Podcasts by Make Me Smart
All episodes
The dirty side of the fast-fashion business (rerun) from 2023-12-12T11:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2023. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your suppo...
Listen
And that’s a wrap on 2023 from 2023-12-09T01:05:41
For our final episode of 2023, we’re throwing a holiday party with music, festive fascinator hats and drinks. We’ll also get to some big medical news: For the ...
Listen
The battle over aid to Ukraine from 2023-12-07T22:12:16
President Biden has asked Congress to pass a hefty aid package for the war in Ukraine and other defense initiatives, but the funding can’t seem to get through ...
Listen
Taking the pulse of the U.S. bond market from 2023-12-06T22:52:53
Today we’re geeking out over the bond market. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note has dropped from a few weeks ago and now sits close to 4.1%. We&...
Listen
What is MAGAnomics, actually? from 2023-12-05T22:06:44
We’re less than a year out from the 2024 presidential election. And former President Donald Trump is still leading the pack of Republican candidates, Listen
Millennial mom dread from 2023-12-05T02:52:26
The U.S. population is aging as Americans choose to have fewer children or none at all. We’ll get into the many reasons millennials hesitate to jump into mothe...
Listen
Economics on Tap: Wastewater beer edition from 2023-12-02T01:17:36
The future of beer is here. “How We Survive” host Amy Scott is on the show today to help us taste test beer brewed from recycled water. And we’ll g...
Listen
COP28’s big question: who should pay for the climate crisis? from 2023-11-30T22:58:22
It’s day one of COP28, the global climate conference, and countries have already agreed on details for a fund to aid developing countries affected by climate d...
Listen
Is GM feeling iffy about EVs? from 2023-11-30T01:10:48
General Motors is planning higher-octane cash returns for investors in an attempt to restore confidence in its main gig — making vehicles that are not elect...
Listen
The circular economy and closing our resource loop from 2023-11-29T00:16:43
Americans consume a lot of stuff and in turn produce a lot of waste. The average American generated Listen
OpenAI’s“breakthrough” from 2023-11-28T01:00:28
After being banned from talking about artificial intelligence at Thanksgiving, guest host Matt Levin is eager to chime in on the ongoing Sam Altman controversy and n...
Listen
Who wants to work in Congress anymore? from 2023-11-23T00:43:04
This month, at least 12 members of Congress have announced they won’t seek reelection at the end of their terms. We’ll get into the record number of reti...
Listen
The origins of America’s consumer-driven economy from 2023-11-22T00:23:49
The holiday shopping season kicks off this week with Black Friday, and American shoppers are expected to Listen
The rise of stay-or-pay hiring from 2023-11-21T00:09:51
In this tight labor market, a growing number of companies are trying to discourage workers from quitting by charging them. Stay or pay clauses are becoming a thing i...
Listen
Grief and work in the time of war from 2023-11-18T01:50:27
Since Oct. 7, Palestinian and Jewish Americans have been navigating work while enduring anxiety and heartache as the Israel-Hamas War plays out. We’ll discuss ...
Listen
The governing work that remains to be done from 2023-11-17T01:35:22
It’s been a wild week on Capitol Hill. GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Teamsters union President Sean O’Brien almost came to blows in a Senate hearin...
Listen
What would a Starlink IPO mean for Elon Musk’s geopolitical clout? from 2023-11-16T01:16:12
Elon Musk today disputed claims that an initial public offering is in the works for his satellite business Starlink, an offshoot of SpaceX. But hypothetically speaki...
Listen
The moral conundrum of carbon credits from 2023-11-15T00:01:32
Many of the world’s largest companies are setting net-zero climate goals, and Listen
Has the movie business reached peak superhero? from 2023-11-14T01:23:34
Marvel Studios’ latest movie, “The Marvels,” had the franchise’s worst opening weekend. We’ll dig into whether superhero movies are a t...
Listen
Polarization, partisanship and threats to democracy from 2023-11-11T02:35:27
We’re discussing some heavy topics today, including threats to democracy from Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, and traditional Republicans bo...
Listen
Actors and studios strike a (tentative) deal from 2023-11-10T01:27:31
After 118 days, the SAG-AFTRA strike appears to have come to an end, marking a historic win for actors. We’ll hear from the union’s president, Fran Dresc...
Listen
The national debt is turning economists’heads from 2023-11-09T00:49:08
High interest rates are making our already enormous national debt more expensive, and many economists are worried. We’ll discuss what it may cost to get the na...
Listen
The promises and risks of carbon capture from 2023-11-08T02:28:30
Today we’re talking about another potential tool in the climate solutions toolbox: carbon capture.
T...
Listen
Elon Musk’s Starlink business going gangbusters from 2023-11-07T01:42:58
SpaceX is on track to make record profits this year, particularly through its Starlink satellite program. With the reins of this powerful company in the hands of a c...
Listen
Promises won’t pay for climate adaptation from 2023-11-04T00:45:13
A new United Nations report found that wealthy nations are scaling back funding for climate adaptation in developing countries, while the cost of mitigating the effe...
Listen
AI safety takes center stage from 2023-11-03T01:07:49
Hey Smarties! We recorded today’s episode before the news of Sam Bankman-Fried’s conviction came out. We’ll continue to monitor the story.<...
Listen
Where the fractured GOP goes from here from 2023-11-02T00:19:37
Two prominent Republican representatives announced they won’t seek reelection at the end of their terms in Congress. We’ll get into the future of the GOP...
Listen
Hydrogen’s potential as a climate solution from 2023-10-31T22:59:51
When it comes to solutions to the climate crisis, we’re going to need a whole menu of options. One item on the menu: clean hydrogen.
Who profits from war? from 2023-10-31T00:23:40
A Listen
Why the definition of“employer”really matters from 2023-10-28T00:59:10
The National Labor Relations Board is redefining what it means to be an employer by changing the so-called joint-employer rule. We’...
Listen
Spending cuts aren’t the only answer to the budget deficit from 2023-10-27T00:43:45
There’s been a lot of talk about the ever-growing U.S. federal deficit lately. That discussion has largely revolved around spending cuts. But the flip side of ...
Listen
A new speaker of the House, finally from 2023-10-26T00:25:55
After a three-week vacancy, House Republicans elected Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana speaker. We’ll give you the rundown on who Johnson is and what his far-rig...
Listen
Economic lessons from the video game industry from 2023-10-24T21:00
Hey Smarties! Today we’re bringing you a Listen
The work Congress could be doing from 2023-10-24T00:50:58
Without a speaker in the House of Representatives, Congress isn’t getting much work done. That includes progress on the farm bill, which is up for renewal this...
Listen
Thoughts on Gaza from 2023-10-21T00:38:50
It’s been a disheartening time in the Middle East lately. Today’s guest host, Reema Khrais, shares how the recent conflict has affected her family in Gaz...
Listen
AI robocalls and ethical concerns for New Yorkers from 2023-10-20T01:07:59
New York Mayor Eric Adams doesn’t speak Mandarin. But with AI he can. Some New Yorkers may have received a robocall of the mayor speaking in their native tongue. Is this a golden opportuni...
Listen
The“for-profit”in our health care system is showing from 2023-10-19T00:18
COVID-19 drug Paxlovid will soon hit the commercial market, and it won’t be cheap. We’ll talk about what the change means for patients and the drug’...
Listen
Nuclear energy’s role in decarbonizing the economy from 2023-10-17T23:33:58
Despite a long period of relative stagnation, nuclear power has remained the quiet backbone of the United States’ clean energy sup...
Listen
Is a crackdown coming for Realtors? from 2023-10-17T00:31:32
A class-action lawsuit is looking to end questionable practices by the National Association of Realtors. While antitrust concerns have surrounded Realtors’ ope...
Listen
The FDA’s formaldehyde fight from 2023-10-14T00:25:25
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed a ban on chemicals in hair-relaxing products. We’ll explain how the passing of the rule could be a big win for Bl...
Listen
X faces fines for misinformation from 2023-10-13T01:05:13
After a swarm of misinformation and gruesome images took over X following Hamas’ attack on Israel, Elon Musk is now under scrutiny by the European Commission t...
Listen
Was the Twitter clout-chasing really worth it? from 2023-10-12T00:33:01
When Elon Musk turned Twitter, now X, on it’s head, some media outlets decided to call it quits. Six months later, an internal memo at NPR says traffic has dip...
Listen
Shareholders vs. stakeholders, and the purpose of a corporation from 2023-10-11T00:35:21
Today we’re checking in on what happened after almost 200 high profile CEOs signed a Listen
Israel, Ukraine and U.S. military aid from 2023-10-10T00:35:28
The Biden administration sending aid to Israel after a surprise attack from Hamas. We’ll unpack how financial assistance for Israel can make or break aid for Ukraine, and how dysfunction i...
Listen
A moment of economic peril from 2023-10-07T00:35:10
Interest rates are high. Bonds yields are on the rise. And money is getting more expensive. We’ll explain what this means for consumers and fiscal policymaking...
Listen
Hot strike summer isn’t over from 2023-10-06T01:39:10
Another week, another strike. This time thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers have initiated the largest healthcare strike in the country. And while different secto...
Listen
The speaker ouster and its cost to our democracy from 2023-10-05T00:35:06
Business in the U.S. House of Representatives has come to a standstill after Kevin McCarthy was removed as speaker Tuesday. Fallout has been messy, to say the least....
Listen
Crypto goes to court from 2023-10-03T23:35:46
Hey smarties! We recorded today’s episode before historic news broke that the House of representatives voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker. We&...
Listen
Consumers are still living it up from 2023-10-03T00:38:25
We’re not in a government shutdown. Instead, we’re talking about consumers spending like it’s still Listen
Washington’s looming deadlines (note the plural) from 2023-09-30T00:18:10
It’s going to be a tense weekend on Capitol Hill. Congress not only has the government shutdown deadline to deal with, it also has deadlines that affect the Fe...
Listen
The sliver of the federal budget Congress is fighting over from 2023-09-29T00:58:24
We’re in the final days before a potential government shutdown, and negotiations aren’t going well. At issue is the federal government’s $6 trillion budget. But with most of th...
Listen
Musk and the military industrial complex from 2023-09-28T00:32:59
Elon Musk’s business relationship with the Pentagon is going strong. SpaceX just scored its first defense contract from the U.S. Space Force, giving Musk more contro...
Listen
The real problem with passing the federal budget from 2023-09-27T00:25:16
We’re on the brink of yet another government shutdown. If Congress fails to pass legislation to keep the federal government fully up and running past Oct. 1, i...
Listen
Why big GOP money matters less than ever from 2023-09-26T00:52:59
Some big Republican donors are in a bind. They’ve been hoping for an alternative presidential nominee to Donald Trump to write their checks to, but now they se...
Listen
Corruption is a bipartisan problem from 2023-09-23T01:15:28
Across the political spectrum, corruption seems to be the big news of the day. Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted today for taking hundreds of thousands of do...
Listen
What a shock to the economy could mean right now from 2023-09-22T00:10:42
We are nine days away from another government shutdown if Congress can’t reach a spending deal. We’ll hear from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on what a...
Listen
AI and its role in elections from 2023-09-21T00:54:45
A new chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to mimic the leading candidates in the 2024 presidential race is fresh on the scene. Users can query a candidate̵...
Listen
The clash of Bidenomics and MAGAnomics from 2023-09-19T22:33:23
President Biden is pitting his plan for the U.S. economy against so-called ‘MAGAnomics’, the economic ideas that defined the Trump era.
What’s happening in Congress is not normal from 2023-09-19T00:43:52
Congress has a job to do. But lately, some of the work on the Hill seems to have come to a standstill. There’s been drama over the debt ceiling, a Republican s...
Listen
The quest for a perfect smile from 2023-09-16T01:13:45
Celebrities are starting to have eerily similar smiles — flawlessly straight and pearly white teeth. But what’s the cost behind those perfect smiles? We’...
Listen
What happened to stakeholder capitalism? from 2023-09-15T01:20:40
In the before times, some of America’s top corporations pledged to rebalance their priorities and serve all stakeholders instead of just shareholders. Today, w...
Listen
Air conditioning and political dysfunction from 2023-09-14T00:09:15
What does air conditioning have to do with political dysfunction in Washington? Apparently, more than you’d imagine. We’ll get into the history behind AC...
Listen
What you need to know about ranked choice voting from 2023-09-12T23:54:03
This year alone, lawmakers in more than two dozen states Listen
Retail theft and capitalism today from 2023-09-12T00:51:11
There’s been a lot of reporting lately about a rise in retail theft and a growing shoplifting problem. But a closer look at those claims and the relevant data ...
Listen
Our 1,000th episode! from 2023-09-09T01:44:12
We’re in the quadruple digits, y’all, and we’re celebrating! But first we’ll dive into the news with an exciting development on Mars — how NA...
Listen
What happened to economic conservatism? from 2023-09-08T00:23:45
In a speech today, former Vice President Mike Pence and republican presidential candidate said the GOP is at a crossroad between conservatism and populism. We’...
Listen
A new demographic reality is coming from 2023-09-07T00:31:28
As birthrates fall and baby boomers grow older, the demographic makeup of the United States is set to drastically change in the next decade. We’ll talk about w...
Listen
How farmworkers were left behind from 2023-09-06T01:11:21
We’re back from Labor Day weekend and talking about a group of laborers that’s in short supply these days: farmworkers. The people who pick the food we eat are considered the backbone of the agr...
Listen
The jumbled world of college sports from 2023-09-02T00:41:11
It’s college football season, and if you’re having a hard time keeping up with all the changes, you’re not alone. This week, the Atlantic Coast Con...
Listen
Name that (economic) tune from 2023-08-31T23:20:53
Not sure how to feel about today’s economy? Perhaps putting it to music will help. Today we’re dedicating the entire show to the economic anthems of this momen...
Listen
Who should get overtime pay? from 2023-08-31T01:01:22
The Biden administration proposed a new rule that would extend mandatory overtime pay to millions of American workers. We’ll get into the workers who stand to ...
Listen
The plastic recycling hoax from 2023-08-29T23:44:32
Plastic is just about everywhere, and there’s going to be a lot more of it. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developm...
Listen
The rise of homeownership sans insurance from 2023-08-29T00:33:06
For Americans with mortgages, homeowners insurance is a must. But for those who have paid off their homes, it’s optional. Now more and more Americans are choos...
Listen
Smash the patriarchy…and the pumpkins from 2023-08-26T00:44:04
The Spanish women’s national team won it’s first World Cup! But the celebration has been bittersweet after Spain’s soccer chief kissed a player on ...
Listen
A glitch in the consumer-driven recovery from 2023-08-25T00:25:49
Consumer spending has been fairly resilient in the face of high inflation (see Taylor Swift, Beyoncé). But, the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes can pack ...
Listen
Nvidia is riding the AI wave from 2023-08-23T23:50:39
The computer chipmaker Nvidia doubled its revenue from a year ago due to a surge in demand for special chips used to run AI systems like ChatGPT. We’ll get int...
Listen
Our driverless car future from 2023-08-22T23:32:24
Robotaxi companies Cruise and Waymo recently scored a big win when California regulators allowed them to expand their services and begin charging fares in San Franci...
Listen
The case to raise the inflation target from 2023-08-22T01:02:37
Inflation has been the hot topic for over a year now. And the Federal Reserve has been on a mission to lower inflation down to its 2% target. But should Chair Jay Po...
Listen
Turmoil in the television industry from 2023-08-19T01:03:05
Americans are watching a lot of television, but it’s not broadcast or cable TV. For the first time, linear TV made up less than half of all TV viewing last mon...
Listen
The misunderstood Inflation Reduction Act from 2023-08-18T01:15:08
The Inflation Reduction Act is the beating heart of the president’s new “Bidenomics” slogan. The trouble is, many Americans Listen
What Los Angeles can learn from Detroit about addressing homelessness from 2023-08-17T00:38:10
Detroit has one of the nation’s highest poverty rates. Yet, it doesn’t have the same level of homelessness that Los Angeles has. So what gives? We’ll get...
Listen
Artificial intelligence at work from 2023-08-16T00:00
Hey Smarties! We’ve been having a lot of conversations about what advances in AI technology mean for our personal and professional lives. So, today we’re bringing you a Listen
A possible U-turn for driverless cars? from 2023-08-15T00:22:56
California regulators gave the green light to two robotaxi companies to expand service in the city of San Francisco. But the debate over driverless vehicles is far f...
Listen
The clean energy economy has a NIMBY problem (rerun) from 2023-08-09T00:00
Hey Smarties! Make Me Smart is taking a little summer vacation this week. We’ll be back in your feeds soon. But for now, enjoy a rerun of one of our favo...
Listen
The (interim) Joint Chiefs of Staff? from 2023-08-05T01:03:28
First the U.S. Marines and now the Army. For the first time in American history, two members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff lack the blessing of the Senate, as Sen. To...
Listen
Political dysfunction dents the U.S. credit rating from 2023-08-03T23:37:48
The credit rating agency Fitch bumped the United States’ credit rating down a notch this week despite the country’s strong economic performance. We’...
Listen
The doctor will see you now…for climate anxiety from 2023-08-03T00:52:38
Climate change is real and so is climate anxiety. We’ll get into the ways the climate crisis is changing the mental health profession as people turn to therapy...
Listen
The higher education business model is changing from 2023-08-01T23:14:09
Today we’re talking about the economics of higher education in the United States.
DeSantis’fiscal formula from 2023-08-01T00:47:38
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis struggles to forge ahead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, he’s hoping to win supporters through his newly u...
Listen
The wild grain chase from 2023-07-29T00:38:36
India has banned nearly half of its rice exports. The news has sent many Americans scrambling to stock up. We’ll explain what the ban means for global food pri...
Listen
So…whaddya wanna know about student loan repayments? from 2023-07-27T23:47:34
Federal student loan payments have been paused for over three years. Since then, borrowers have got used to the extra room in their budgets for dining, vacations, Be...
Listen
Barbie, T-Swift and the Fed? from 2023-07-26T21:39:20
Barbie and Taylor Swift are just about everywhere right now, they even got a mention at the Fed’s news conference today. Seriously! We’ll explain what th...
Listen
A thrilling era for space discovery from 2023-07-26T00:28:14
NASA recently celebrated one orbit around the Sun since the James Webb Space Telescope became operational. On the show today, Caitlin Casey, professor of astronomy a...
Listen
Another government showdown? from 2023-07-25T00:19:19
Congress averted a government debt default in June, but can it prevent a government shutdown this fall? Lawmakers are at odds again over spending bills to fund the governmen...
Listen
Hot on the job from 2023-07-22T00:34:45
Record-breaking heat waves are becoming a serious job hazard for outdoor workers. Currently, there are no federal rules to protect workers from extreme heat. But tha...
Listen
When will the streamers’content river run dry? from 2023-07-21T00:34:34
With the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, the upcoming fall TV season will likely survive on rations of Listen
It’s getting hot in here from 2023-07-20T00:28:59
Record breaking heat waves and extreme weather events have us wondering: Is this summer an anomaly? We’ll discuss what it really means to adapt to global warming. An...
Listen
The“American Whitelash”and economic fear from 2023-07-18T23:26:35
The 2024 presidential campaign is already well underway, but today we’re going to take a step back and examine the connection betw...
Listen
Hot labor summer is here from 2023-07-18T00:45:08
Hollywood’s double strike of writers and actors might just be the start of a hot labor summer. We’ll talk about the next group of workers who may soon jo...
Listen
Our wildest“Economics on Tap”episode yet! from 2023-07-15T01:19:12
It’s a wild show, y’all. About halfway through, an unwelcome surprise besieges Kimberly. But don’t worry, Kimberly (and Jasper) are all right. We’ll also...
Listen
Hollywood on strike from 2023-07-14T00:51:06
Hollywood actors are joining writers on the picket lines after leaders of the SAG-AFTRA union voted to strike. We’ll hear what SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher had ...
Listen
Insurers retreat from the coasts from 2023-07-13T00:19:08
Farmers Insurance is the latest to call it quits in Florida as more frequent hurricanes ramp up risk for insurance companies. We’ll get into what coastal states like...
Listen
The dirty side of the fast-fashion business from 2023-07-12T00:23:08
It’s time to air out some of fast fashion’s dirty laundry. Recently, fast-fashion retailer Shein was in the headlines over a Listen
Behind the scenes: Kai’s trip to China with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen from 2023-07-10T23:47:12
Kai Ryssdal breaks the fourth wall and shares highlights from his trip to China with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (it was “amazeballs”). Plus, U.S. pa...
Listen
The Twitter vs. Meta drama continues from 2023-07-08T01:08:52
Meta’s new Threads became the most quickly downloaded app on Wednesday, its opening day. Twitter’s not thrilled about it. We’ll get into why folks ...
Listen
A blueprint for AI regulation in hiring? from 2023-07-07T00:53:14
A new law in New York City requires employers who use artificial intelligence in their hiring process to have those systems audited for bias. We’ll get into how bias...
Listen
Has Twitter Meta its match? from 2023-07-06T00:14:55
Meta is debuting Threads, its riff on Twitter, to rival the legacy social media platform. We’ll get into where the app might sit in today’s social media ...
Listen
The welfare-to-work industrial complex part 2 from 2023-07-03T20:53:38
The recent debt ceiling deal expanded work requirements for government welfare programs. Those rules have a long and complicated history. Today, we’re sharing another Listen
The economic ripple effects of the Supreme Court’s big decisions from 2023-07-01T00:48:32
It was a big week for the Supreme Court. Among other far-reaching decisions, the justices stuck down President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program and...
Listen
“Bidenomics”and the tricky art of selling an idea from 2023-06-29T23:41:36
Yesterday, President Joe Biden dove into campaign season by debuting a new slogan: “Bidenomics.” In a speech, Biden explained it’s a counter-catchp...
Listen
Recession? What recession? from 2023-06-29T00:29:54
Some economists have been warning of an imminent recession in the United States for over a year now. But so far, it has yet to strike. We’ll get into the diffe...
Listen
The origins of the Fed’s 2% inflation target from 2023-06-28T00:28:29
Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell has made it clear that he’s laser-focused on bringing inflation back down to the central bank’s target rate of 2% annual...
Listen
The welfare-to-work industrial complex from 2023-06-27T00:39:49
Hey Smarties! Kai and Kimberly will be back in your podcast feed tomorrow for our weekly deep dive, but until then we’re bringing you a deep dive of a different kind. It’s an Listen
The U.S. is graying. What does that mean for the economy? from 2023-06-24T02:37:36
The median age in the United States, at just under 39, is the highest it’s ever been, and it’s been rising for decades. We’ll get into the economic impli...
Listen
A medical brain drain out of Texas from 2023-06-23T00:38:34
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned nearly a year ago, conservative-led states, including Texas, have passed a slew of bans on abortion and gender affirming health care...
Listen
The Titanic sub and the migrant shipwreck from 2023-06-22T00:59:12
The missing sub of wealthy tourists lost on an excursion to view the wreckage of the Titanic has been dominating news feeds this week, while the story of a deadly mi...
Listen
The economic status of Black Americans from 2023-06-21T00:08:10
For Black workers in this economy, the last couple of years have brought gains in employment and wages.
In April, the Black unemployment rate fell to a Listen
What it really takes to live in New York City from 2023-06-17T01:05:57
The Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle is unreachable for most recent college grads in today’s New York City, thanks to high housing costs. We’ll get into the lengths some yo...
Listen
The fringe medical group pushing anti-LGBTQ laws from 2023-06-16T00:13:41
Leaked documents lay out how the conservative American College of Pediatricians (not to be confused with the American Academy of Pediatrics) has influenced policy af...
Listen
Reddit’s pricing protest from 2023-06-14T23:48:43
This week, thousands of Reddit’s most popular communities went offline to protest the company’s move to start collecting fees for access to its API or ap...
Listen
Live from Seattle Part 2: We talk to Lindy West from 2023-06-14T00:46:27
Today we’re sharing an excerpt from our live show at Town Hall Seattle featuring our special guest, writer and comedian Lindy West. The Seattleite talked with us abo...
Listen
EV batteries, industrial policy and you from 2023-06-13T00:43:25
China dominates the market for electric vehicle batteries, but it didn’t have to be that way. We’ll talk about a story of wasted potential: how a failed U.S. s...
Listen
Make Me Smart: Live in Seattle from 2023-06-10T04:07:15
This special edition of Make Me Smart’s weekly happy hour is coming to you live from the stage at Seattle’s Town Hall. We’ll get to all of your ...
Listen
What’s behind the climate culture wars? (rerun) from 2023-06-09T22:30
Hey Smarties! We’re taping today’s episode of Make Me Smart live from Seattle. We’ll have the show in your feeds soon. But for now, enjoy a rer...
Listen
Financially Inclined: What you need to know before investing in the stock market from 2023-06-08T22:30
Hey Smarties! We get a lot of questions about the stock market, and today we’re sharing an episode from Listen
A Fedspeak dilemma: to“skip”or“pause”rates? from 2023-06-08T00:04:41
Ahead of their upcoming monthly meeting, Federal Reserve officials have hinted at possibly holding interest rates steady. And they’ve been using a few terms to descr...
Listen
The Supreme Court’s“shadow docket”is in the spotlight from 2023-06-06T23:34:05
It’s that time of year when the Supreme Court issues a bunch of important decisions on high-profile cases before its summer recess. But it turns out there’s a whole ...
Listen
The real story behind the red-blue hiring divide from 2023-06-06T00:15:44
Hiring data shows that Republican-leaning states have been consistently hiring faster than Democratic-leaning states, and it’s been that way since before the COVID-1...
Listen
YouTube’s 180 on misinformation from 2023-06-03T01:20:21
After the 2020 election, YouTube started removing election denialism content. Now, the platform is having a change of heart, saying it will leave up misinformation r...
Listen
A tale of two debt dramas on Capitol Hill from 2023-06-02T00:40:49
The debt limit deal making its way through Congress comes with changes to work requirements for food stamps. We’ll get into why these ch...
Listen
Extraordinary measures for extraordinary times from 2023-05-31T23:59:14
Since the U.S. brushed up against its debt limit in January, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has been stretching the government’s money as far as possible using R...
Listen
Where’s the (lab-grown) beef? from 2023-05-31T00:18:53
Growing beef or chicken in a lab out of a few tiny animal cells may sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, but with nearly Listen
Inflation is still here, folks from 2023-05-27T00:25:25
The debt limit is the big economic news story of the day, but yes, you *still need to keep an eye on inflation. The personal consumption expenditures price index, a ...
Listen
The U.S. Treasury is running out of cash from 2023-05-26T00:41:17
Everyone has bills to pay, and the Treasury Department is no exception. As we get closer to the debt ceiling “X date,” the Treasury finds itself with les...
Listen
Investors are asking ChatGPT for stock market advice from 2023-05-25T00:26:20
It seems like people are using chatbots like ChatGPT for everything these days: writing cover letters, coming up with meal plans, you name it. One listener wondered:...
Listen
The pandemic’s panic-neglect cycle isn’t over from 2023-05-24T00:08:03
The federal government has lifted the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, and many Americans are eager to move on from the pandemic entirely. But, COVID-19 is unfortun...
Listen
The thing living in the back of Jay Powell’s mind from 2023-05-23T00:43:05
There’s inflation, and then there’s hyperinflation. That’s what’s happening in Argentina, a...
Listen
The back and forth over the debt ceiling from 2023-05-20T00:57:38
Just when it seemed like a deal was being Listen
The law that rules the internet lives to see another day from 2023-05-19T00:24:27
Today, the Supreme Court ruled on a pair of cases involving a controversial internet law. Section 230 protects tech companies from being held li...
Listen
Everything you wanted to know about the debt ceiling from 2023-05-18T00:05:20
It’s Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, and lots of you wanna know what’s up with the debt ceiling drama. So, we’re dedicating today’s episode to ...
Listen
How streaming upended the TV industry from 2023-05-16T22:00:58
For viewers, streaming has ushered in an era of Peak TV with a seemingly endless amount of shows to binge. But, writers on strike say they’re not experiencing the sa...
Listen
Let’s talk about taxes from 2023-05-16T00:29:44
Tax season may be over, but we aren’t done talking about taxes. Will free tax filing ever become a reality? We’ll get into t...
Listen
The law that could bring Florida’s economy to a halt from 2023-05-13T00:55:56
As the Title 42 immigration policy ends at the border, a new immigra...
Listen
The banking situation may not be over yet from 2023-05-12T00:53:01
Pacific Western Bank reported a sharp loss of over 9% of its total deposits last week, trailing the failure of First Republic Bank. We’ll discuss what’s behind the l...
Listen
The economic ripples of conflict in Sudan from 2023-05-11T00:06:16
Weeks of violence between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group in Sudan has triggered an urgent humanitarian crisis and devastated the country’s econo...
Listen
Why the U.S. has failed to end poverty from 2023-05-10T00:21:29
Child poverty levels fell dramatically — Listen
News from the SLOOS from 2023-05-09T00:22:29
A new week, a new episode, a new report from the Federal Reserve. This time, the aptly named Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey shows banks are pulling back on lendi...
Listen
Women are driving the labor market from 2023-05-06T01:09:51
It’s jobs report Friday, and it’s time to do the numbers. One data point that stands out: Listen
What happened to checks and balances for the Supreme Court? from 2023-05-05T00:33:34
The ethics scandals are piling up on the Supreme Court bench. ProPublica has new revelations on the financial ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and his Republican...
Listen
ChatGPT’s growing carbon footprint from 2023-05-04T00:15:46
Like cryptocurrency mining, running an artificial intelligence system like ChatGPT requires an enormous amount of energy and natural resources. One listener asks: How do large language models an...
Listen
The resurgence of child labor in America from 2023-05-02T22:23:22
Here’s something we didn’t think we’d be talking about in 2023: child labor. But, here we are.
<...
Listen
The U.S. could default sooner than we thought from 2023-05-01T23:54:38
The Treasury Department announced today that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1. For the past few months, House Republicans have used the debt lim...
Listen
Remember credit-default swaps? from 2023-04-29T01:39:35
As the United States edges closer to the deadline for a debt default, Wall Street speculators are hoping to capitalize on a crisis by trading credit-default swaps (s...
Listen
The limits of economic sanctions against Russia are showing from 2023-04-28T00:10:20
Leaked documents show Russia could fund another year of war with Ukraine despite a whole lot of U.S. sanctions designed to throw a wrench in the Russian economy. Plu...
Listen
What will Fox really pay Dominion? from 2023-04-26T22:42:27
After Fox Corp. agreed to a jaw-dropping Listen
The economic consequences of anti-trans legislation from 2023-04-25T23:51:10
Today we’re talking about the wave of anti-trans legislation that lawmakers are pushing through at virtually all levels of government. Listen
Is cable news breaking? from 2023-04-25T00:28:16
Two popular TV anchors are out of a job. CNN’s Don Lemon and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson were both ousted today as cable continues to <...
Listen
What is the proxy for Twitter? from 2023-04-22T00:45:40
We weren’t planning to talk about Twitter today, but here we are! We’re rereading a story from late last year about the folks who helped Elon Musk buy Tw...
Listen
What car repos say about this economy from 2023-04-21T00:42:14
Kai Ryssdal shares a story about parking at the movies and brushing up against an unpleasant economic indicator: the repo man. It illustrates how more Americans are ...
Listen
How accurate are economic forecasts? from 2023-04-20T00:24:36
Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund put out its Listen
The new in-space economy from 2023-04-18T23:28:21
Today, we’re talking about two topics near and dear to our hearts: space and economics. Over the last several years, NASA’s Artemis program and the commercialization of space have gi...
Listen
Why the dollar’s dominance is hard to dislodge from 2023-04-18T00:15:13
The extensive use of the dollar around the world has helped to maintain a strong U.S. economy. But recent discussions about the dollar’s d...
Listen
The geopolitical center of gravity could be changing from 2023-04-15T00:37:37
It is estimated that at some point this year, India’s population will surpass that of China’s. This means that India will not only be the biggest democra...
Listen
What the Pentagon leak says about online anonymity from 2023-04-14T00:54:11
After dozens of classified documents were uploaded to an online gaming chat group, the FBI has arrested a suspect in connection with the leak. We’ll get into s...
Listen
What to say when kids ask about the wage gap from 2023-04-12T22:00
On this Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re going to turning over the mics to our sister podcast Million Bazillion, the show that answers questions kids have about money. In today...
Listen
The new wave of AI tools is changing us from 2023-04-11T23:37:08
In the span of just a few months, tech companies have released a plethora of new artificial intelligence products that are already influencing our digital lives. It ...
Listen
Another week, another shooting from 2023-04-11T01:04:51
A mass shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, reminds us of an unfortunate reality: They’re becoming routine. As we discussed in a recent Listen
A warning about America’s industrial policy from 2023-04-08T01:42:08
Recently, the United States’ economic policies have focused on America first. But those policies and the promise of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. cou...
Listen
The problem with Clarence Thomas’luxe vacays from 2023-04-07T00:57:34
A ProPublica investigation found that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has secretly been taking luxury vacations on a billionaire Republican donor’s dime for mo...
Listen
Who’s paying Trump’s legal bills? from 2023-04-05T23:56:53
Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign says it raised Listen
The recent phenomenon of the AR-15’s popularity from 2023-04-05T01:39:14
Today we’re talking about the weapon we seem to talk about after every mass shooting in the United States: the AR-15.
A lucrative indictment from 2023-04-04T00:45:31
Donald Trump made headlines last week, when news broke out that he had been indicted. The news helped him fundraise over Listen
Make Me Smart: A very cherry blossomy edition from 2023-04-01T00:35:32
Today’s News Fix comes with a side of cherry blossom-themed cocktails: New survey data shows that while most workers in the United State...
Listen
It all comes down to the (hush) money from 2023-03-31T00:33:36
Donald Trump has become the first former president to be charged with a crime. A Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump after hearing evidence about payments given to a...
Listen
Why didn’t Silicon Valley Bank knock on the Fed’s discount window? from 2023-03-30T00:27:54
In times of financial turbulence, banks head to the Federal Reserve’s (virtual) discount window for short-term emergency loans. The week after SVB failed, U.S....
Listen
Demystifying the gender wage gap from 2023-03-28T23:41:14
Today, women in the United States are paid Listen
Another school shooting in America from 2023-03-28T00:45:38
It was a tough news day. The school shooting in Nashville is the latest mass shooting in the United States. There have been Listen
JPMorgan got fooled by the‘nickel’rocks that it bought from 2023-03-25T00:49:59
Oops! How did nearly $2 million worth of nickel owned by JPMorgan Chase turn out to be just bags of rocks? We’ll give you the TL;DR on commodity trading and te...
Listen
TikTok in the hot seat from 2023-03-24T01:39:38
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which monitors foreign investments in this country, usually keeps its work secret. But during today’s congress...
Listen
Will recent bank failures affect debt ceiling talks? from 2023-03-22T23:51:07
Following the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress the United States banking system is healthy — for now...
Listen
The regulatory debacle behind SVB’s meltdown from 2023-03-21T21:34:24
Today we’re talking about the topic of the day, week, month, and maybe even year — banking.
Silicon Valley...
Listen
Why SVB makes the Federal Reserve’s inflation fight awkward from 2023-03-21T00:37:16
The Federal Reserve will meet this week to discuss the possibility of increasing interest rates to fight inflation once more. But after the collapse of Silicon Valle...
Listen
The era of paid social media has begun from 2023-03-18T00:35:57
For years, using social media has been mostly free. But that’s slowly changing. Following in Twitter’s footsteps, Meta has launched a subscription servic...
Listen
A rescue mission for First Republic Bank from 2023-03-16T23:53:24
A team of large banks are coming together to save First Republic from this week’s banking woes with a hefty $30 billion deposit. We’ll explain what their move could ...
Listen
Your questions about SVB answered from 2023-03-16T00:14:54
This week’s Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday comes with a bonus News Fix! We’ll get into the ripple effects of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse on the U.S. Treasury debt...
Listen
Is time running out for TikTok? from 2023-03-14T23:00:02
Some members of Congress recently...
Listen
Let the SVB blame game begin from 2023-03-14T00:34:44
The dust hasn’t yet settled around Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and people are trying to figure out who, or what, is to blame. We’ll unpack some ...
Listen
Why SVB’s failure could be a very big deal from 2023-03-11T02:04:38
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank is the second largest bank failure in U.S. history. Many of SVB’s clients were startups and te...
Listen
All the single ladies…in the U.S. economy from 2023-03-10T02:17:10
The majority of women in the United States are single, and they’re becoming a big force in our economy. Single women now make up a significant share of the job marke...
Listen
Why does iced coffee cost more than hot coffee? from 2023-03-09T01:21:25
This week, we got a call from a listener who said a serving of cold brew costs $1.30 more than a serving of hot coffee at his local Starbucks. That has him wondering...
Listen
A U.S. history lesson through food from 2023-03-08T00:19:36
What can Jell-O tell us about the United States during the Gilded Age? What about Spam during World War II?
<... Listen
The history behind the Fed’s Humphrey-Hawkins hearing from 2023-03-07T01:35:34
This week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will head to Congress for two days of hearings as required under the Humphrey-Hawkins Act...
Listen
In 2023, America has a child labor problem from 2023-03-04T01:43:38
Across the U.S., kids as young as 13 are being employed to do everything from packaging cereal to cleaning meatpacking plants. Many are migrants who came into the U....
Listen
The job market shrugs off the Fed from 2023-03-02T22:24:33
In the before times, when the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, the number of people filing for unemployment benefits would rise too. But we’re far from that to...
Listen
What lobbying Congress can really buy from 2023-03-02T01:29:18
Norfolk Southern, the train company involved in the recent derailment in Ohio, spent Listen
The clean energy economy has a NIMBY problem from 2023-03-01T01:01:17
To reach the Joe Biden administration’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to Listen
Has corporate America stepped back from the culture wars? from 2023-02-28T02:03:05
Drag show performances have become the new front in America’s culture wars. Lawmakers in more than a dozen states are considering legislation that would limit ...
Listen
What’s behind New York’s sky-high rents? from 2023-02-25T02:02:23
During the early years of the pandemic, people throughout the country left major cities and never returned. But in New York City, it seemed people were coming back i...
Listen
Teenagers want more sleep — and they need it from 2023-02-24T01:05:16
There’s tons of research showing teenagers aren’t getting enough quality sleep. One big contributing factor: early school start times. So why aren’t more schoo...
Listen
The new AI-powered Bing has entered the chat from 2023-02-23T01:02:38
DALL-E, ChatGPT and now … Bing? It can be hard to keep up with all the new artificial intelligence systems hitting the scene. One listener called in to ask what make...
Listen
Welcome to the next chapter of the pandemic from 2023-02-21T23:45:53
The national COVID-19 public health emergency will be ending in May, but that doesn’t mean the pandemic is over. Hundreds of people are still dying from COVID ...
Listen
A climate change housing bubble is on the horizon from 2023-02-18T01:45:16
Although climate change risks are well known, they are often unaccounted for in property values. New research shows that when flood risk...
Listen
What’s age got to do with it? from 2023-02-16T22:51:11
It’s common for people to relocate or downsize when they get older, but new research shows that age is not working in their favor when it comes to getting a mortgage...
Listen
The Super Bowl wins that don’t happen from 2023-02-15T21:44:40
As the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their Super Bowl victory Sunday, red, yellow and white confetti showered the field while the winners put on preprinted NFL Super...
Listen
America is in a situationship with industrial policy from 2023-02-15T01:05:03
It’s Valentine’s Day, so we’re digging into the thing that’s at the heart of President Biden’s vision to reshape the American economy: industrial policy.
Why we’re seeing more flying objects over U.S. airspace from 2023-02-14T01:47:45
Since the discovery of the Chinese balloon floating over Montana, it seems the U.S. is suddenly seeing more unidentified flying objects....
Listen
The national debt is getting pricey from 2023-02-11T01:36:08
Inflation has hit American consumers hard over the last couple of years. But we’re not the only ones feeling the pinch. The government is too. We’ll talk...
Listen
Say goodbye to Twitter’s free API from 2023-02-09T22:41:33
In Twitter’s latest effort to up revenue, the company is shutting down free access to its API for many users. That means developers who rely on the Twitter API...
Listen
How to check if text was written by AI from 2023-02-08T22:29:10
Students are already using ChatGPT to cheat on assignments, and teachers want tools to spot it. One listener called in to ask what tech will become available for tea...
Listen
Inside the world of sports betting from 2023-02-08T00:50:07
This weekend’s Super Bowl is almost certain to be the Listen
Is it time to hit the reset button? from 2023-02-04T01:39:52
Finding constant success in life may not always be a good thing. Some psychologists argue that the biggest obstacle to success may be su...
Listen
The Pope tweeted what now? from 2023-02-02T21:59:17
We’ll get to the important news, but first— a Make Me Smile for the ages. In a series of tweets about the spiritual significance of each finger, Pope Francis s...
Listen
Could the debt ceiling fight have been averted? from 2023-02-02T01:00:40
The federal debt limit crisis was already looming when the Democrats lost their House majority in the midterm elections. Many of them called for the limit to be rais...
Listen
Generative AI: What’s all the hype about? from 2023-02-01T00:00:21
The new wave of generative artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT and DALL-E, has got the tech business in a frenzy.
Why this debt ceiling fight is already different from 2023-01-30T23:32:01
The U.S. has hit the debt limit 78 times since the 1960s, but for the first time in history, five women are responsible for shaping U.S. fiscal policy. Their experie...
Listen
A thawing housing market? from 2023-01-28T01:29:14
Higher mortgage rates have cooled off the once-hot housing market. But for the first time in seven months, pending home sales have improved, which means the market i...
Listen
California’s flood-drought paradox from 2023-01-27T01:29:26
The drought in California is by no means over, but the recent winter storms made a big difference. We’ll discuss what it all means for the state’s reside...
Listen
What happens if the U.S. defaults on its debt? from 2023-01-25T23:50:03
As Kai Ryssdal puts it, the United States is like House Lannister from “Game of Thrones”: It always pays its debt. But if Congress isn’t able to in...
Listen
What’s behind the climate culture wars? from 2023-01-25T00:29:24
With all the rage tweets about gas stoves, it may be hard to believe, but climate change wasn’t alway...
Listen
Don’t bank on that trillion-dollar coin from 2023-01-24T00:30:38
In case you haven’t heard, we’ve hit the debt limit. That means a whole lot of debate about how to avoid a debt default is likely ahead. One of the more ...
Listen
ChatGPT is coming for Google search from 2023-01-21T01:42:54
Google has been the most popular search engine in the world for over two decades, but the company is bringing in the big shots to help f...
Listen
FTX reboot? from 2023-01-20T00:42:31
The guy who’s now running FTX, the imploded cryptocurrency exchange founded by now-indicted Sam Bankman-Fried, said he’s con...
Listen
Is hybrid work worth it for companies? from 2023-01-19T01:20:08
Disney is calling employees back to the office four days a week. One listener called in to ask about the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid work. We’ll talk abou...
Listen
WT…Oh no! from 2023-01-18T01:39:44
Today we’re talking about a key player in international trade: the World Trade Organization.
Exxon Mobil’s decadeslong climate hoax from 2023-01-14T01:12:35
New research shows Exxon Mobil understood the dire consequences of burning fossil fuels decades ago — with scary accuracy. Yet, the comp...
Listen
Keeping up with Congress from 2023-01-13T02:03:37
Today, the voice of American business had one message for Congress: Get it together! The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says political gridloc...
Listen
What’s the deal with ESG and the GOP? from 2023-01-12T01:28:30
Some Republican politicians are attacking environmental, social and governance investing strategies. One listener is wondering what the ...
Listen
The lasting implications of Jan. 6 from 2023-01-11T01:14:18
A lot has happened since the attack on our Capitol two years ago.
We’ve...
Listen
Our very first episode of the year! from 2023-01-10T01:27:19
Happy New Year! We’re back from our holiday break to discuss some of the biggest news stories of 2023 so far, including last week’s C-SPAN soap opera. New Hous...
Listen
This is not your grandpa’s union (rerun) from 2023-01-04T01:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2021. We want to say a big thank-you for being part of the “Make Me Sm...
Listen
Let’s talk about Ukraine (rerun) from 2022-12-28T01:00
Listen
The moral hazard of solar geoengineering (rerun) from 2022-12-21T01:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2022. We want to say a big thank-you for being part of the “Make Me Sm...
Listen
How sci-fi can make us smart (rerun) from 2022-12-14T01:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2022. We want to say a big thank-you for being part of the “Make Me Sm...
Listen
Our holiday party episode from 2022-12-10T01:20:31
For our final episode of 2022, we’re throwing a holiday party with music, Santa hats, drinks and our favorite game, Half-Full/Half-Empty. But can’t forge...
Listen
The economic and human cost of the opioid epidemic from 2022-12-09T01:42:37
Today’s episode mentions heavy topics like substance use disorder and death, which some listeners might find distressing.
Last year, 80,000 Americans died due...
Listen
More jobs are always a good thing, right? from 2022-12-08T00:49:33
When the latest jobs report dropped, so did stock prices. A listener wrote in to ask why Wall Street isn’t a fan of the hot labor market. We’ll get into it and answe...
Listen
Climate change is disrupting the insurance industry from 2022-12-07T01:20:10
Today we’re talking about that thing we all sort of dread paying: insurance. It’s a big business and a critical part of the housing market and our economy. But in the era of climate change...
Listen
AI isn’t all fun and games from 2022-12-06T00:28:26
There’s a new AI chatbot that’s going viral. Popular results shared on social media show just how scary accurate th...
Listen
Why women are gaining more jobs than men from 2022-12-03T01:44:36
Today, we’re doing the numbers on the latest national jobs report. Women got the majority of jobs gained in November. We’ll ...
Listen
Dude, where’s my EV charging station? from 2022-12-01T22:57:46
idespread access to charging stations is key to getting drivers to go electric. But the businesses who can build those stations still ar...
Listen
Why was so much money sitting in FTX? from 2022-12-01T01:17:37
When the former cryptocurrency exchange FTX went under, billions of dollars in investments seemingly vanished. A listener asked us why FTX customers didn’t mov...
Listen
Tech layoffs: The Great Correction? from 2022-11-30T01:05:55
Amazon. Meta. Twitter. A lot of tech companies are letting workers go. According to one estimate, nearly Listen
China is at a COVID-19 crossroads from 2022-11-29T01:11:28
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s strict zero-COVID policies have kept the virus at bay, but public frustration with lockdowns and a stunted economy are coming to...
Listen
Is globalization a myth? from 2022-11-23T01:03:34
There’s lots of debate over globalization. Some experts believe Listen
The FTX meltdown is a cautionary tale from 2022-11-22T01:16:04
FTX customers fear they’ll never get their money back from the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange. They’re not wrong to worry. Could this further erode con...
Listen
The big quit: teachers’edition from 2022-11-19T01:44:01
At the start of the year, a survey from the National Education Association revealed that more than 50% of teachers were thinking about l...
Listen
Should we care about political polls? from 2022-11-17T01:08:46
Every election season, headlines speculate about which political polls got it right and how others got it so wrong. A listener called in to ask if they even matter. ...
Listen
Unpacking Mastodon from 2022-11-16T01:29:28
Since Elon Musk bought Twitter, over a million people (including Kai and Kimberly) have joined Mastodon, a decentralized social media network.
On the show today, Robert Gehl, professor of...
Listen
Are U.S.-China relations thawing? from 2022-11-15T00:24:21
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the leaders of the two most powerful countries in the world met face to face, on the...
Listen
It’s time to talk about climate reparations from 2022-11-12T01:39:08
Rich countries, like the United States, are the biggest emitters <...
Listen
Crypto world is reeling from 2022-11-11T01:10:03
Earlier this week, we told you about two cryptocurrency giants joining forces. Well, that deal fell apart, and now a major crypto exchan...
Listen
What’s the deal with Twitter Blue? from 2022-11-10T01:46
You can now pay to get verified on Twitter (without actually verifying your identity). What does this mean for misinformation on the app...
Listen
The rise of outside money in local school board elections from 2022-11-09T01:20:25
School board races have become some of the most contentious elections of the 2022 midterms. These used to be mostly local affairs, with candidates typically raising ...
Listen
Elon Musk’s Twitter troubles from 2022-11-08T01:18:27
Twitter is supposed to be the digital version of the public square. But what happens when the richest person in the world buys it and te...
Listen
Oil industry: Help wanted from 2022-11-05T00:26:26
If you’re looking for a job in the oil and gas industry, chances are it’s yours. The jobless rate for the U.S. oil industry ...
Listen
Brands are breaking up with Twitter from 2022-11-04T00:43:17
Companies like Audi and General Mills are temporarily pulling their ads from Twitter. They’re not fans of Elon Musk’s ideas ...
Listen
The economic case for taking in refugees from 2022-04-20T00:10:56
The U.S. has a long history of resettling refugees who are fleeing war and persecution. The current program goes back to the ’80s, after the Vietnam War.
<... Listen
Treasury Department issues“cry for help” from 2022-04-19T01:15:26
Today is Tax Day, the deadline for filing taxes (or an extension, gulp). To mark the occasion, the Treasury Department called on Congres...
Listen
Layoffs reach record lows, and other thoughts from 2022-04-16T01:16:52
Listen
EU looks to break from Russian energy from 2022-04-14T23:59:10
The European Union is trying to end its dependence on Russian oil — but that may be costly and complicated. This Thursday, we talk about how Western countries are pr...
Listen
Russia’s ruble is strong…for now. from 2022-04-14T00:31:09
The strength of Russia’s ruble even in the face of sanctions from the West has surprised some. This Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, ...
Listen
Cities are chasing crypto. But why? from 2022-04-13T00:59:08
Government leaders all over the world are taking a hard look at cryptocurrencies.
Don’t put your mask away yet from 2022-04-12T00:42:22
A month after lifting its mask mandate, Philadelphia is reinstating indoor mask requirements beginning next week as COVID-19 cases there...
Listen
The wave of anti-transgender legislation is an economic story from 2022-04-09T01:35:10
Alabama’s governor signed two bills into law on Friday: One criminalizes providing gender-affirming care for transgender youth, an...
Listen
Buying a house? In this economy? from 2022-04-08T01:07:21
Listen
More money, more problems? from 2022-04-07T00:47:20
- With a dozen states considering sending payments to taxpayers to ease the sting of inflation, one listener is wondering whether more check... Listen
How the Fugitive Slave acts and new“bounty hunter”bills are alike from 2022-04-05T23:51:58
It’s been more than six months since Texas’ anti-abortion law went into effect. SB8 let...
Listen
Everything comes back to politics from 2022-04-05T00:53:40
The Senate approved an agreement for a new round of COVID-related funding today. The $10 billion package includes money for COVID testing and treatment as well as va...
Listen
Amazon workers vote to unionize in Staten Island from 2022-04-02T01:06:47
Happy Friday, Smarties! Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, elected to unionize today. That’s a historic win, and we’ll talk more ...
Listen
The lowdown on our backup oil from 2022-04-01T00:22:55
As energy prices soar due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. is drawing on government petroleum reserves. But getting the oil flowing and to market isnR...
Listen
The reason inflation is so hard to solve this time from 2022-03-31T00:29:41
This week on Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we answer your questions about why everything is so expensive and who’s going to fix it. So first, does the Federal ...
Listen
Is our economy ready for long COVID? from 2022-03-30T00:00:07
At the start of the pandemic, there was an overwhelming sense that once there were vaccines, you’d be less likely to die from COVI...
Listen
Biden is not hiding his opinion of Putin from 2022-03-29T01:52:05
Listen
The“don’t sleep on this news”edition from 2022-03-26T00:40:50
An ice shelf in Antarctica the size of New York City collapsed after a warm spell in that part of the globe, in case you needed a reminder that climate change is sti...
Listen
Uber riders may be seeing yellow (cabs) from 2022-03-25T00:58:13
If you’re in New York City, don’t be surprised if the next time you request an Uber you get picked up in a yellow taxi — Uber has announced plans to team up with cab companies there....
Listen
The not-so-easy thing about taming inflation from 2022-03-24T00:31:03
A week after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, some of us still have questions. Like, why did the stock market respond so posit...
Listen
There’s still money to be made in Russia from 2022-03-22T23:15
Potato chips. Razors. Air fresheners. These are just a few of the items some of the world’s biggest brands are still selling in Russia after they said theyR...
Listen
The White House is prepared for long-term inflation and supply chain issues from 2022-03-22T00:50:44
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says the Biden administration is “prepared for the worst” when it comes to inflation and supply chain issues as global e...
Listen
One eye on the commodity markets, folks from 2022-03-19T00:41:02
Today we’ll preview a story we think we’ll be talking about more soon, including on next week’s evening broadcast at “Marketplace.” The...
Listen
States move to limit telehealth options for women seeking abortion pills from 2022-03-18T00:15:48
Since the beginning of the year, lawmakers in over 20 states have proposed bills limiting access to abortion pills by mail. The Food and Drug Administration had, in ...
Listen
A big day for the Federal Reserve from 2022-03-17T00:33:34
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates today for the first time in three years, and for Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re ans...
Listen
Consolidation is messing with the economy from 2022-03-15T22:55:48
Listen
“We’re not done yet” from 2022-03-15T01:03:38
With everything else going on in the world, it can start to feel like the pandemic is pretty much over. But for What’d We Miss Monday, our hosts highlight new ...
Listen
Anti-LGBTQ measures draw the ire of big business from 2022-03-12T02:22:24
Kimberly Adams is officially a co-host, and it’s only right we pour a glass and celebrate with some Economics on Tap! First, we di...
Listen
How many chips come in a bag of chips? from 2022-03-11T01:14:14
There’s a lot of news to cover today, so pull up a seat. We’ll talk about some of the recent state legislation in Florida an...
Listen
Oligarchs and taxes and bonds, oh my! from 2022-03-10T01:32:57
Today we’re answering questions that get at those knock-on economic effects of Russia’s war with Ukraine we’ve been talking about recently on the s...
Listen
There’s an information war going on, too from 2022-03-09T01:46:27
There are no winners in the war in Ukraine. Civilian casualties are mounting as Ukrainians resist Russian invaders. But on social media, things are playing out diffe...
Listen
Calls continue to stop buying Russian oil from 2022-03-08T01:41:51
It’s Monday, and we’re getting caught up on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, COVID-19 here at home and more. As Russia’...
Listen
Demand for dollars is stable for now from 2022-03-05T01:51:04
It’s the end of the week, and we’re settling in for Economics on Tap! We’ll close the loop on some questions we raised earlier about the Federal Re...
Listen
We’re still buying Russian oil, but why? from 2022-03-04T01:10:26
It’s Hollowed-Out Shell Thursday, and while we’re not feeling totally empty, we’re a little confused about the state of the energy market in the wa...
Listen
Modern war and the globalized economy from 2022-03-03T01:38:36
For Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we asked for all your economic and tech questions about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. One listener wonders if we should be wo...
Listen
Let’s talk about Ukraine from 2022-03-01T23:52:51
There’s only one story we wanted to do a deep dive into this week: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
... Listen
Everyone’s going to be looking for dollars from 2022-03-01T02:38:55
This What’d We Miss Monday, we catch up on the conflict in Ukraine, including the ugly reality that economic sanctions against Russia hurt its individual citiz...
Listen
Americans are ready to pay for sanctions on Russia from 2022-02-26T01:31
Today, there’s still really only one story, and that’s Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For a hint about American attitudes toward the conflict, we lo...
Listen
On Russia,“don’t assume a rational actor” from 2022-02-25T01:48:23
Things are pretty hollow on this Hollowed-Out Shell Thursday. After weeks of posturing, Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Wednesday nigh...
Listen
So whaddya wanna know about inflation? from 2022-02-24T01:30:38
It’s Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, and Kai’s flying solo today, focusing on your inflation questions. Like which grocery store items are used to calculat...
Listen
How do we fix our credit scoring system? from 2022-02-23T01:32:14
Credit scores are supposed to indicate how likely it is that someone will pay back money they borrowed. And credit scores matter — a lot. If you want to participate ...
Listen
Classified documents were where now? from 2022-02-19T01:50:33
Grab your drinks and settle in, folks. It’s time for a little Economics on Tap! On today’s show, we’ll discuss the National Archives revealing ...
Listen
“The virus is no longer in charge of the economy” from 2022-02-18T02:05:10
Earlier today, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a “next phase” pandemic plan that includes easing restrictions and focusing on prevention and r...
Listen
Do economic sanctions work in a crypto world? from 2022-02-17T01:32:25
On this Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ve got a listener question about how effective U.S. economic sanctions are when c...
Listen
Oil markets eye Russia-Ukraine tensions from 2022-02-15T01:22:48
Things could get weird in the world of oil if Russia follows through on an invasion of Ukraine, analysts warn. Our hosts discuss how the market might react. Plus...
Listen
Millions of parents, a collective scream from 2022-02-12T02:09:25
On this edition of Economics on Tap, we’ll get into the whiplash that some parents experienced today after the Food and Drug Administration reversed course on when it might authorize Pfize...
Listen
An important next step for #MeToo from 2022-02-11T01:53:27
Today we’ll talk about some big news on the #MeToo front — Congress approved a new bill that guarantees legal recourse in courts to employees who have expe...
Listen
Why do CEOs get paid so much? from 2022-02-10T01:20:57
In 1965, the ratio of CEO-to-average-worker compensation was 21:1. In 2020, that number had skyrocketed to 351:1. One listener wondered: “How has that gap ...
Listen
Base salaries boom for Amazon’s corporate, tech workers from 2022-02-08T01:35:57
On Monday, Amazon increased the base pay cap for some of its employees. Tech and corporate workers will see their base salaries rise from $160,000 to $350,000. I...
Listen
The untold story behind January’s jobs report from 2022-02-05T01:36:53
January’s employment report was released Friday morning, and it showed the U.S. economy added 467,000 jobs last month. The headline numbers were a pleasant...
Listen
Why this year’s Super Bowl ads might hit different from 2022-02-04T01:59:23
With the big game just around the corner, the broadcast world’s attention turns to the commercials. Advertisers are looking for a return to the upbeat tone...
Listen
Where do our donated clothes end up? from 2022-02-03T01:24:59
Every year, Americans donate millions of pounds of clothing to Goodwill, including one of our listeners, who wondered, “When I drop stuff off at Goodwill, ...
Listen
What you need to know now about inflation from 2022-02-02T00:54:18
The last time we took a longer look at inflation, economists were still trying to figure out if rising prices would be temporary or whether they’d be stick...
Listen
A different pandemic for parents from 2022-02-01T01:49:47
On Monday, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration for anyone over the age of 18. It’s the second vaccine the FDA has approved for use by ...
Listen
Has this economy changed how you shop? from 2022-01-29T02:05:10
It’s Friday, which means it’s time for some Economics on Tap! Today we’re wondering if all the talk about supply chain problems six months ago ...
Listen
The economy’s growing, but the pandemic’s still here from 2022-01-28T01:45:27
Apple announced it had a great quarter, and GDP grew last year, too. But these numbers don’t tell the whole story. Gross domestic product has its limitatio...
Listen
New year, new supply chain? from 2022-01-27T01:38:33
The Lunar New Year is next week, and one listener wonders whether the traditional break that Chinese workers take might help our supply chain struggles. Then, we...
Listen
Let’s get smart about the metaverse from 2022-01-25T22:52:37
Last week, we spoke with sci-fi writer Neal Stephenson. He’s the guy who coined the term “metaverse” in 1992 to describe a 3D virtual world whe...
Listen
We’re talking about Bruno… from 2022-01-25T01:01:42
Welcome back from the weekend, folks! It’s What’d We Miss Monday, where we discuss some of the stories we missed over the last few days. Today, we di...
Listen
West Elm Caleb saga is a story about online privacy from 2022-01-22T01:35:57
If you haven’t heard about Caleb from West Elm, get ready for a mini-deep dive. His story is all over TikTok and Twitter, and it’s raising serious qu...
Listen
Texas deep freeze Part 2? from 2022-01-21T01:12:03
Temperatures in Texas are tumbling this week, and occasional host Andy Uhler is getting flashbacks from last year’s deep freeze. We’ll talk about what Texas has ...
Listen
What’s so great about 5G? from 2022-01-20T01:30:03
AT&T and Verizon rolled out their expanded 5G services today. One listener wonders: What’s 5G anyway, and why do we need it? We’ll explain why it’s been a long time coming....
Listen
How sci-fi can make us smart from 2022-01-18T23:21:33
On Make Me Smart, we often turn to economists, professors and policy wonks to make us smart about some big topics that need explaining. Today, we’re turnin...
Listen
Free rapid tests could still take some time from 2022-01-15T01:20:36
Grab your drinks people. Economics on Tap is back (and we’re starting strong)! In our first Friday show of the new year, our hosts take a look at the antic...
Listen
Omicron hits small business from 2022-01-14T02:15:54
It’s our first Hollowed Out Shell of a Thursday of 2022. Let’s dive in. Today we talk about how small business has fared during this wave of the coro...
Listen
Is 5G cleared for takeoff? from 2022-01-13T01:47:52
Verizon and AT&T hoped to expand their 5G networks this week, but safety concerns from the Federal Aviation Administration have pushed that rollout back. We ...
Listen
The James Webb Space Telescope is out of this world from 2022-01-12T00:27:56
For the first deep dive of 2022, we’re going to space! OK, not really. But we’re talking about the most powerful space telescope ever. The James Webb Space Telescope cost $10 billion...
Listen
Hey smarties, we’re back! from 2022-01-11T01:20:48
Happy (belated) 2022! We’ve returned from our holiday hiatus, and we’re discussing some of the big news stories of the past week or so, including how insurance companies are now goin...
Listen
Let’s do the numbers on a $15 minimum wage (rerun) from 2022-01-04T18:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2021. We want to say a big thank-you for being part of the “...
Listen
Our mental “surge capacity” is maxed out (rerun) from 2021-12-28T18:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2021. We want to say a big thank-you for being part of the “...
Listen
Critical race theory has been around for decades — why’s it a powder keg now? (rerun) from 2021-12-21T18:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2021. We want to say a big thank-you for being part of the “...
Listen
40 years later, is this the end of Reaganomics? (rerun) from 2021-12-14T18:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2021. We w...
Listen
A cheesy close to 2021 from 2021-12-11T01:32:59
On the final show of the year, we’re talking cheese. Specifically, the supply and demand of cream cheese in America. Plus, one of the hosts gives us their hot take on formaggio. On a more ...
Listen
Labor is having a moment from 2021-12-10T01:10:23
Starbucks workers at a store in Buffalo, New York, have voted to form the company’s first U.S. trade union. The move could pave the way for baristas across the country to do the same. We&#...
Listen
What “made in the USA” really means from 2021-12-09T01:43:46
It’s the holiday season, and Americans are focused on shopping. One listener wonders what consumer spending looks like after a year of supply chain issues....
Listen
What“made in the USA”really means from 2021-12-09T01:43:46
It’s the holiday season, and Americans are focused on shopping. One listener wonders what consumer spending looks like after a year of supply chain issues. We&...
Listen
The economics of mental illness from 2021-12-08T00:48:29
We are approaching our second winter of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have a lot more awareness about how our mental health affects our work and how we function ...
Listen
“Make Me Smart,” NYC-style from 2021-12-07T01:32:29
On the show today, Marielle Segarra joins the pod from New York to discuss a few NYC-centric stories. First, the mayor there, Bill de Blasio, announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all private...
Listen
Bring on the at-home rapid COVID tests from 2021-12-04T01:33:22
The U.S. lags behind other countries when it comes to making rapid at-home COVID-19 tests easily available and inexpensive. And we’re going to need to get ...
Listen
Let’s talk about ‘share of stomach’ from 2021-12-03T01:32:26
Almost two years into COVID-19, there are some parts of the pandemic that don’t seem to be going away. Yes, variants. But also the way we spend our money. We’ll talk about why grocery stores are...
Listen
Let’s talk about‘share of stomach’ from 2021-12-03T01:32:26
Almost two years into COVID-19, there are some parts of the pandemic that don’t seem to be going away. Yes, variants. But also the way we spend our money. We’ll talk about why grocery stores are...
Listen
What’s the deal with stadium naming rights? from 2021-12-02T01:36:36
Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, will be renamed Crypto.com Arena this month. The news made quite a splash for the cryptocurrency exchange. And it...
Listen
Ethereum 101 from 2021-12-01T00:34:04
It’s time to talk about bitcoin’s digital cousin: ethereum. This is a type of blockchain operating system that allows you to trade the cryptocurrency...
Listen
OMG omicron from 2021-11-30T01:41:57
Over the holiday break, epidemiologists around the world did a simultaneous face palm after news about a new COVID-19 “variant of concern.” We’ll catch you up on the omicron va...
Listen
The Fed, explained from 2021-11-23T23:20:22
By now, you’ve probably heard that Jerome Powell has been nominated to serve another four years as chair of the Federal Reserve, our nation’s central...
Listen
Why Biden picked Powell from 2021-11-23T01:16:37
President Joe Biden says he wants to reappoint Jerome Powell to serve as chair of the Federal Reserve for a second term. It’s a big deal, but it wasn’...
Listen
What will Covid-19 cases in America look like this winter? from 2021-11-20T01:47:04
Austria is getting ready for another round of COVID-19 lockdowns. With vaccine mandates hitting a roadblock in the United States and the Listen
Crypto lovers go all in on the Constitution from 2021-11-19T01:30:27
Crypto enthusiasts came through. They’ve raised $40 million to buy a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution that’s up for auction to put it back in ̶...
Listen
Can we divert container ships in California to other ports? from 2021-11-18T01:42:22
Texas is throwing a bit of shade at California. In a recent Listen
Debunking the onshoring narrative from 2021-11-17T01:17:41
At the start of the pandemic, and even a little before (remember the U.S.-China trade war?), some folks wondered if we were about to see the end of offshoring an...
Listen
We were prepared to fight the previous economic crisis … from 2021-11-16T01:03:31
We often look to history to stop us from making the same mistakes we’ve made in the past. But as American policymakers mounted their economic response to t...
Listen
Climate, climate, climate from 2021-11-13T02:24:35
The United Nations COP26 climate summit is going into overtime because there’s still a lot of work left to do. We’ll explain why the meeting has been...
Listen
Making sense of Rivian’s valuation from 2021-11-12T01:25:53
Electric truck startup Rivian made its debut in the public markets. It’s sold less than 200 vehicles, so how could the company be valued at $86 billion, mo...
Listen
Are trade tariffs affecting inflation? from 2021-11-11T01:34:28
We’re inflating! Today, we got word that consumer prices jumped the highest they ever have in the last 30 years. One listener wants to know how much of tha...
Listen
“Work will never love you back” from 2021-11-09T23:54:51
Listeners, it’s time to talk about the Great Resignation.
That’s the name used to descri...
Listen
The infrastructure bill is an “unqualified huge deal” from 2021-11-09T01:00:38
After years and years of trying, Congress finally came through with a bipartisan infrastructure bill. On the show today, we’ll discuss what’s actuall...
Listen
The infrastructure bill is an“unqualified huge deal” from 2021-11-09T01:00:38
After years and years of trying, Congress finally came through with a bipartisan infrastructure bill. On the show today, we’ll discuss what’s actually in...
Listen
Reading the bond market tea leaves from 2021-11-06T00:33:23
The stock market might not be the best way to understand how the economy’s doing, but the bond market is a different story. On the show today, Kai gives us his read on the bond market and ...
Listen
Climate change is coming for Exxon’s assets from 2021-11-05T00:49:24
In a new securities filing, Exxon says some of its oil and gas reserves may face impairment, which means they will likely have to stay in the ground because of c...
