Make Me Smart

Latest Episodes:

Keeping calm in the eye of the election storm Oct 28, 2024

Show notes

News outlets aren’t mincing words about the offensive and racist remarks featured at former President Donald Trump’s rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday. We’ll talk about the media backlash to the event, which was intended to be a part of Trump’s closing argument against Vice President Kamala Harris. Then, we discuss reports of ballot drop boxes on fire and give tips on how to ride out the last few days before Election Day. Plus, a story that has us waltzing through our emotions.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Hundreds of Ballots Damaged in Drop-Box Fire in Washington State” from Bloomberg

“No More Euphemisms: Media Gets Real on Trump’s MSG Hate Rally” from Parker Molloy on Substack

Post about the 2024 U.S. presidential election’s impact on Europe from Benjamin Haddad on X

“Hear a Chopin Waltz Unearthed After Nearly 200 Years” from The New York Times

We can’t do this show without you. Send us your questions, comments or wild suggestions at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART!

Make Me Smart: Live in Boston Oct 26, 2024

Show notes

Kai and Kimberly host our weekly happy hour episode, “Economics on Tap,” live from the stage of WBUR CitySpace in Boston. We’ll dive into the biggest headlines making waves this week while sipping on our favorite drinks. Plus, Drew joins the stage to host a round of our favorite game, Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“‘Washington Post’ won’t endorse in White House race for first time since 1980s” from NPR

“Exclusive: Europe seeks to underpin Russia sanctions, fearing Trump overhaul” from Reuters

“German finance minister warns of retaliation if U.S. kicks off trade war” from CNBC

“American Airlines Cracks Down on ‘Gate Lice’ With New Boarding System” from The New York Times

“Axiom Space, Prada Unveil Spacesuit Design for Moon Return” from Axiom Space

“Every Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series matchup in two charts” from CNN

“Salem Mayor predicts another record-breaking year of Halloween tourism” from WBUR News

Tweet from Tyler Perry at a Harris campaign rally

“Last-minute Boston-themed Halloween costumes” from WBUR

We can’t do this show without you. Send us your questions, comments or wild suggestions at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART!

How We Survive: The Last Frontier Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

Hey Smarties! We’re on the road to Boston for a live taping of “Make Me Smart” with special guest, historian Heather Cox Richardson. So today we’re bringing you an episode from the latest season of “How We Survive,” Marketplace’s climate solutions podcast. In this episode, Kai Ryssdal and the “How We Survive” team head to the very, very top of Alaska to understand how climate change and national security are converging in the Arctic.

Want to join Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams for our live taping of “Make Me Smart” in Boston on Oct. 25? In-person tickets are sold out, but you can still join us virtually. Get your tickets here.

Texts, emails and the deception of elderly political donors Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

As Election Day looms closer, the emails and texts from campaigns pleading for money continue to flood voters’ inboxes. A CNN investigation found that some of these tactics have misled elderly Americans into giving away millions of dollars. We’ll get into the financial consequences of aggressive campaign fundraising strategies. Then, we’ll discuss how Republican pundits are responding to former President Donald Trump’s shocking statements about military affairs. And, we’ll talk about a payment owed from a defamation case: a luxury New York apartment.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’” from The Atlantic

“How elderly dementia patients are unwittingly fueling political campaigns” from CNN

“Brains and Losses: Aging and Financial Vulnerability to Scams” from Marketplace

“Do presidential candidates really need your money at this point in the race?” from Marketplace

“Giuliani ordered to surrender apartment, valuables to Georgia election workers” from Reuters

Join Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams for a live taping of “Make Me Smart” on Oct. 25 in Boston. In-person tickets are sold out, but you can still join us virtually. Get your tickets here.

Things are changing fast in the home insurance market Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

In the weeks after Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the Southeast, the price to rebuild has become a topic of contention in the home insurance market. For years, home insurers have identified climate change as a threat, cut coverage and increased premiums for properties in disaster-prone areas. But now, home insurers are also using new technologies such as drone footage and artificial intelligence to identify other high-risk areas in urban and suburban neighborhoods.

Then, we’ll get into what headline inflation measures leave out of the cost of housing. And, how do we prepare for the upcoming Election Day in the shadow of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol? Later, we’ll hear from listeners on voting from overseas and the origins of trick-or-treating.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Home Insurance is a Really Big Problem” from Kyla Scanlon on Substack

“Rising insurance costs are making homeownership even more expensive” from Marketplace

“How Higher Property Insurance Premiums Mirror Climate Risk” from Knowledge at Wharton

“How the Home Insurance Market Became So Distorted” from The New York Times

“The Home Insurance Crunch: See What’s Happening in Your State” from The New York Times

“Can lawmakers save the collapsing Florida home insurance market?” from Bankrate

“The Very Real Scenario Where Trump Loses and Takes Power Anyway” from Politico

“America’s Most Famous Inflation Gauge Is Easing — But Some of Your Biggest Expenses Are Left Out” from Bloomberg

