Dean Baker interviews Katie Wilson, Executive Director of the Transit Riders Union and Seattle mayoral candidate, about her "News Notes" proposal—a voucher system that would give residents around $100 in public credits to support local media outlets of their choice. Wilson explains how this democratic funding model, similar to Seattle's existing Democracy Vouchers for political campaigns, would provide an alternative to billionaire-funded journalism by allowing citizens rather than government to directly allocate public media support. The discussion covers the mechanics of implementation, comparisons to existing programs, and the broader goal of strengthening local journalism through community-driven funding.

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In today's episode of Mostly Economics, we speak to Doug Harris, Professor and Chair of the Economics Department at Tulane University, about the recently launched "State of the Nation" project — and why Trump's war on data could undermine its existence in the future.

Visit the State of the Nation Project: https://stateofnation.org/

AFL-CIO Chief Economist Darrick Hamilton explains how decades of failed economic policies created the conditions for Trump's rise—but also reveals why there's reason for hope. The surprisingly effective 2020 economic response wasn't an accident; it was the result of years of grassroots organizing by movements like Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street. Hamilton breaks down how social movements forced politicians to abandon austerity economics during the pandemic, and what it will take to make those changes permanent in the face of Trump's renewed politics of division.