Episodes

  • The Measurement Problem

    The Measurement Problem
    Jun 20 2026
    Inflation is the number everyone quotes and almost no one understands — not because the math is hidden, but because what we choose to measure, and what we quietly leave out, is a political decision dressed up as a statistical one. This week, we pull apart how the Consumer Price Index actually gets built, who benefits from the way it's constructed, and why the gap between the official rate and what people feel in their daily lives isn't a perception problem — it's a design feature. If last week was about the credit infrastructure no one was watching, this week is about the economic scoreboard we're all watching wrong. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    31 mins
  • The Quiet Consolidation

    The Quiet Consolidation
    Jun 19 2026
    While headlines chase the drama of bank collapses and interest rate decisions, a slower and more consequential shift is reshaping who actually controls credit in America — and most people won't notice until they need a loan. This week, we trace the decade-long migration of lending power from regulated banks into private credit markets, the institutions now sitting at the center of that system, and why the rules written after 2008 may have accidentally built the next blind spot. It's not a scandal. It's a structural drift — and that's exactly what makes it dangerous. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    34 mins
  • The Receivership Belt

    The Receivership Belt
    Jun 18 2026
    Dozens of American cities are quietly surrendering financial control to state-appointed overseers — not through drama or headlines, but through the slow arithmetic of pension obligations, shrinking tax bases, and deferred decisions finally coming due. This week, we trace the infrastructure of municipal fiscal collapse: who actually holds the levers when a city can no longer govern itself, what gets cut first, and why the places it's happening are rarely the ones you'd expect. If last week's insurance story was about private markets quietly pricing out risk, this one is about public institutions quietly running out of road. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    32 mins
  • The Influence Machine

    The Influence Machine
    Jun 15 2026
    While everyone debates political polarization, a different story is hiding in plain sight: how foreign governments have quietly mastered the art of corporate lobbying to shape American policy. We trace the sophisticated networks that turn economic relationships into geopolitical leverage—and why traditional foreign influence laws can't keep up. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    20 mins
  • The Quiet Coup

    The Quiet Coup
    Jun 14 2026
    While headlines chase political theater, a fundamental shift in economic power is happening in plain sight. We examine how private equity has quietly captured entire sectors of American life—from healthcare to housing to local news—and why this concentration of ownership might be the most important story no one's talking about. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    19 mins
  • The Attention Cartel

    The Attention Cartel
    Jun 13 2026
    While we debate content moderation and free speech, a handful of companies have quietly built the infrastructure that determines what billions of people see, think about, and care about each day. We examine how recommendation algorithms, trending topics, and push notification systems have become the new editors-in-chief of human consciousness—and why their business model might be incompatible with informed democracy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    23 mins
  • The Price of Certainty

    The Price of Certainty
    Jun 12 2026
    Why markets react faster to rumors than governments do to crises, and what this reveals about where real power actually lives. We examine how financial incentives have quietly restructured the flow of information in ways that make some voices impossibly loud while rendering others effectively mute. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    19 mins