Marketplace All-in-One A small town's fight against ICE
Mar 19, 2026
Garrett Epps, legal affairs editor who covered Newport, Oregon's clash with federal immigration enforcement. Nita Crawford, scholar on the environmental and climate costs of war. Megan McCarty Carino, reporter who tracks labor market data. They discuss a small town's pushback over ICE and a relocated rescue helicopter. They also cover jobless claims, mortgage and pharmacy deserts, and how conflict drives emissions.
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Jobless Claims Signal A Stable Labor Market
- Weekly jobless claims fell to 205,000, signaling a stable job market despite headline layoffs.
- Experts say layoffs at big firms often come with severance and may not show up in claims, keeping macro labor data steadier.
January New Home Sales Plunged Amid Rising Rates
- January new home sales plunged over 17% month-to-month, hitting the lowest level since October 2022.
- Builders and lenders are using incentives like below-market mortgage rates and price cuts to spur demand amid rising rates and recent oil price shocks.
Mortgage Deserts Reduce Local Homeownership Opportunities
- Mortgage deserts are places where few mortgages are used and many sales happen in cash or via investors.
- Causes include vacation second-home cash purchases, investor-heavy suburbs, and low-value housing markets unattractive to lenders.