This week on TrendsTalk, ITR Economist and Speaker Michael Feuz explains why 2026 is setting up to deliver more economic growth than 2025. He highlights the key “ingredients of growth” already in motion, from resilient consumer spending to rising B2B activity and expanding corporate cash levels. Michael also addresses a critical pain point for leaders: margin pressures that will intensify as growth accelerates.

How should businesses prepare for this next phase? Tune in for guidance on capacity planning, efficiency, and protecting the bottom line. What steps are you taking to get ready?

Why 2026 Is Shaping Up To Be a Strong Growth Year

Explore the roadmap to building an economy between Earth and the Moon—fuel depots, tugs, and industries that will launch humanity into a solar-wide civilization.

Go to the link: https://imprintapp.com/isaacarthur to get 25% off an annual membership

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Credits:
Developing a Cis-Lunar Economy
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images & Sergio Botero
Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic & Stellardrone & Chris Zabriskie

Chapters
0:00 Intro
3:41 The Map: Key Orbit & Chokepoints
12:41 The Stack (Infrastructure Layers)
17:40 A Day in the Life of a Space Tug Pilot
18:29 Imprint
19:28 Putting It Together 
20:42 What We Sell
23:40 From Cis-Lunar to Solar Civilization

Developing a Cis-Lunar Economy

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch dig into the disconnect between strong Black Friday spending and a public mood shaped by rising costs, economic anxiety, and slipping approval numbers for President Donald Trump. They explore why so many Americans feel poorer despite higher overall wealth, how regulation and subsidies have distorted key markets like housing and health care, and what to make of polling that shows young voters warming to democratic socialism.

The conversation then turns to the war crime allegations against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who allegedly gave the orders to "kill everybody" on Venezuelan boat strikes that resulted in the killing of survivors, and what limits actually exist on the use of military force. The editors also examine a new federal ban on hemp products and the damage it could inflict on a growing legal industry. A listener asks whether recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions signal a troubling erosion of constitutional protections, and the group takes time to reflect on the legacy of playwright Tom Stoppard and his long association with free speech and small government ideals.

Join us this Thursday, December 4, at 2:30 p.m. ET for a special live edition of The Reason Roundtable as part of our annual webathon. Send your questions for the Reason editors to podcasts@reason.com with "Webathon" in the subject line.

Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaOOdtJqzmY

0:00—Economic anxiety and standards of living

18:45—War crime allegations against Hegseth

32:09—Federal hemp ban threatens industry

37:35—Listener question on ICE constitutionality

46:45—The legacy of Tom Stoppard

56:31—Weekly cultural recommendations

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Is Economic Anxiety Driving People to Socialism?

Nationwide's Senior Economist Ben Ayers and Economist Daniel Vielhaber discuss the impact that deregulation could have on home construction, the prospect of a 50-year mortgage, and how these factors could improve the supply and affordability of homes. [NFM-22911AO]

Can deregulation be the key to home affordability?

