logo
episode-header-image
Today
19m 10s

Is the economy slowing? Ask Black women.

NPR
About this episode
Black women’s unemployment rate is hovering at 6.7% — higher than the rate for white workers. Is it a sign the broader economy could sour? These economists say yes.

Black women are the 'canary in the economic coal mine,' says Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman. She's the author of The Double Tax: How Women of Color are Overcharged and Underpaid. Brittany speaks to Anna and Ofranama Biu, chief economist and senior research director at the Maven Collaborative, about why Black women's unemployment is on the rise and why this trend could be a troubling sign for the rest of the country.

Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse

For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Oct 6
If American films are meh...are China’s better?
Hollywood isn't performing as well at home or abroad. Is it losing its cultural dominance to China's burgeoning film industry? ‘Survive until 2025’ was the mantra that got Hollywood through the past five years of lockdown, streaming wars, and franchise fatigue. And while summer f ... Show More
18m 3s
Oct 3
Why do people use ketamine to party?
Recreational ketamine use is on the rise. But why are some people using it to dissociate in the club? Ketamine – a dissociative anesthetic – is illegal without a prescription and can potentially be harmful. Yet, it has had a massive rise in recreational use over the past decade. ... Show More
19m 22s
Oct 1
Should teens have political opinions?
At what age did you have a fully formed political perspective? Did tens of thousands of people listen to you? Well, teens today are more influential than ever.From Charlie Kirk to Greta Thunberg, teenagers and children have long had political influence. But what’s new is that tee ... Show More
22m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
What does DeepSeek AI mean for energy?
It’s a historic moment in energy, with a leap forward in AI technology coming as the Trump administration sets a new direction for the US. The Energy Gang break down what it all means. When they make The Energy Transition – The Movie, the week of 27th January 2025 will be a pivot ... Show More
1h 3m
Sep 30
AI Burns Energy. But Could It Save Even More?
One big drawback of generative artificial intelligence is the vast energy and water that data centers use to power it. But AI also promises to save energy and fuel across industries such as transportation, manufacturing and building maintenance. Amy Myers Jaffe, director of the E ... Show More
12m 25s
Oct 2024
The Next Gen AI Models: Reliable, Consistent, Trustworthy — With Aidan Gomez
Aidan Gomez is the co-author of the "Attention Is All You Need" paper that launched the AI revolution and CEO of Cohere, an enterprise AI company. Gomez joins Big Technology to discuss the myths, facts, and realities of today's AI landscape. Tune in to hear why the real value of ... Show More
45m 17s
May 2024
Can Artificial Intelligence Save the Planet?
What do you think of when you hear the phrase "artificial intelligence?" Does chatGPT or Alexa come to mind? Do you imagine robots taking over the world? What might not immediately come to mind are things like biodiversity preservation, green energy optimization, and water conser ... Show More
1h 9m
Feb 2025
Are Your Conversations With AI Killing the Planet?
Every time users talk to AI chatbots, their queries go to data centers, where stacks of computers do rapid, complex calculations in order to respond. This process requires significant amounts of electricity and water, and experts worry about the environmental cost of this rapidly ... Show More
29m 37s
Jan 2025
Replay - Talking ESG: Can AI be sustainable?
Did you enjoy this episode? Text us your thoughts and be sure to include the episode name.We are revisiting a conversation on Talking ESG that was originally recorded in September at NYC Climate Week to highlight our host and guest appearing together on The Atlantic's podcas ... Show More
40m 57s
Sep 19
Making Cents Out of Watts: What’s Driving Up Your Energy Bills? | Climate One
This is an episode of a podcast we think you'll love, Climate One. A third of Americans say that they've skipped food, medicine, or something else to be able to afford their energy bills. Much of the increase in the cost of electricity is driven by rising demand from artificial i ... Show More
56m 51s
Aug 29
Why Google Wants You to Know the Environmental Cost of AI Queries
If a regular web search isn’t doing it for you, and even a generative artificial intelligence chatbot response leaves you wanting more — you could try “deep research.” Our personal tech columnist tried it out and breaks down how it works. But those queries come at an environmenta ... Show More
12m 23s
Aug 15
China is killing the US on energy. Does that mean they’ll win AGI? — Casey Handmer
How will we feed the 100s of GWs of extra energy demand that AI will create over the coming decade? On this episode, Casey Handmer (Caltech PhD, former NASA JPL, founder & CEO of Terraform Industries) walks me through how we can pull it off, and why he thinks a major part of this ... Show More
1h 8m