Trumponomics

Washington is once again mired in political gridlock, this time involving the Supreme Court. A seat on the highest court in the land has been open since February, and it probably won't be filled until a new president is elected. How do businesses fare in the face of so much uncertainty? For answers, Tori speaks with Al Franken, the junior senator from Minnesota and a former star of Saturday Night Live, along with Bloomberg's Supreme Court reporter Greg Stohr. As an added bonus, Franken shares his thoughts on Donald Trump, the Benchmark theme song, and rumors he may be Hillary Clinton's vice president.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After decades of progress in U.S. mortality rates, scores of white middle-aged Americans are dying or reporting that their health is deteriorating and life is increasingly painful. What does this have to do with the economy, and even the election? More than you might think. To discuss, Tori and Aki talk to Princeton professor Anne Case, whose work with husband Angus Deaton has documented the stunning regression.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For criminals looking to sell drugs, fund terrorism, evade taxes or bribe government officials, cash is king. That's why a growing chorus of academics and policy makers want to do away with high-denomination bills around the world, culminating last week in the European Central Bank's decision to stop printing the 500 euro note. But does this put us on a slippery slope toward a cashless society, where Big Brother can monitor our every financial move? Tori and Aki discuss with Peter Sands, a senior fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School and the former CEO Standard Chartered Bank, whose research helped spark the debate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Puerto Rico missed a $400 million debt payment on Sunday, and bigger, more consequential defaults could follow. But how did things get so bad in the first place? Michelle Kaske, Bloomberg's municipal bonds reporter, joins Dan and Aki to discuss the best- and worst-case scenarios for the U.S. Territory as its next payment deadline approaches.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Affordable Care Act is back in the news, as insurers around the nation complain they're losing money in exchanges designed to bring health coverage to millions of Americans. A host of economic woes have been ascribed to Obamacare, including a higher incidence of part-time work and sour business sentiment, which opponents cite as evidence the federal government shouldn't have tried to remake the health insurance market. Supporters, meantime, argue the law achieved its primary goals and just needs further refinement. They also point to a jobless rate of 5 percent and ask how on earth can it be hurting employment? For both sides of the story, Tori and Dan are joined by Kathleen Sebelius, the former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services who helped shepherd the law through Congress, and Jim Capretta, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center who has spent more than two decades studying U.S. health care policy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Japan's been having a tough time lately. The central bank used unorthodox tools to jumpstart growth -- and has little to show for it. It's closing in on deflationary territory. And now, the nation also has to worry about a strengthening yen, which has the potential to worsen both those issues. Dan and Tori discuss Japan's options, joined by Bloomberg reporter Toru Fujioka on the ground in Tokyo, and Jeff Young, co-founder and chief economist at DeepMacro LLC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Federal Reserve has two mandates: price stability and full employment. Yet now many wonder whether the Fed, like many large and powerful organizations, has outsourced policy. And no, we're not talking about China or Mexico -- but rather to the financial markets. Instead of setting policy and letting markets respond, are investors really in the driver's seat? Is the Fed merely following their cue? Bloomberg's Rich Miller discusses the new dynamic with Dan, while Bob Burgess and Madeleine Lim try to let him know who's boss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems as if everywhere you turn these days you hear the same refrain: The rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor. Economists blame everything from from technology to globalization and tax policies. Now you here's another reason: The rise of associative mating, or when people marry others who share the same educational or socioeconomic status. So how can we fix who we fall in love with? Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institution joins Aki and Tori to discuss the latest research, the downside of online dating and what the future holds for social mobility across the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Home prices are surging around the world and in many of our favorite U.S. cities. It doesn't get much worse than tech-fueled San Francisco, where the price of a single starter home will fetch you 40 houses in Detroit. What can the rest of the world learn from the Bay Area? Ken Rosen of UC Berkeley joins Tori and Aki to discuss, and offers Aki some tips as she prepares to move back to California from Japan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, women in Saudi Arabia know how to drive. They can vote, at least in local elections. And every Saudi citizen, men and women, may be about to see the end of generous, oil-driven subsidies that explain a lack of income taxes and utility costs so low as to be practically free. Change is coming to the House of Saud -- and it's accelerating as the most destructive crash in oil prices in a generation forces the Kingdom's rulers to reset the economy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.