Feb 23, 2022

With eyes focused on Ukraine, another crisis unfolds in Afghanistan

Afghan people walk through a street along a market in Kabul on October 28, 2021. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Though the Russia-Ukraine crisis has drawn a lot of attention recently, humanitarian and economic crises are still playing out in Afghanistan.

Segments From this episode

Let's look at the future of sanctions, shall we?

Kai looks at S.W.I.F.T., a Belgium-based cooperative, and why the global financial messaging system is part of the conversation about sanctions on Russia.

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Aging housing stock fuels home improvement boom

by Amy Scott

Feb 23, 2022

Among the beneficiaries: Lowe's and Home Depot.

Lowe's and Home Depot, chains that sell renovation products, reported strong financial results this week. The trend is tied to the undersupply of new homes.

Mandel Ngan/AFP Getty Images

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Does the torrent of government data make economists better at predictions?

by Matt Levin

Feb 23, 2022

FRED, a popular government website, started tracking 30 kinds of data in 1991. Now it tracks 800,000.

The 800,000 types of data that FRED tracks are basically irresistible to economists.

Creative/Getty Images

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For this flower company CEO, it’s not just about growth

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst

Feb 23, 2022

After laying off more than 200 people, Christina Stembel hopes to cultivate a healthy company — not just a growing one.

Christina Stembel, CEO of the direct-to-consumer company Farmgirl Flowers, said inflation and Apple’s new privacy policy are forcing her to pass higher costs on to customers.

Courtesy Farmgirl Flowers/Anna-Alexia Basille

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Adventures in Housing

Why this couple traded an apartment in Atlanta for a 27-foot sailboat

by Maria Hollenhorst

Feb 23, 2022

As housing costs rise, some are taking #vanlife one step further by leaving the solid footing of land. Instead of paying rent, they drop anchor.

Sunni Blanning and Brandon Bunch on the sailboat they call home.

Courtesy Blanning

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What is the current state of Afghanistan's economy?

by Kai Ryssdal and Richard Cunningham

Feb 23, 2022

Afghanistan was on the precipice of a humanitarian disaster, and it fell off that precipice, said Madiha Afzal at the Brookings Institution.

People shop at a vegetable market in Kabul in January. Since the Taliban takeover, an estimated 22.8 million Afghans are facing life-threatening food insecurity.

Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images

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The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I

Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer

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