Right now, the American economy is anyone’s guess. Markets swing on a headline, inflation has reshaped household budgets, and debates over trade, taxes, and federal spending have rarely felt more consequential or more complicated.

Catherine Rampell has made a career of cutting through exactly this kind of noise. An MS NOW contributor and former co-host of The Weekend: Primetime, Rampell is one of the most prominent economic journalists in the country – a veteran of The Washington Post, The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, and CNN, known for her rigorous, data-driven approach to the forces shaping our economy and our politics.

Drawing on decades of reporting across the country’s leading news organizations, Rampell will bring sharp analysis and hard-won perspective to the economic questions that matter most – from household finances and labor markets to federal policy, trade, and the broader currents driving uncertainty in today’s economy.

From kitchen-table concerns to big-picture policy, join us for an evening of clarity on the economy that affects us all.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Catherine Rampell is a contributor at MS NOW and economics editor at The Bulwark. She focuses on economics, politics, public policy, and immigration, with a special emphasis on data-driven journalism. She is also a contributor to the public radio show Marketplace. She currently serves on advisory boards for the Journal of Economic Perspectives and for the American Family Survey at BYU.

Previously, Catherine wrote an internationally syndicated op-ed column for The Washington Post, and was a special correspondent at PBS NewsHour. Before that, she worked for The New York Times as an economics reporter and editor; columnist for the NYT’s Sunday Magazine; and theater critic for the Times’s arts section. Before joining MSNBC, Catherine was a longtime economics and politics commentator on CNN, and has also appeared on HBO (Real Time With Bill Maher), MTV, CBS, Comedy Central, and other outlets.

Catherine received the 2021 Online Journalism Award for Commentary, the 2010 Weidenbaum Center Award for Evidence-Based Journalism, and is a seven-time Gerald Loeb Award finalist. She grew up in Florida and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Rachel Davis Mersey serves as SMU’s executive vice president and provost. A visionary academic leader, champion for high-impact research, skilled interdisciplinary collaborator and digital media expert, Mersey joined SMU in June 2025 during a time of extraordinary momentum and growth for the University.

Mersey brings a distinguished background spanning academia, research and industry. In addition to her prior roles as provost and dean of Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas, she has partnered extensively with universities and corporate organizations to research, design and launch new media products. An expert in identity salience, audience behavior and the role of digital media in community building, Mersey leads SMU’s academic enterprise during an era of exceptional upward trajectory, including the University’s attainment of Carnegie Research One status.