What Next: TBD

Cities Are Running Out of Money

Will the U.S. learn lessons from the Great Recession or just repeat the same mistakes?

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Episode Notes

After months of coronavirus lockdowns, cities are taking stock of their finances. The situation is bleak. With plummeting sales and property tax revenue, American cities of all sizes may be facing a budget crisis. What happens when local governments have to cut their budgets by double-digit percentages? Will the federal government learn from the Great Recession and intervene?

Guests:

Minh Nguyen, owner of Cafe TH in Houston

Chris Brown, Houston city controller

Mildred Warner, professor of urban planning at Cornell University

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About the Show

Every Friday and Sunday, Slate’s popular daily news podcast What Next brings you TBD, a clear-eyed look into the future. From fake news to fake meat, algorithms to augmented reality, Lizzie O’Leary is your guide to the tech industry and the world it’s creating for us to live in.

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