Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, counts himself as a data dog. It’s a name for economic policymakers who take the long view and are usually game to wait for more numbers. Goolsbee spoke with “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal about his voracious appetite for information and what he calls “the hardest thing that a central bank has to do.” Plus: Sports ticket prices are up 10% in the last year, and California requires retailers to help fund textile recycling.

This week, we’re sharing an episode of another podcast we think you’ll love. “Notes From America With Kai Wright” is a show from WNYC Studios about the unfinished business of our history, and its grip on our future. In this episode, Wright interviews choreographer Bill T. Jones about his groundbreaking dance performance “Still/Here.” Jones shares his reflections on creating such an essential piece of performance art amid the AIDS epidemic and while grieving his own partner, what he learned from spending time with the “survivors” who inspired it, and how “Still/Here” has evolved for a new generation of audiences.

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The value of gold is up 28% since the beginning of the year. And while some see the precious metal as shiny and pretty, central banks around the globe view it differently — as a safe asset during a time of geopolitical tensions. Also on the program: We’ll discuss how markets are responding to this morning’s inflation data, and we’ll hear about a lawsuit against some top universities for alleged financial aid price-fixing.

Later this morning, we’ll get the consumer price index for September. While inflation is way down from its peak in June 2022, consumers are frustrated with persistently high prices. We’ll hear more. Plus, how does a Nobel win in literature influence book sales? We’ll hear from the publishers of last year’s Nobel laureate, Norwegian playwright and author Jon Fosse, about how they dealt with a surge in demand.

From the BBC World Service: Ratan Tata was one of India’s most internationally recognized industrialists. The tycoon oversaw a 50-fold rise in profits in his two decades as chairman of Tata Group and acquired brands like carmaker Jaguar Land Rover. He died at age 86. Also: How is Swedish furniture giant Ikea going to hit its eco targets? Plus, the drugmaker behind Zantac agrees to a huge payout.

The new kid on the block of social media, Meta’s Threads, hit 200 million active users in August. When it launched in the summer of 2023 as a rival to the platform formerly known as Twitter, Meta said the app would eventually be integrated into the so-called fediverse. This “federated universe” is the most prominent example of a decentralized social network in which users can join any affiliated platform and interact with content from all the others. Recently, Meta took some steps to integrate Threads into this ecosystem, and Will Oremus, tech news analysis writer for The Washington Post, has been following the developments.

Total damages from Hurricane Helene in the United States could cost $250 billion. But only a small fraction of homeowners have flood insurance. As another major hurricane looms, we’ll unpack why coverage is becoming so expensive that many Americans choose to go without. Plus, some news you can use about communicating during an emergency, and how zoo workers and animals ride out big storms.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Kamala Harris Has Raised $1 Billion Since Entering 2024 Presidential Race” from The New York Times
• “CBS ’60 Minutes’ airs two different answers from VP Harris to the same question” from Fox News
• “Most U.S. homeowners hit by Hurricane Helene don’t have flood insurance” from CBS News
• “Hurricane Milton could cost insurers up to $100 billion, analysts say” from Reuters
• “The flood insurance crisis facing Americans” from Axios
• “‘We’ve used hallways, we’ve used bathrooms’: How zoos protect animals when hurricanes hit” from BBC News
• “Tampa zoo and aquarium staff to ride out Milton with the animals” from The Washington Post
• “When Cell Service Is Down, You Can Send iPhone Texts via Satellite” from The Wall Street Journal

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

As the Southeast assesses Hurricane Helene’s damage, Milton barrels toward Florida’s west coast. The proximity of the storms will make it harder for homeowners and insurers to estimate each one’s impact — and likely drive up recovery costs. Also in this episode: Corporate bonds shine after the Fed’s rate cut, the mortgage rate honeymoon is over and Nebraska’s elections attract major campaign spending — along with some odd yard signs.

Medicare does not pay for general, long-term care. Now, Kamala Harris, the Democrat’s candidate for president, wants to expand Medicare to pay for long-term care for older people in their home. That would need an amenable new Congress, but many families are presently left trying to piece together care for older relatives. Also on today’s show: potential structure changes to Google and the rising value of the U.S. dollar.

In a time of fraught political polarization, it’s hard for companies to decide whether to take political stands or remain quietly on the sidelines. Today, as a continuation of our Office Politics series, we’ll hear why some places that once mixed business and politics may be keeping a lower profile now. Then, nearly a month into a strike, negotiations between aerospace giant Boeing and its union members have broken off. We hear why.