Eastern Standard: August 6th, 2026

Eastern Standard · Aug 6, 2026 · 52m

In addition to coal, furniture manufacturing was once an economic mainstay in much of Appalachia.(Shutterstock / Shutterstock)

This week on Eastern Standard:

For much of the twentieth century, communities across Appalachia were sustained not only by coal mining, but also by furniture plants, textile mills, apparel shops, steel, glass, machinery, and other forms of manufacturing. But along came a wave of deindustrialization linked in large part to one consequential policy decision: granting China Permanent Normal Trade Relations and bringing China into the World Trade Organization. Appalachian…