1. The Economy Is Weird Right Now NPR 14:29

Unemployment in the United States is near record lows, wages are growing quickly, and spending in the service sector is increasing as the pandemic lulls.

But there’s also some worrying news: more job openings than people who want to fill them, global economic uncertainty stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and so much demand for consumer goods that the supply chain is struggling to keep up — forces that have all helped to drive inflation.

Can the Federal Reserve calibrate its response in a way that won’t tip the country into a recession? And what view of the economy will voters have come the November midterm elections?

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley.

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