423: The Invention of Money
Weekend At Bernanke's
Though the name of the Federal Reserve includes the word "federal," it's not actually part of the government. It's an independent institution tasked with something very simple, but very huge: Creating money out of thin air. And during this last financial crisis, the leaders of the Fed did things that they would never have considered doing in the past. Alex Blumberg and David Kestenbaum report on what the Fed usually does, and how, since 2008, it's taken a trip to what amounts to Fed Crazytown. (26 minutes)
"We Do (The Stonecutters' Song)" by The Simpsons
More by Alex Blumberg
714: Day at the Beach
Act Two: Beach Doctor
Alex Blumberg talks to Shane Dubow about a time decades ago, when Shane went sea kayaking and camping with his friends on the beach in Baja California, Mexico.
605: Kid Logic (2016)
Act Four: When Small Thoughts Meet Big Brains
Alex Blumberg investigates a little-studied phenomenon: Children who get a mistaken idea in their heads about how something works or what something means, and then don't figure out until well into adulthood that they were wrong.
527: 180 Degrees
Act One: Seeing the Forrest For the Little Trees
Alex Blumberg takes us to an American classroom where students are reading a classic, The Education of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter.