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 Preview0:42 Free Speech and the First Amendment7:45 Rutgers Dean Caught Recording Students09:55 Renaming the Great Lakes “Lake America”11:41 Foolishness of the Week: George Santos Gets Banned From Kalshi14:27 Is the Government Running Out of Places to Borrow?20:24 Why Treasury Investors Are Demanding Higher Returns22:10 The Federal Debt and the Interest Rate Spiral24:06 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 Treasury33:05 Scott Bessent’s Plan to Push Interest Rates Down36:42 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