Housing affordability is on everyone’s mind — a new survey shows it’s a “somewhat to very important issue” for the majority of voters, especially younger ones. We’ll discuss whether housing has historically determined elections and get realistic about what a president can do about housing prices. We’ll also look at how the government measures housing costs for homeowners, even if their mortgages are paid off. Plus: The history of all-you-can-eat deals.

The job market is weakening, according to recent data. Higher unemployment is a good sign — if you’re the Federal Reserve and want to cut interest rates. It’s bad, of course, if you’re a job seeker. We tackle this paradox in today’s episode. Plus: Cities adjust their tech-hub dreams, improved hurricane forecasting saves billions in damage, and Black workers pay a high price in the clean energy transition.

Well, the Federal Reserve decided to stand pat on interest rates for now — and said it may make just one cut this year. In this episode, we break down the Fed’s latest move and look at which sectors are feeling the “lag effect” of rate hikes. Plus: Daycares are likely to raise prices as federal pandemic funding runs dry, and Fannie Mae’s chief climate officer says we should prepare for climate risk to become a bigger factor in the housing market.