The Girl Scouts have always held a special place in Elicia Pegues Spearman’s life.
“My mother was a Girl Scout Brownie when she was growing up,” Pegues Spearman told the CBIA BizCast. “I was a Brownie here in Connecticut, and my daughter was a Girl Scout, and I was a coach, troop leader.”
Despite that history, Pegues Spearman never imagined leading Girl Scouts of Connecticut.
“I’ve enjoyed my career as a lawyer,” she said. “I’ve had a really good career.”
Her career included legal counsel and HR roles at the State of Connecticut, the FBI, Aetna, Hubbell Incorporated, General Dynamics Electric Boat, and Quinnipiac University.
She reconnected with Girl Scouts in 2022 when she received a Breakfast Badge, an award honoring woman for community contributions.
She stayed in touch with the then-CEO and, in 2024, became CEO herself.
“The Girl Scouts is a lot of fun,” she said about making the career shift. “I don't like to be bored.”
While cookies often come to mind when you think of the Girl Scouts—it’s the organization’s biggest initiative teaching entrepreneurship, customer service, and money management—the organization’s purpose runs deeper.
“We are more than cookies, camps and badges,” Pegues Spearman said.
“Our whole mission is to build girls of confidence, character, and courage.
“To do that, we have many programs and skill building that build leadership development that our girls are involved in.”
Pegues Spearman said the Girl Scouts of Connecticut focus on outdoor skills, life skills, business skills, and STEAM education.
Pegues Spearman highlighted Camp Sikorsky and Camp CEO as examples of programs that give girls experiential learning opportunities.
The Girl Scouts of Connecticut focus on outdoor skills, life skills, business skills, and STEAM education.
“I just feel like we're giving them the secrets to success earlier on in their lives,” Pegues Spearman said.
“They kind of have a roadmap about what it means to be successful.”
One of the best parts, she said, is watching girls interact and grow in confidence.
“Seeing that sparkle in their eye and that like, ‘wow, I just did that,’” she said. 
As the leader of a nonprofit, Pegues Spearman said being successful means navigating challenges.
“I think the biggest challenge is obviously resources. We're a nonprofit. We have tight budgets, and we depend on volunteers,” she said.
Pegues Spearman credits her team of paid employees and volunteers for the success of the organization.
“My staff loves our mission, and we work every day with that mission in mind,” she said. “It's easy when you’re supporting youth.”
As part of its mission, the Girl Scouts of Connecticut is working to expand access for girls of all abilities and backgrounds, with a special focus on underserved communities.
“We want all girls of all abilities to be able to access Girl Scouts,” she said.
In addition to her role with the Girl Scouts, Pegues Spearman serves as the North Atlantic Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
The sorority is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women.
Pegues Spearman said she finds natural alignment between her work with the sorority and her role with the Girl Scouts.
“Being the leader of the Girl Scouts, going to an all-women’s college, being in an all-women’s sorority—it's natural for me to be involved with girls and youth,” she said.
“This is my special passion—to mentor girls and have them be their best and have them try things they would have never tried.”
Related Links:
Girl Scouts of Connecticut
Website: https://www.gsofct.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gsofct/
Elicia Pegues Spearman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliciaspearman/

CBIA
Website: https://www.cbia.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cbia/

Giving Girls a Roadmap to Success

Director of Treasury Management Sales Eric Lien says falling rates create both opportunities and challenges for businesses: cheaper borrowing, lower yields on cash and a need for smart “future-proof” planning. He highlights the shift to electronic payments and the importance of debt strategy, benchmarking and staying alert to economic signals.

12/04/2025: Eric Lien - Future-proofing your financial strategy in changing rate cycles

A playful trap-rap satire about money, markets and modern life
Where every snack costs your soul and even hunger’s gone digital.

BlackRock’s Blackjack (don’t forget to eat)

Ray speaks with Oak Bluffs Selectmen Mark Leonard and Sean Debettencourt (who are also leading the charge with the recently formed Oak Bluffs Economic Development Workgroup). With about 15% in commercial vacancies - mostly all happening in 2025 - Sean and Mark discuss the need for community involvement and outside the box ideas to help revitalize business on Circuit Avenue.

This program is supported by Cronigs Market, Morning Glory Farm, and MV Wine and Spirits

Vineyard Current - December 7th, 2025 (Oak Bluffs Selectmen Mark Leonard & Sean DeBettencourt)

The Donald Trump administration revealed the US empire's new plan for global dominance in the 2025 National Security Strategy. The goal is to impose hegemony in the Western Hemisphere, reviving the colonial Monroe Doctrine, to move supply chains out of Asia and bring manufacturing into Latin America via "nearshoring", in order to economically decouple from China and prepare for conflict in Cold War Two. Ben Norton analyzes the important document.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idkurWogst8

