Banks borrowed less from the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending programs this week than the week before, a sign that the threat of additional bank runs could be waning. One of those programs is called the discount window, and banks really try to avoid it. We explain why. Plus, a big change in the oil world, and an exploration of the welfare-to-work industrial complex from the latest season of Marketplace’s “The Uncertain Hour.”

The Inflation Reduction Act channels hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy projects. But “electrifying America” could be short-circuited by the nationwide shortage of electricians. Today, we’ll hear from the companies and programs hoping to draw a new cohort of electricians to the field. Also, a preview of tomorrow’s economic data dump, a short-lived urban exodus and five child care workers on the industry’s joys and challenges.

Spring is when flowers, and For Sale signs, tend to start popping up. Today we learned that pending home sales rose for the third straight month in February, which seems puzzling given climbing interest rates. Could it signal a thawing housing market? Plus, a look at the debate about public funds for home-schooling and how a tight labor market benefits the poorest workers.

On this program, we’ve discussed a somewhat confusing dynamic: Consumers are sour on the economy despite a job market that’s historically strong. Today, we’re joined by Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell to help piece the puzzle together and tally inflation’s mental and financial tolls. Plus, why recent banking turmoil may slow nonresidential construction and what one reporter learned walking from Washington, D.C., to New York.

Bank regulators will be heading to Capitol Hill this week, where they’re likely to be grilled by lawmakers over the recent banking turmoil. But they also have to reassure markets and the public that everything’s going to be all right — because if depositor fears escalate, that could spawn yet another crisis. Plus, it’s boom time for certificates of deposit, and anxiety about commercial real estate loans looms over regional banks.

The Federal Reserve will release a report by May 1 on what happened at Silicon Valley Bank. A key part will be how bank examiners, the government employees who monitor a bank’s safety and soundness, supervised SVB. Today, we’ll look at what a bank examiner does — and doesn’t. We’ll also map new home sales and head back to college with some midlife students.

Long gone are the good ol’ days when inflation was described as “transitory.” This month marks one year since the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates to curb inflation, and we chart the relationship between rates and prices, and take stock of where we are. Plus, why some central banks follow the Fed’s lead and how small businesses are responding to banking turmoil.

One way the Federal Reserve oversees the banking system is through “stress tests,” which help determine whether banks can withstand economic disasters. But only the biggest banks are required to undergo these tests. Could Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse change that? We’ll also unpack Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s rate hike remarks, check to see who’s currently hiring and gauge reactions to anticipated charges for COVID-19 vaccines.

A simple economic phenomenon — that rising interest rates push bond values down — is part of what has weighed on financial companies like Silicon Valley Bank. We’ll take a closer look at the relationship and examine how the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes may have contributed to the current banking drama. Then, we’ll hear why the lowest rents are rising the fastest and what the end of additional SNAP benefits means for one mother.

The debacles that engulfed Silicon Valley Bank and other precarious financial institutions have sparked debates over who dropped the ball. Was it a regulatory failure, a supervisory failure, or both? On today’s show, we’ll parse out the answer. We’ll also explore what comes next for Swiss banking, what a Supreme Court case means for Navajo water rights and what small banks are doing to address liquidity concerns.