Today we’re trying to resolve a paradox. Inflation is on the rise in America, yet interest rates are getting lower still. On the one hand, there’s word this morning the Consumer Price Index went up three tenths percent in April, the most in 10 months. Yet, look at benchmark interest rates. To look at this we turn to Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago.
And, we been covering an ongoing swarm of protests by fast food workers looking for higher pay in the U.S. Now the protests are going global, involving fast food workers across more than 30 countries, from Argentina to New Zealand. Marketplace’s Krissy Clark has some international comparisons.
Meanwhile, in Jersey City and other towns along the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, small-scale entrepreneurs are taking aim at that urban ritual of waiting for the darned bus. Private operators of mini-buses now ply the streets. Amid questions about safety and traffic, there are new regulations on the way. Marketplace’s Dan Weissmann takes us to the “Wild West” of the Hudson.
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