Topics
0:00 Summary of US National Security Strategy
2:45 US economic dependency on China
5:25 USA loses China war games
6:45 Why Trump targets Latin America
7:41 Marco Rubio, war hawk
9:34 (CLIP) Marco Rubio on China "threat"
10:17 Main goals of Trump's foreign policy
10:35 Improve Russia relations
11:30 Brief summary of US strategy 
12:01 Western media misunderstands report
13:24 Whitewashing US imperialism
14:45 Obama's pivot to Asia
15:18 Asia is 1/2 of global economy
16:05 Hillary Clinton's "Russia reset"
16:34 Second Cold War aims at China
17:38 Main goals of US foreign policy
21:29 First target: Latin America
23:13 Second target: China
24:37 US dollar dominance
25:47 (CLIP) Trump threatens BRICS
26:16 Weaponizing technology
26:44 Natural resources in Americas
27:27 Hypocritical buzzwords
29:38 Culture war
32:00 Regions targeted by US empire
32:22 Colonial Monroe Doctrine
33:51 "Enlisting" US vassals
35:30 Nearshoring manufacturing
37:58 Militarizing Latin America
39:04 USA threatens countries
40:30 Natural resources
41:30 "US must be preeminent"
41:55 Cutting off Chinese technology
42:58 Goal: "an American-led world"
43:59 US government serves corporations
45:51 Strategy in "Indo-Pacific" region
46:21 Criticizing China's independence
47:17 Pacific: 21st century's "battleground"
47:52 Asia is half of world GDP (PPP)
49:08 Decline of Western hegemony
51:04 Supply chains
51:31 Economic war
52:21 India
55:12 Japan, South Korea, Australia
57:22 Dollar as global reserve currency
57:45 Taiwan
1:01:28 Europe
1:02:20 Russia
1:03:15 EU as captive US market
1:04:47 West Asia (Middle East)
1:05:18 Oil and natural gas
1:06:19 Israel
1:06:56 Africa
1:08:15 Conclusion
1:08:49 Outro

This is the US empire's new strategy for global dominance

This week on TrendsTalk, ITR Economist and Speaker Taylor St. Germain assesses the health of the U.S. consumer and what the latest data means for companies preparing for 2026. Consumer spending continues to rise at a pace above inflation, delinquency rates remain below financial crisis levels, and a growing share of households are paying off full credit card balances.

Consumer Spending Strengthens as 2026 Growth Approaches

Founded in 1968, Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Our podcast offerings include:

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Every Monday, the libertarian editors of the magazine of “Free Minds and Free Markets”—Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman—discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all.

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Reason presents a libertarian-themed debate series recorded monthly before a live audience in New York City. Moderated by former Barron's Economics Editor Gene Epstein, the Soho Forum features Nobel prize winners, radical thinkers, and other public intellectuals facing off over the future of bitcoin, veganism, sex work, illegal drugs, electric vehicles, abortion, robotics, government debt, and other controversial topics.

Some of Associated Bank's most well-respected financial leaders offer their analysis of current events in the financial world. You won't want to miss these conversations. From discussing local commercial real estate to assessing national and global economic trends to dissecting political implications on the banking industry – anything is fair game.

Geopolitical Economy Report is an independent news outlet that provides original journalism and analysis to understand the changing world.

Our mission: We provide the best economic intelligence to reduce risk and drive practical and profitable business decisions.

One of the last radio stations in the United States that not only features local/regional content, but never forgets that radio is a one on one mode of communication. And, of course, we bring you classic rock/folk/world music from the 20th Century, but Americana from the last and this century as well.

A podcast for the business-minded in Connecticut. Interviews consist of business and community leaders who are shaping the future of Connecticut’s economy. The CBIA BizCast provides new content every other week, introduces members of the business community, and tells stories about how businesses are innovating and growing in Connecticut!

BizCast provides new content every other week, introduces members of CBIA staff, and tells stories about how businesses are innovating and growing in Connecticut!

New tracks tagged #economy