Feb 26, 2021
Biden expands federal unemployment aid eligibility
Federal unemployment aid eligibility is being expanded to three additional categories of workers.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
There's some fine print that could help people with job trouble during the pandemic. Plus, the latest readings on consumer spending, household incomes and inflation. Also, subsidies for lower-income Americans to get better internet access. And, with Democrats ascendant in Washington, could there be some national deregulation of marijuana?
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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Those fears about inflation and higher interest rates are top of mind again with the latest data on January incomes and consumer spending out
There were surges in household income and consumer spending in January. “We have never, even going back to World War II, seen so much spending by the federal government in such a short period of time,” said Christopher Low, chief economist at FHN Financial. “And that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a bad thing, it just means it’s very hard to put a handle on what the economic impacts are going to be.” Low said the fear piece is that it is possible the economy could overheat and we could see higher inflation. That would mean the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates sooner than expected.
FCC finalizes rules for money to help low-income households get discounts on internet service, laptops or tablets
Marketplace’s Kristin Schwab has more.
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David Brancaccio
Host
Victoria Craig
Host, BBC
Stephen Ryan
Senior Producer, BBC
Jonathan Frewin
Producer, BBC
Daniel Shin
Producer
Jay Siebold
Technical Director
Meredith Garretson Morbey
Senior Producer
Alex Schroeder
Producer
Erika Soderstrom
Producer
Rose Conlon
Producer
Brian Allison
Technical Director
