Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Left, Right & Center

Left, Right & Center

Is it time to cut unemployment benefits?

Josh Barro talks with the LRC panel about Republican-led states cutting back on jobless benefits, a ransomware attack on an energy company, and the controversial joys of parenthood.

  • Share
KCRW placeholderBy Elizabeth Bruenig • May 14, 2021 • 1h 0m Listen

Inflation is back! It may not be here to stay — there’s a lot of weirdness in the economy right now — but with wages rising quickly despite surprisingly weak job growth in April, some states are moving to cut off unenhanced unemployment benefits in an effort to drive more Americans back into work. Is that a good idea? Will it work? And will it push back on inflation? Josh Barro talks with panelists Tim Carney and Elizabeth Bruenig about that, and the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack that disrupted gasoline delivery in the Eastern U.S. Why do these ransom attacks happen, and how can we protect ourselves against the next one? Finally: the panel discusses an unexpectedly controversial Mother’s Day essay Liz Bruenig wrote about becoming a mother at 25.

  • KCRW placeholder

    Elizabeth Bruenig

    Staff writer, The Atlantic

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Josh Barro

    Former host of Left, Right & Center

  • KCRW placeholder

    Tim Carney

    Senior columnist, Washington Examiner

  • KCRW placeholder

    Sara Fay

    Former producer of Left, Right and Center

  • KCRW placeholder

    Kim Zetter

    investigative reporter covering cybersecurity and hacking

    NewsCultureNationalPolitics
Back to Left, Right & Center