Hello and welcome to the 538 politics podcast I'm Gal Druk, and let's talk about the economy.

This month, both Vice President Harris and former President Trump released a slate of economic

proposals in an attempt to gain the upper hand on the issue most important to voters.

Harris's plan included a so-called price gouging ban on groceries,

restrictions on medical costs, child tax credits, tax increases on the

wealthy and corporations, and more.

Trump pitched an extension of the tax cuts he signed in 2017, an elimination of taxes on Social Security

payments and tips, the tips part Harris has said she agrees with, he also proposed new tariffs

on foreign goods and increased domestic energy production as a way to

slash costs and pay down the debt.

For Harris's part, these were her first major policy proposals since securing the Democratic nomination and they aim to address

one of her most vulnerable areas.

According to a recent ABC News poll, Trump holds a 10-point lead over Harris on handling of the economy and inflation.

All of these economic proposals are being made against the backdrop of an economy that

no one can quite make heads or tails of.

Inflation is finally under 3% a significant achievement for the Federal Reserve,

but the unemployment rate is climbing.

GDP growth was strong this past quarter, but broadly Americans feel like the economy is not so great.

So joining us today to make sense of all of it, as a friend of the podcast, Gina Smilley,

she's a reporter covering the Federal Reserve

and US economy for the New York Times.

Welcome back to the podcast, Gina.

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