Did you know choosing the train over your car can cut your carbon footprint by up to two thirds?

So, one family outing at a time, one little adventurer at a time, one trip to the museum, one dinner in the city, one nap on the way home at a time.

One train journey at a time can help create a greener future.

So when will you take your next trip? Find out more at nationalrail.co.uk slash greener.

Hey there listeners. Before we begin I wanted to let you know about a live show that we have coming up.

It's going to be on April 19th in New York City at the Bell House and it'll be at 7.30.

You can get tickets at 538.com slash live show. Again, that's 538.com slash live show.

April 19th we really look forward to seeing you there.

Hello and welcome to the 538 Politics Podcast. I'm Gailan Drug.

American government is designed to have components that are not directly accountable to the public.

The Supreme Court is probably the most recognizable example.

The idea is that parts of the system need to be above politics in order to keep everything else running smoothly.

Say a popularly elected president tries to consolidate power? Well, the unelected Supreme Court is there to uphold the Constitution.

In part because of its separation from electoral politics though, the Supreme Court is the subject of a lot of scrutiny.

Whether you think the court is actually above politics or not, you are almost certainly aware of the ways that it can shape your life.

Well in her new book, New York Times reporter Gina Smilak wants to focus our attention on another unelected institution with a lot of power over American life.

The Federal Reserve. And while the Fed has great power, unlike the Supreme Court, Americans on the whole are proud.

Americans on the whole are pretty unaware of the role it plays in their lives.

According to an Ipsos poll, 90% of Americans say their knowledge of the Fed ranges from not much to nothing at all.

Smilak argues that over the past century, through successive crises, the Fed has accumulated the power to choose winners and losers across American markets and society on the whole.

And that if partisan loyalists were to make their way onto the Fed board, that degree of power could be abused.

So the book is limitless. The Federal Reserve takes on a new age of crisis. Gina, welcome to the podcast.

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