Episode 522: Disinteresting Rates

What's the deal with bonds and interest rates? Find out on Words & Numbers, where we will use both words and numbers to get to the bottom of things.

0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

0:42 Free Speech and the First Amendment

7:45 Rutgers Dean Caught Recording Students

09:55 Renaming the Great Lakes “Lake America”

11:41 Foolishness of the Week: George Santos Gets Banned From Kalshi

14:27 Is the Government Running Out of Places to Borrow?

20:24 Why Treasury Investors Are Demanding Higher Returns

22:10 The Federal Debt and the Interest Rate Spiral

24:06 Can the Government Tax Its Way Out of the Deficit?

26:24 Will the Government Eventually Monetize the Debt?

27:43 The Federal Reserve vs. the Treasury

33:05 Scott Bessent’s Plan to Push Interest Rates Down

36:42 Is the Treasury Gambling on Short-Term Debt?

41:37 Is the Treasury Trying to Conduct Monetary Policy?

44:38 Are We Seeing the Beginning of a U.S. Debt Crisis?

49:03 Can Social Security Force Congress to Confront the Debt?

51:35 Closing Thoughts: Find an Excuse to Be Nice