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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Jerome Powell's confirmation hearing went smoothly, putting him closer to being confirmed as the Federal Reserve's next chairman. He suggested he'll continue the policies pursued under Janet Yellen. -
In an effort to sell their tax plan, Republicans in both House and Senate have touted the benefits for the middle class. But a close review of the plans reveals that such claims are misleading.
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Janet Yellen says she'll step down from the Federal Reserve Board when her successor as chair is sworn in. Earlier this month, President Trump named Jerome Powell to be the next Fed chairman. -
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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As Fed chair, Janet Yellen helped the central bank largely achieve its mandate to engineer full employment while keeping inflation at a level that fosters growth. -
President Trump could ask Janet Yellen to stay on as Fed chair, but other names are also circulating. Will the next chief lead the central bank to boost rates more quickly than currently planned? -
Farmers say exports are a crucial part of their business and they're warily watching as the Trump administration pushes to remake the long-standing trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. -
The Federal Reserve in October will begin unwinding the extraordinary stimulus it used to battle the Great Recession. That means that over the long run, rates on car loans and mortgages could go up. -
The dollar is down nearly 10 percent since the beginning of the year. That's bad news if you're a tourist traveling to Europe but great news if your U.S. company sells goods overseas.
