You Have Questions About the Economy. We Have Answers.

At a time of enormous economic upheaval and uncertainty prompted by President Trump’s trade war, we asked our listeners what they wanted to understand about this financial moment. Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times, tries to answer some of those questions. Guest: Ben Casselman (https://www.nytimes.com/by/ben-casselman) , the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  • The U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/business/us-economy-gdp-tariffs.html) , in a reading clouded by messy trade data. • Video: How Mr. Trump’s shifting tariffs could accelerate a recession (https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000010102777/how-trumps-shifting-tariffs-could-accelerate-a-recession.html) . For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Photo: Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.