Episode Details

The rising cost of housing continues to be a huge problem for millions of Americans. But, of course, as just about any average person can also confirm, lack of affordability is not just a problem confined to housing – it’s spreading across the U.S. economy in dozens of areas. So, what’s going on here? During the COVID pandemic, we knew precisely what was going on – a huge drop in supply that was giving rise to rapid inflation, and that problem was rapidly and successfully addressed during the Biden presidency.

So why are prices going up again and what should elected leaders be doing about it? Recently Newsline got a chance to discuss these and some related matters in an extended conversation with NC State extension economist and professor emeritus Mike Walden.

In Part One of our extended conversation, we discussed the affordability crisis that’s plaguing millions of average Americans – and how President Donald Trump’s tariffs are contributing to the problem and undermining the bold promises he made to Americans during the 2024 election.

In Part Two of our chat, we dug deeper into some of the economic challenges that confront the nation, including the impact of artificial intelligence, the changing nature of work, the ongoing disinvestment in research in higher education and the soaring costs of health care.

Click here to listen to the full interview with economist Mike Walden.

Editor’s note: This is a rebroadcast of our interview from Dec. 7, 2025.