Do you have an Election Day tradition? Maybe you like to mail your ballot or treat yourself to coffee after hitting the polls. Let us know what your voting routine looks like at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The rise of pharmacy deserts Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

Across the country, pharmacies big and small are closing. The closures have disproportionately affected rural and low-income communities, leaving residents with limited access to prescription drugs and creating so-called “pharmacy deserts.” We’ll discuss a New York Times investigation about the middlemen driving pharmacies out of business. Plus, should the American Dream be a townhouse? And, introducing the real “househusbands” of Wall Street.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Housing costs are rising everywhere — but especially in swing states” from The Washington Post

“The new American Dream should be a townhouse” from The Washington Post

“The Powerful Companies Driving Local Drugstores Out of Business” from The New York Times

“The real reason Walgreens and other pharmacies are failing” from MSNBC

“Behind Many Powerful Women on Wall Street: A Doting ‘Househusband’” from The Wall Street Journal

Join Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams for a live taping of “Make Me Smart” on Oct. 25 in Boston. In-person tickets are sold out, but you can still join us virtually. Get your tickets here.

Birkin bag buyers and the consumer-driven economy Oct 19, 2024

Show notes

New research from the Federal Reserve shows that wealthier Americans are driving retail spending while lower-income Americans have been squeezed by higher prices. We’ll discuss how this disparity could help explain the United States’ often unexpectedly strong consumer economy, and what the Birkin bag side of TikTok can tell us about this divide. And, Cuba is enduring a nationwide power outage. We’ll explain how a grid failure today has left millions in the dark. Plus, we’ll play a spooky season edition of This or That!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“How to Watch the Bright and Speedy Orionid Meteor Shower” from Smithsonian

“Cuban electrical collapse causes island-wide blackout, paralyzes economy” from The Washington Post

“Wealthier Americans are driving retail spending and powering US economy” from AP News

“Chocolate is on its way out. Why Halloween is about gummy candy now.” from The Washington Post

Join Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams for a live taping of “Make Me Smart” on Oct. 25 in Boston. In-person tickets are sold out, but you can still join us virtually. Get your tickets here.

The risky business of corporate political spending Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

Companies in the United States spend billions in political donations each election cycle with the aim of gaining more influence in government. But all that spending comes with risks. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll explain why many Americans impacted by recent hurricanes will have to wait for disaster assistance from the Small Business Administration and how former President Trump’s plans for mass deportations could send shockwaves through our nation’s food supply chain. Plus, why are tech companies like Amazon and Google investing in nuclear energy?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Why companies spend all that campaign donation money” from Marketplace

“SBA disaster loan program out of money after hurricanes, Biden says” from Axios

“Trump’s proposed mass deportations could ‘decimate’ the US food supply” from Grist

“Trump Faces Tough Questions From Hispanic Voters, but Largely Defends or Dodges” from The New York Times

“Big Tech has cozied up to nuclear energy” from The Verge

“Amazon goes nuclear, to invest more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors” from CNBC

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

The rise of the podcaster’s political capital Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

Vice President Kamala Harris has been sitting down with popular podcasts like the “The Breakfast Club,” Call Her Daddy,” and The Howard Stern Show. We’ll get into what the campaign strategy can tell us about voters, our fragmented media environment and the future of news. Plus, lower interest rates mean the end of a golden period for savers. And, the return of panda diplomacy and a new life for a beloved maple tree.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Harris Slams Trump in Interview With Charlamagne Tha God: 5 Takeaways” from The New York Times

“Former President Barack Obama’s Team Clarifies His Recent Comments Made Toward Black Men” from The Shade Room

“Savers Bid a Sad Farewell to Higher Yields” from The Wall Street Journal

“Georgia voters motivated by Harris-Trump contest flock to polls in record numbers on first day” from GPB News

“D.C.’s new giant pandas arrived at National Zoo: Meet Qing Bao and Bao Li” from The Washington Post

“A Beloved Maple Tree Had to Come Down, But It Lives On” from The New York Times

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Mining and the clean energy paradox Oct 15, 2024

Show notes

Today we’re talking about a key piece of the global transition to renewable energy: metals. Specifically, metals like copper, lithium and cobalt that we need to build wind turbines, electric vehicles and to improve our energy grid. Vince Beiser, author of the forthcoming book “Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future,” said we’ll need hundreds of millions more tons of these metals. But mining them comes at a cost. On the show today, Beiser explains the environmental and social consequences of mining for these metals, China’s dominance over the supply chain, and ways to make the transition to renewables more fair. Plus, why mining in space is a pipe dream, at least for now.

Then, we’ll get into how the U.S. dairy industry could be upended if former President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations took place. And, how one listener makes voting a party.

Here’s everything we talked about today: