Make Me Smart

Latest Episodes:

A funding freeze for Biden Jul 13, 2024

Show notes

In the aftermath of the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, money’s been talking. Major donors to a key pro-Biden super PAC are reportedly putting donations worth $90 million on ice if Biden stays in the race. We’ll get into what the funding freeze means for the future of Biden’s campaign. Plus, guest host Sabri Ben-Achour makes us smart about cricket protein powder. And we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Donors to Pro-Biden Super PAC Are Said to Withhold Roughly $90 Million” from The New York Times

“Inside the glitzy Biden fundraiser that lost the president George Clooney” from The Washington Post

“Silkworm satay? Singapore approves insects as food” from CNN

“Dynamic pricing tech may brighten retail bottom lines and put consumers in the dark” from Marketplace

“Kids want $70 wrinkle creams. Parents and lawmakers are “fighting a losing battle”’ from Marketplace

“A Fancy Card Is Becoming the Only Way to Get a Restaurant Reservation” from The Atlantic

“Influencer Style Case Risks More Stolen Vibe Suits From Creators” from Bloomberg Law

“Amazon launched an AI shopping assistant — just in time for Prime Day” from Quartz

Before you get your weekend started, send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

A new normal for interest rates? Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

If you’re waiting for interest rates to fall back to the near-zero levels of the 2010s, don’t hold your breath. On Capitol Hill this week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told senators that era is probably over. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll unpack why more NATO members are spending more on defense and what’s causing widespread financial strain for hospitals and health systems. Plus, how things could change for federal agencies and lawmakers in a post-Chevron doctrine world.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Era of near-zero interest rates likely over: Powell” from The Hill

“Fed steers interest rates on path toward ‘neutral'” from Marketplace

“NATO’s place in the global economy” from Marketplace

“NATO on the Edge: Biden Praises and Trump Denigrates a 75-Year Alliance” from The New York Times

“Health care openings still hot amid cooling job market” from Marketplace

“New AHA Report: Hospitals and Health Systems Continue to Face Rising Costs, Economic Pressures” from the American Hospital Association

“With end of ‘Chevron deference,’ Supreme Court changes how agencies, lawmakers work” from Marketplace

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

Who’s ready for retirement? Jul 10, 2024

Show notes

For the oldest members of Gen X, retirement is right around the corner. But a new report from BlackRock found only 60% of Gen X feels on track to retire, the lowest of any generation. We’ll do the numbers on which Americans feel confident in their retirement savings and what could explain generational and gender gaps. And, we’ll get into a social media horror story playing out at a Pennsylvania middle school. Plus, Team USA gymnasts will bring the sparkle factor to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Reality bites for Gen X retirement” from Axios

“Read on Retirement” from BlackRock

“Rules for 401(k) Withdrawals” from The Motley Fool

“Students Target Teachers in Group TikTok Attack, Shaking Their School” from The New York Times

“Team USA’s Olympic Gymnasts Will Wear Leotards With a Record Number of Crystals” from The New York Times

“See the U.S. Olympic gymnastic team’s new leotards encrusted in crystals” from The Washington Post

“SNL’s Teacher Sketch Gets Real About the Most Important Job: “Y’all Won”‘ from NBC Insider

“‘Shrek 5’ Set for 2026 with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz Returning” from The Hollywood Reporter

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

The problem with the American 30-year mortgage Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is as American as apple pie. But it wasn’t always this way, and it’s putting the housing market in a tough spot lately. A substantial amount of homeowners with low-rate mortgages are choosing to stay put in their homes rather than selling and buying a new one at higher rates. It’s created what’s known as a lock-in effect. On the show today, Andra Ghent, professor of finance at the University of Utah, explains how a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage became the norm in the United States, why it’s now putting the housing market in a bind, and how our mortgage system perpetuates inequality. Plus, could the Danish mortgage model work here?

Then, we’ll get into why the Federal Trade Commission is eyeing pharmacy benefit managers, the third-party companies that negotiate drug prices between health insurance providers and drugmakers. And, an editor at The Points Guy shares the story of a travel lesson learned.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Why do we have a 30-year mortgage, anyway?” from Marketplace

“A Huge Number of Homeowners Have Mortgage Rates Too Good to Give Up” from The New York Times

“A 30-Year Trap: The Problem With America’s Weird Mortgages” from The New York Times

“Denmark’s genius housing fix” from Business Insider

“Homeowners Don’t Want to Sell, So the Market for Brand-New Homes Is Booming” from The Wall Street Journal

“FTC Releases Interim Staff Report on Prescription Drug Middlemen” from the Federal Trade Commision

“F.T.C. Slams Middlemen for High Drug Prices, Reversing Hands-Off Approach” from The New York Times

“State Pharmacy Benefit Manager Legislation” from the National Academy for State Health Policy

“Prescription Drugs: Selected States’ Regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers” from the U.S. Government Accountability Office

“Fed Chair Powell talks up progress on inflation but says rate cuts not imminent yet” from CNN Business

“Software and social media to grab Congress’ attention” from Marketplace

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

Let’s get smart about the 1.5 degree global warming limit Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

In June, global temperatures had surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for 12 months straight, encroaching on the goal set in the Paris climate accord. We’ll explain why scientists use 1.5 degrees as a key benchmark and why it’s important to have hard conversations about climate change. Then, we’ll get into an investigation revealing how insurers profited from false diagnoses of Medicare patients. And, a billion-dollar donation to a medical school and new developments in textile recycling make us smile.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“In a troubling milestone, Earth surpasses 1.5 degrees C of warming for 12 consecutive months” from LA Times

“June 2024 marks 12th month of global temperature reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial” from Copernicus

“Burning Questions: What’s the deal with 1.5 degrees?” from Marketplace

“‘We’re Not Dead Yet.’ Baby Boomers’ Good Times Drive the Economy.” from The Wall Street Journal

“Insurers Pocketed $50 Billion From Medicare for Diseases No Doctor Treated” from The Wall Street Journal

“How the Journal Analyzed Medicare Advantage Data” from The Wall Street Journal

“Why scientists think they may finally have found a way to recycle clothes” from The Washington Post

“Johns Hopkins to offer free medical school tuition from $1 billion Bloomberg Philanthropies grant” from The Baltimore Banner

“$1 Billion Donation Will Provide Free Tuition at a Bronx Medical School” from The New York Times

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

From “This Is Uncomfortable”: The high price of cheap clothes Jul 05, 2024

Show notes

Hey Smarties! We’re on a little break for the Fourth of July holiday. So today we’re bringing you an episode from our friends at “This Is Uncomfortable.” It’s all about the fashion industry and the workers who make the clothes we buy (and often throw away). In this episode, producer Alice Wilder introduces us to one garment worker’s personal fight for fair pay and the broader push to improve conditions for garment workers like her.

From “Million Bazillion”: Why is there so much gold at Fort Knox? Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

Hey Smarties! We’re off for the Fourth of July holiday. So today we’re bringing you a super fun episode of “Million Bazillion” that’ll teach you and your kiddos about a bit of our nation’s history and a highly secretive landmark. It’s all about Fort Knox, known as one of the most secure places in the world, and why it holds so much of the country’s gold. Plus, its role in stabilizing the U.S. economy in a time of crisis.

Our GPS system is wearing down Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Much in our modern lives depends on GPS. But the United States’ GPS system is getting old and hasn’t kept up with international competition. We’ll get into how this leaves the U.S. vulnerable to national security threats. And, new data shows that as abortion protections have eroded across the country, more young women have been getting sterilized. Plus, one nonprofit’s work to give kids who’ve aged out of foster care a bona fide college move-in experience, and a women’s soccer stadium’s surprise success story.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Why GPS Is Under Attack” from The New York Times

“Rate of Young Women Getting Sterilized Doubled After Roe Was Overturned” from MedPage Today

“Move-In Day Mafia Helps Kids From Foster Care Settle In College” from Black Enterprise

“No One Wanted to Finance Their Stadium. Now Every Game Is a Sellout.” from The Wall Street Journal

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

The evolution of the American office Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

It’s been about four years since the great remote work experiment took off for many employees who work computer-bound jobs.

After plenty of back and forth between return-to-office mandates and work-from-home advocates, neither side really won. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the share of Americans doing some or all of their work from home has leveled off at about 35%.

“We’re not saying this is the end of the office,” said Emma Goldberg, a reporter covering the future of work for The New York Times. “We’re saying this is certainly an evolution of how people have defined their expectations of when they’re supposed to be sitting at their desk.”

On the show today, Goldberg explains who’s working from home these days and how it’s impacting both employees and their bosses. Plus, the commercial real estate question looming large over the remote work debate.

Then, we’ll get into why the Joe Biden administration’s new protections for workers in extreme heat could be threatened by recent Supreme Court rulings and a potential second Trump presidency. Plus, some news on the Tesla downturn.

Later, we’ll hear from listeners on their frustrations with wealth inequality and money’s role in politics. And, the CEO of GS1, the company administering retail barcodes, didn’t see the QR code takeover coming.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Work From Home Data Shows Who’s Fully Remote, Hybrid and in Person” from The New York Times

“Research: How Remote Work Impacts Women at Different Stages of Their Careers” from Harvard Business Review

“More Americans now prefer hybrid over fully remote work, survey finds” from Axios

“Remote Workers Are Losing Out on Promotions, New Data Shows” from The Wall Street Journal

“Dell said return to the office or else—nearly half of workers chose “or else'” from Ars Technica

“Tesla delivered fewer vehicles to customers for the second quarter in a row” from The Verge

“Biden to announce heat rules as climate-related deaths rise” from Politico

“Fact check: Republicans, not Democrats, eliminated the Senate filibuster on Supreme Court nominees” from USA Today

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

A one-two punch for the power of federal agencies Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

A Supreme Court ruling today gives companies a dramatically wider window to challenge federal regulations with lawsuits. We’ll get into why this is particularly important in light of a separate decision to overturn the Chevron doctrine, and how it could impact other federal regulations like the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete clauses. Then, we’ll discuss the Supreme Court’s decision on former President Donald Trump’s immunity case and where the heck we go from here. Plus, what you can do to protect the health of our democracy.

Here’s everything we talked about today: