of economic dread. But why does the financial forecast always sound like a pending apocalypse, even when the data tells a remarkably stable story? Longtime Planet Money contributor Alex Mayyasi joins host Zachary Karabell to offer a badly needed dose of fresh air to clear out the oppressive nature of recent economic news.Mayyasi and Karabell look at the very human reasons behind our financial panic. Mayyasi explains how Wall Street actively profits from keeping the average person confused, why working class wage increases get reported to the rest of us as frightening inflation, and the psychological strange magic of living through a growing economy with the consumer sentiment of the 2008 crash. They also break down the superstar effect, the true cost of service industries, and why the weekend is an artificial human invention worth protecting. Alex just launched a new podcast about food and economics called Gastronomics visit https://www.gastronomicspodcast.com/ to check it out! What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Subscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/

We hear often that freedom of speech is under threat. And it’s easy to feel like things have never been worse in that regard. But is that really true? Dinaw Mengestu, an acclaimed novelist, MacArthur Genius grant recipient, and president of PEN America, joins host Zachary Karabell to examine the true state of free speech in the United States and abroad. Mengestu shares his personal journey of immigrating to the United States from Ethiopia in the early 1980s, and how his childhood shapes his view of the topic and his feeling of belonging in America and the world. Mengestu and Karabell also explore whether the current climate of government pressure and self censorship is a unique historical crisis or simply part of a long standing oscillation in American culture. While advocating for the protection of all speech, Mengestu highlights the very real fears felt by vulnerable populations, especially immigrants facing modern government scrutiny. And In the end both Karabell and Mengestu give their grade of how we are doing as a nation when it comes to the freedom to express ourselves. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Subscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/ Follow him LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zacharykarabell Follow Zachary on X @zacharykarabell