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For workers who have been at home all summer, many of whom lack AC, the heat this summer has been a bigger problem than the past. And it’s only getting worse with a record-breaking heat wave hitting California this Labor Day weekend. Electricity use has decreased overall during the pandemic, but residential energy use is up. Basically, workers — for the most part — are paying for AC themselves. But some states have strict reimbursement laws for working-at-home costs. Plus: hotels are still struggling, only 3% of financial regulators in the U.S. have been Black and talking to kids about money requires honesty.

Under normal circumstances, gaining 1.4 million jobs in August would have been incredible for this economy. But this isn’t any other August, and it comes a few months after the U.S. lost a full 15% of its jobs. On today’s show, we’ll look at the progress the country is making digging out of that hole. Plus: home refinancing, Campbell’s soup and the life of a children’s entertainer in the age of Zoom birthday parties.

First-time unemployment claims were down last week to about 881,000, their lowest point since the pandemic started. But last week was also the first report since the Bureau of Labor Statistics changed how it does seasonal adjustment. That’s a formula the bureau uses so it doesn’t seem like the sky is falling when thousands of seasonal jobs disappear in January. But now the sky really is falling, so the adjustment needed adjusting. We’ll explain. Plus: Farmers’ economic outlook, racial inequities in health and what it’s like running a mall right now.

It’s been nearly six months since the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the U.S. economy. Economic recovery remains sluggish and, as of July, only 40% of the newly unemployed were working again. Now, workers who were temporarily furloughed face permanent layoffs and long-term unemployment, defined as lasting more than 26 weeks. At that point, jobless benefits begin to run out. Plus: E-scooters are back, remittances are rebounding and manufacturing is surging.  

Last year, Black women earned 62 cents on the dollar compared to white men. Now, Black women are among the hardest hit in this recession, and some economists want policy to reflect that. We’re going to spend much of the show today talking about how to rebuild the economy to be more equitable and fair. But first: the economics of K-pop, weighting blankets and Walmart vs. Amazon.

Credit card balances were down $76 billion in the second quarter as Americans cut back on spending. Chase is trying a different tack to get clients during the pandemic: cash back on groceries and drug store purchases. U.S. Bank recently launched a card with perks for takeout and streaming services, and another new card, called Grand Reserve, offers points when you buy wine. Plus: Americans are producing a lot more residential trash and how New York subway cuts could hurt essential workers.

Schools across the country are welcoming students back in person, online or some hybrid of the two. But how are schools handling students’ mental health during this extra-stressful time? Some are using mental health hotlines and virtual counseling while others are offering socially distanced in-person help. Plus: Personal incomes were surprisingly up in July, yet another retail bankruptcy and what trucking has to do with economic recovery.

They have real power, too, and they’re using it. As pros in at least five leagues decline to play in protest of police brutality, we’ll look at what kind of leverage athletes have and what could be coming. Plus, we’ll look at how several small businesses are coping right now and check in with an Iowa farmer after the devastating storm there a couple weeks ago.

Experts say the country needs to be testing for COVID-19 at over five times its current rate. Today, we’ll talk with a testing lab manager in Washington state about how things are going. Plus: The latest durable goods numbers, the economic impact of storm evacuations and a conversation with a Black banker.

Not literally. But, you know, that couldn’t hurt. No, today we’re talking about consumer confidence, which is now at a six-year low. We’ll talk about why consumers are feeling worse, and what it means for the economic outlook. Plus: changes in the Dow, the hottest summer ever and a conversation with a doctor who’s also school board president.

Three decades ago, the wealthiest 10% of Americans owned 79% of the stocks and mutual funds in the market. Now they own 87%. So when Wall Street hits record highs, like it is now, the millions of Americans laid off, furloughed or just squeaking by are largely left out. We’ll talk about it. Plus: Trump’s second-term agenda, the new unemployment benefits now available in two states, that Zoom outage and … yeah, we need a drink. We’ll take you to a new Black-owned brewery in Inglewood, California.

Use of federal food assistance like SNAP has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic, and bringing the service online is likely to drive even more to use it. Today we’ll talk about how the pandemic is changing consumer habits, especially at the supermarket. Plus, the cybersecurity risks of online college and the disproportionate household duties that are pulling women out of the workforce.

Today, on the heels of big market gains and unemployment numbers that seem to be moving backward, we’re reconvening our panel of economic history experts to talk through where things stand. Plus, what political fundraising looks like in a recession, a Portland bar’s final days and the uphill battle facing reopening movie theaters.

After George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, business owner Aurora James called for major retailers to pledge 15% of their shelf space to products made by Black-owned companies. Today, we’ll look at how it’s going. Plus, the story of Soul City, falling rents in New York and San Francisco, and whether college students can expect a tuition refund for canceled in-person classes.

All the kids being schooled at home in the coming weeks will need watching, as well as help with their online learning. And parents — predominantly mothers — will provide that supervision, making it very hard for them to keep working and earning a living. Those out-of-work parents are supposed to qualify for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, but those benefits aren’t easy to get. We’ll talk about why. Plus: the changing pizza market, Walmart’s big earnings report and what it’s like to publish your first book in a pandemic.