John Ydstie
John Ydstie has covered the economy, Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve at NPR for nearly three decades. Over the years, NPR has also employed Ydstie's reporting skills to cover major stories like the aftermath of Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He was a lead reporter in NPR's coverage of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession, as well as the network's coverage of President Trump's economic policies. Ydstie has also been a guest host on the NPR news programs Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Ydstie stepped back from full-time reporting in late 2018, but plans to continue to contribute to NPR through part-time assignments and work on special projects.
During 1991 and 1992, Ydstie was NPR's bureau chief in London. He traveled throughout Europe covering, among other things, the breakup of the Soviet Union and attempts to move Europe toward closer political and economic union. He accompanied U.S. businessmen exploring investment opportunities in Russia as the Soviet Union was crumbling. He was on the scene in The Netherlands when European leaders approved the Maastricht Treaty, which created the European Union.
In August 1990, Ydstie was one of the first reporters on the scene after Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army invaded Kuwait. He accompanied U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia as a member of the Pentagon press pool sent to cover the Iraqi invasion for U.S. media outlets.
Ydstie has been with NPR since 1979. For two years, he was an associate producer responsible for Midwest coverage. In 1982, he became senior editor on NPR's Washington Desk, overseeing coverage of the federal government, American politics, and economics. In 1984, Ydstie joined Morning Edition as the show's senior editor, and later was promoted to the position of executive producer. In 1988, he became NPR's economics correspondent.
During his tenure with NPR, Ydstie has won numerous awards. He was a member of the NPR team that received the George Foster Peabody Award for its coverage of Sept. 11. Ydstie's reporting from Saudi Arabia helped NPR win the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award in 1991 for coverage of the Gulf War. In 2016, Ydstie received a Gerald Loeb Award for financial reporting for his contributions to an NPR series on financial planning.
Prior to joining NPR, Ydstie was a reporter and producer at Minnesota Public Radio. Ydstie is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he is now on the Board of Regents. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, with a major in English literature and a minor in speech communications. Ydstie was born in Minneapolis and grew up in rural North Dakota.
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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said tariffs on U.S. allies were necessary to prevent China from "trans-shipping" goods through those countries. He also said China would not change its policies if the U.S. doesn't continue to apply pressure.
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The Fed boosted a key interest rate again — its seventh hike since 2015. The move, which was expected, will trigger higher rates on credit cards, home equity lines and other kinds of borrowing. -
The U.S. steel industry has enjoyed protection from foreign competitors since the 1790s. It says new import tariffs are actually just leveling the playing field and shouldn't be labeled "protection." -
President Trump says he intends to impose stiff tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Many experts say the costs of such a policy will far outweigh the benefits.
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The president promised steel and aluminum executives that he will levy tariffs on imports of their products in coming weeks. The tariffs will be 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminum. -
"Baby Bonds" are back in the news. Two professors presented their idea to do something about widening inequality to an economics conference. They suggest creating an education trust fund for each newborn. The grants — ranging from $500 to $50,000 — would be on a sliding scale tied to household income.
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The House tax plan differs significantly from the version being sculpted in the Senate. Both plans seem to agree that a big corporate tax cut is needed. The president wants a tax measure by Christmas.
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Both tax proposals in the House and the Senate would add about $1.5 trillion to the nation's debt over the next 10 years. That's a big concern for many economists and some lawmakers.
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Economists say the pickup in wages has been sluggish. One possible reason is that high-earning baby boomers are leaving the workforce. And some people aren't looking to work because wages are too low. -
A big part of Donald Trump's proposed tax cut would go to corporations. The president-elect says that will fuel investment and growth; critics say the plan would explode the federal budget deficit.
