America's Economy, Seattle's Rents, And Nancy Pearl's Picks

President Obama On The Economy

President Obama is at Knox College in Illinois today to deliver the first of six speeches on the country's economy, part of an “economic conversation with Americans” over the next two months. While no new sweeping proposals are expected, the President does hope to gain public support ahead of fiscal deadlines coming in the fall. We talk with Peter Coy of Bloomberg Businessweek about what we can expect to hear.Nancy Pearl Recommends

Book commentator Nancy Pearl stops by to recommend summer reading. She says readers should check out, "Winner of the National Book Award," by Jincy Willett. Also by Jincy Willett, "Jenny and the Jaws of Life," and "Amy Falls Down." Nancy also recommends "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

What's Raising Rents In Seattle?

Seattle has added nearly 2,000 apartments this year, but rents have gone up. The average renter in King and Snohomish counties now pays $1,190 dollars a month, a 5.8 percent increase over the past year. So what’s driving the skyrocketing rent prices? We talk with Glenn Crellin of the University of Washington’s Runstad Center For Real Estate Studies.