Make Me Smart

Latest Episodes:

Trump’s no-tax agenda is growing Sep 14, 2024

Show notes

Former President Donald Trump has said he wants to get rid of federal taxes on tips and Social Security benefits. Now he’s adding overtime pay to the list. We’ll get into it. And, could online dating be making income inequality worse? Plus, we’ll weigh in on foldable phones and Friday the 13th superstitions in a game of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Next Up in Trump’s No-Tax Zone: Overtime Pay” from The Wall Street Journal

“Donald Trump Prepares to Unveil World Liberty Financial, a Cryptocurrency Business” from The New York Times

“From Dating to Marriage: Has Online Dating Made a Difference?” from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

“Tech companies commit to fighting harmful AI sexual imagery by curbing nudity from datasets” from AP News

“How Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris could change the election end game” from ABC News

“United Airlines to offer free Wi-Fi using Starlink from Elon Musk’s SpaceX” from CNBC

“Walmart is leaning into fashion. Will the move work?” from Marketplace

“Huawei’s new trifold phone costs more than a 16-inch MacBook Pro” from The Verge

“What is Friday the 13th and why is it considered unlucky? Here’s why some are superstitious” from USA Today

Kimberly Adams is headed to the Mile High City. Join us for a live panel discussion on the singles economy Sept. 23 in Denver. Use promo code “SMART” for a special discount on your ticket. We hope to see you there.

One giant leap for private SpaceX-ploration Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

Today, SpaceX’s crew of billionaire Jared Isaacman and three other private astronauts completed the world’s first-ever commercial spacewalk. We’ll get into it. And, Congress is quickly approaching yet another deadline to avoid a government shutdown. What’s holding up lawmakers from voting on a temporary spending bill? Plus, we’ll break down what’s been going on with oil prices this week and the latest in Apple’s foray into the world of artificial intelligence.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronauts complete 1st private spacewalk (video)” from Space

“Speaker Johnson pulls Wednesday vote on government funding plan amid GOP divisions” from CNN Politics

“House Speaker Johnson pulls government funding bill” from CNBC

“Oil prices close at lowest level since December 2021 as OPEC cuts forecast” from CNBC

“Apple Intelligence comes to iPhone, iPad, and Mac starting next month” from Apple

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

Is the economy really the top issue this election? Sep 11, 2024

Show notes

Last night’s presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump kicked off with a question about the economy — often cited as the top issue for voters. But the discussion that followed was notably light on economic policy. So, can the state of the economy swing this election? And, we’ll get into more takeaways from the big debate. Plus, are run clubs and grocery stores the new dating apps for singles?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Harris-Trump debate takeaways: Clashes on race, abortion, economy” from AP News

“Fact-checking Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s 1st presidential debate” from ABC News

“Trump “less inclined” to do another debate with Harris” from Axios

“First it was childless cat ladies. Now it’s eating cats. How the topic led to ‘ALF’ memes” from Yahoo News

“Love on Aisle 9? A TikTok Fad Fills Grocery Stores With Singles.” from The New York Times

“Run clubs in NYC have just become another oversaturated dating market, singles say” from NBC News

Kimberly Adams is headed to the Mile High City. Join us for a live panel discussion on the singles economy Sept. 23. in Denver. Use promo code “SMART” for a special discount on your ticket. We hope to see you there.

Project 2025 and the fate of the federal workforce Sep 10, 2024

Show notes

Today we’re talking about Project 2025, the 922-page set of conservative policy proposals written as a blueprint for a second Donald Trump administration by the Heritage Foundation think tank.

E.J. Fagan, political science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of “The Thinkers: The Rise of Partisan Think Tanks and the Polarization of American Politics,” said Project 2025 is not your run-of-the-mill policy guide like the ones the Heritage Foundation has written for decades.

“When you read this document, Project 2025, it’s a much different document than previous ones. It is not just conservative policy recommendations, but options that conservatives and a new Trump administration could use to bypass American constitutional government,” said Fagan.

On the show today, Fagan explains how the Heritage Foundation became closely allied with former President Trump, how their Schedule F plan could drastically transform the vast federal workforce and what it could mean for the economy.

Then, we’ll get into what the Chase “ATM glitch” fiasco tells us about the state of financial literacy. And, some good news from the Census Bureau about household incomes.

Plus, a call for a revolt against the penny from one listener and a vocab lesson from another.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Project 2025: The myths and the facts” from Vox

“Trump’s second-term agenda takes aim at federal workforce, union leaders warn” from The Washington Post

“House Republican Agendas and Project 2025 Would Increase Poverty and Hardship, Drive Up the Uninsured Rate, and Disinvest From People, Communities, and the Economy” from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

“What is Project 2025? Wish list for a Trump presidency, explained” from BBC News

“David Sedaris Reads George Saunders” from The New Yorker

“JPMorgan Plans to Report Customers Who Exploited TikTok ‘Glitch’ to Authorities” from The Wall Street Journal

“The real problem with the Chase ‘ATM glitch'” from Axios

“US Incomes Climbed Last Year, Census Bureau Says” from The Wall Street Journal

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Closing the mental health parity gap Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

The Joe Biden administration announced a final rule aimed at making sure insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders is on par with traditional medical benefits. We’ll explain why the Supreme Court’s Chevron decision poses a threat to the rule. Plus, the Supreme Court’s emergency docket is filling up with challenges to Environmental Protection Agency standards. And, we’ll talk about a Paralympic marathoner who opted to help out her stumbling guide, even if it cost her a medal.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Supreme Court Is Swamped With Emergency Appeals, Led by Challenges to EPA” from The Wall Street Journal

“Biden administration finalizes rule to strengthen mental health parity law” from Reuters

“Supreme Court’s Chevron Decision Threatens Decades of Progress in Access to Mental Health Care” from MedCity News

“New Mental Health Rule Introduces Employer Benefit Parity Test” from Bloomberg Law

“Paralympic Marathoner Loses Medal After Helping Her Guide Yards From Finish” 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.

Tax dodgers meet their match Sep 07, 2024

Show notes

The IRS and U.S. Treasury Department announced today the recovery of $1.3 billion from high-income tax dodgers since last fall, citing funding from President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act as the catalyst for increased collection enforcement efforts. And we hear about the a new investigation into airline rewards programs. Plus, we discuss the value of musical-turned-movie remakes during a game of Half Full/Half Empty! And, a little PSA about 401(k)s.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Treasury recovers $1.3 billion in unpaid taxes from high-wealth tax dodgers” from The Associated Press

“Saturn’s majestic rings will vanish in just six months from now” from Earth.com

“The impending private equity blitz on NFL teams” from “Make Me Smart” newsletter

“Airlines such as American, United, Delta, face DOT investigation over rewards programs” from Fox Business

“Dancing With the Stars reveals cast for season 33: ’90s icons, reality stars, Olympians, and a fake heiress” from Entertainment Weekly

“Say Goodbye to Daily Hotel Room Cleaning” from The New York Times

“Adults are cashing in on lemonade stands” from Marketplace

“Movie musicals — yes, including the ‘Joker’ sequel — you could fall for” from The Washington Post

Kick off your weekend with our “Tunes on Tap” Spotify playlist featuring some of our favorite summer jams! Get the playlist here.

Harris throws a bone to the business folks Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

The Harris campaign is proposing a bump in the capital gains tax that’s well below the rate President Biden had put forward. We’ll get into why remixing Biden’s tax plan scored her some points with corporate supporters. And, we’ll explain the fight between Disney and DirecTV that’s causing channel outages for subscribers. Plus, why Medicaid patients are struggling to access GLP-1 weight loss drugs and what the vibes are in the restaurant industry right now.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Harris Tells the Business Community: I’m Friendlier Than Biden” from The New York Times

“DirecTV chief content officer on ESPN blackout: Disney is still mandating minimum penetration” from CNBC

“TV viewers get screwed again as Disney channels are blacked out on DirecTV” from Ars Technica

“Disney networks go dark on DirecTV amid carriage dispute” from Axios

“DirecTV is compensating customers affected by the Disney outage. But they have to take action to get it” from CNN

“Who’s able to get weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy?” from Marketplace

“Restaurant industry still struggles with staffing, consultant says” from Marketplace

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

Where’s the real money in AI? Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

The artificial intelligence company Anthropic is launching a new product targeted at businesses. It’s a step above the company’s consumer-facing products, like its popular chatbot Claude. We’ll explain what it could mean for human jobs. And, we’ll get into the White House efforts to combat Russian-backed attempts to influence the November presidential election. Plus, we’ll smile about 385 million-year-old fish fossils and an unsung hero who’s made coal mining a safer job.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Amazon-backed Anthropic rolls out Claude AI for big business” from CNBC

“Biden administration announces major actions to tackle Russian efforts to influence 2024 election” from CNN Politics

“Opinion | The Canary” (gift link) from The Washington Post

“Fossils of 385 million-year-old fish found in pavement” from BBC News

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.

The crypto election Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

This year alone, cryptocurrency companies have spent over $119 million on pro-crypto candidates in federal races across the country. That’s almost half of all corporate money spent on this year’s election. But can all this crypto money really sway elections? Lee Reiners, crypto policy expert at the Duke Financial Economics Center, explains what the crypto industry is hoping to accomplish with its election spending, the myth behind the “crypto-vote” and why former President Donald Trump is vying to become the “crypto-president.”

Then, we’ll get into the U.S. government’s big penny problem. And, Boeing’s history in the spaceflight sector, and more to celebrate as the Paralympics continue.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Crypto firms have spent more than $119 million on 2024 elections” from Marketplace

“Crypto’s ‘huge moment’ scrambling US politics” from Politico

“Why Republicans are embracing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies” from Marketplace

“How Crypto Money Is Poised to Influence the Election” from The New York Times

“Harris triggers crypto tug-of-war between Democrats” from Politico

“America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny” from The New York Times

“This Once Hot Real-Estate Type Is Now Being Offered as Office Space” from The Wall Street Journal

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Biden’s student debt relief legacy in limbo Aug 31, 2024

Show notes

President Joe Biden has forgiven $167.3 billion in student loan debt since taking office. But his administration’s wins are often overshadowed by obstacles to its most ambitious debt relief programs. We’ll get into what this could mean for Biden’s economic legacy. And, we’ll explain why the 30-year mortgage rate can tell us what the markets think about the Federal Reserve’s next move. Plus, we’ll play a very demure, very mindful round of This or That!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“30-Year Mortgage Rate Falls Again, Now at 6.35%” from The New York Times

“$167.3 billion in student loan forgiveness” from The Washington Post

“Very demure, mindful and viral: the TikTok trend explained” from Axios

Kick off your Labor Day holiday weekend with our “Tunes on Tap” Spotify playlist featuring some of our favorite summer jams! Get the playlist here: marketplace.org/playlist.

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