Listen
How do companies make money from selling stock? from 2021-11-03T23:30:29
Gas prices are up, and one listener wanted to know who is and who isn’t to blame. On the show today, we do a little fact-checking on who’s really res...
Listen
What’s up with the field of economics? from 2021-11-02T23:40:57
Economics is a social science. It involves theories and models and lots of math. So why is it so hard for economists to agree? And why is there often a disconnect between what economists say wil...
Listen
What will COP26 climate conference accomplish? from 2021-11-02T00:55:21
The big story from the weekend is the start of the United Nations COP26 climate conference. And even though we’re watching it, we’re wondering if the...
Listen
VCs are getting into crypto. Here’s why that should worry you. from 2021-10-30T00:19:43
Even if you don’t know the name Marc Andreessen, you’ve probably interacted with one of his companies. He’s the man behind some of the very fir...
Listen
New name, same Zuck from 2021-10-29T00:43:17
Earlier today, Mark Zuckerberg announced he’d be heading Facebook’s new parent company, Meta. It will also cover WhatsApp, Instagram and any future p...
Listen
We’re still trying to wrap our brains around DeFi from 2021-10-28T00:32:15
Last week, we took a deep dive into the world of Listen
The case for a carbon tax from 2021-10-27T00:37:38
How big is your carbon footprint? Do you really know? If it was taxed, you’d find out one way or another. Maybe the cost of carbon gets added on like a sal...
Listen
What you need to know about the Facebook Papers from 2021-10-26T00:31:32
The whistleblower-driven “Facebook Files” investigation at The Wall Street ...
Listen
The Alec Baldwin on-set shooting is a labor story from 2021-10-23T01:05:55
We’ve been gripped today by the tragic accident on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” Star Alec Baldwin’s prop gun discharged while sho...
Listen
The climate crisis is the only story because it touches everything from 2021-10-22T01:35:33
We’re talking about twin reports from the federal government today, focused on the risks climate change poses to the American economy and global security. ...
Listen
All Hands on Deck! from 2021-10-21T00:24:01
When President Joe Biden announced last week that the Port of Los Angeles would begin operating 24 hours a day, it left one of our listeners asking why the port ...
Listen
DeFi: What you need to know about decentralized finance from 2021-10-20T01:07:01
Imagine what it would be like if you didn’t have to wait days for your paycheck to be processed by the bank. Or getting a ...
Listen
U.S. climate goals on the line from 2021-10-19T00:33:34
Here’s a sign that we need action on climate change. Water levels in one of the world’s most iconic lakes, Lake Tahoe, have plummeted. That’s n...
Listen
Work just ain’t cutting it anymore from 2021-10-16T00:44:31
This week, Apple and Netflix fired employees who also happened to be involved in speaking out against their respective employers. What does this all mean for how we think about work? We’ll...
Listen
The fight over the debt limit: round two from 2021-10-14T23:48:06
We’re barely getting out of one fight over the debt ceiling and we’re already looking down the road to the next one. Will the GOP come around before the December deadline? We’l...
Listen
Why do we even have a debt ceiling? from 2021-10-14T01:16:25
The House of Representatives might’ve voted on a short-term spending solution on the debt ceiling, but one of our listeners is still wondering where the de...
Listen
Batteries are“the glue of the clean-energy economy” from 2021-10-12T23:54:26
We’ve gone from lead-acid batteries in our cars to the lithium-ion batteries that power our phones and devices in a relatively short amount of time.
Batteries are “the glue of the clean-energy economy” from 2021-10-12T23:54:26
We’ve gone from lead-acid batteries in our cars to the lithium-ion batteries that power our phones and devices in a relatively short amount of time.
What the Dave Chappelle backlash says about workplace power struggles from 2021-10-12T01:15:06
Netflix suspended a trans employee who took to Twitter to criticize Dave Chappelle’s special over transphobic comments. It’s not the only example of workers flexing their power. Mean...
Listen
Women are still losing jobs from 2021-10-09T00:32:22
If you take away anything from the October jobs report, it should be this: More than a year and a half into the pandemic, women keep losing jobs. And it’s ...
Listen
As dark place as it gets from 2021-10-08T00:28:51
On this hollowed-out shell Thursday, we waste no time getting to the dark place. The Biden administration released reports today detailing just how big of an imp...
Listen
What’s a digital dollar? from 2021-10-07T00:17:06
You’ve heard about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but how are they different from a digital dollar? On this Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll discuss the benefits and drawback...
Listen
Big money is behind the fight over the Indian Child Welfare Act from 2021-10-05T22:42:36
What do corporate lawyers, political operatives, and right-wing groups have to do with the Indian Child Welfare Act? A whole lot.
Facebook goes down. What timing! from 2021-10-05T00:14:15
Facebook went down for six hours today. The outage happened a day after a former employee went on national television saying the company has put profits above, well, everything else. We’ll...
Listen
Mint the coin? from 2021-10-02T00:41:25
With the debt ceiling crisis still pending, a popular old idea has sprung up: a trillion-dollar coin. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said it’s a no-go...
Listen
Facebook is spinning from 2021-10-01T00:09:19
Let’s talk about the results of Facebook investigating itself. TLDR: The company says the research it did — on its apps having a negative effect on young people — isn’t what we think...
Listen
What the debt ceiling drama means for you from 2021-09-30T00:20:26
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says if the debt ceiling isn’t raised, there could be “catastrophic economic consequences.” But what does that mean for the average American? We...
Listen
The“dysfunctional”U.S. refugee system from 2021-09-28T23:06:17
The U.S. in the middle of resettling tens of thousands of Afghan citizens around the country. At the same time, it’s turning away Haitians and Central American...
Listen
The “dysfunctional” U.S. refugee system from 2021-09-28T23:06:17
The U.S. in the middle of resettling tens of thousands of Afghan citizens around the country. At the same time, it’s turning away Haitians and Central Amer...
Listen
Resignations at the Fed from 2021-09-28T01:22:11
You know it’s a big deal when people retire early from jobs where people never retire early. Two Federal Reserve presidents stepped down after making controversial trades in the financial ...
Listen
The cryptocurrency future is not here from 2021-09-25T00:34:48
China is making big crypto moves. Today, it made all financial transactions involving cryptocurrencies illegal. It also banned crypto mining. At the same time, i...
Listen
No more debt ceiling? from 2021-09-24T00:22:33
It’s tradition. Every couple of years, Democrats and Republicans fight over raising the federal debt ceiling, or the limit of how much money the government...
Listen
How Jerome Powell happened from 2021-09-23T00:15:08
Progressive Democrats are pressuring President Joe Biden to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. But how did a non-economist even come to head the Fed anyway? That’s one of the lis...
Listen
The social safety net explained from 2021-09-21T23:13
Congressional Democrats are working on a $3.5 trillion bill that would vastly expand the social safety net. But what exactly is this thing we call the social saf...
Listen
The U.S. isn’t the only one that can break the global economy from 2021-09-21T00:26:37
A massive real estate company is freaking out the global markets. The Evergrande Group is sitting on tons of debt, and investors worry it could go broke and send ripple effects throughout China ...
Listen
1 shot, 2 shots … 3 shots? 4? from 2021-09-18T00:06:12
Today, a group of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted to reject a plan from the White House to approve vaccine boosters for most Americans. That w...
Listen
More about Facebook’s cost of doing business from 2021-09-17T00:32:39
Today we get hallowed out from more revelations from The Wall Street Journal’s ongoing reporting of what goes on behind the scenes at Facebook and the trad...
Listen
What if the minimum wage was raised like Social Security? from 2021-09-16T00:41:24
A lot of things are affected by inflation. How come minimum wage isn’t one of them?
On t...
Listen
Occupy Wall Street, 10 years later from 2021-09-15T00:00:58
Ten years ago this week, a group of activists pitched tents in New York’s Zuccotti Park. They said they were protesting against economic inequality and the...
Listen
Apple says update your devices now from 2021-09-14T00:13:24
Apple’s security impermeability has been shattered to pieces. Today, Apple issued an emergency software update for its products after researchers discovered devices could be infected with ...
Listen
The problem with politicians owning and trading stocks from 2021-09-11T00:43:47
Whether the United States moves on climate change may come down to one person — Sen. Joe Manchin. Will his personal financial investments in the energy industry ...
Listen
All y’all need to get vaccinated from 2021-09-10T00:37:23
The White House isn’t messing around. Now that the COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the Joe Biden administration h...
Listen
Social Security is not going broke from 2021-09-09T00:04:19
We often hear Social Security is running out of money, but what does that actually mean?
On to...
Listen
Reproductive rights are economic rights from 2021-09-07T23:58:56
It might not be talked about much, but reproductive rights are an economic issue.
There’...
Listen
The end of a long week from 2021-09-04T01:34:42
The destruction left by Hurricane Ida has sharpened the focus on infrastructure and climate resilience in the United States. We discuss the importance of the Senate-approved infrastructure bill ...
Listen
Climate change action: it’s now or never from 2021-09-02T23:54:19
We know everyone is talking about Texas’s new restrictive abortion law. We’re saving our in-depth conversation about that for Tuesday, when we’...
Listen
Should I get my booster? from 2021-09-01T23:57:44
Soon, all Americans will be eligible to get a COVID-19 booster shot. One of our listeners is wondering whether getting her booster means taking one from somebody...
Listen
What’s the deal with the creator economy? from 2021-09-01T00:44:22
By now you’ve heard the phrase creator economy. It includes everyone from TikTok stars to Twitch streamers and adult-content creators on sites like OnlyFans.
Humanity can’t get a win from 2021-08-31T00:47
It’s been a somber news day. Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. This time, the city’s $14.5 billion system of levees seemed to have held up, ...
Listen
What’s Elon up to? from 2021-08-28T00:58:37
He sells electric cars. He wants to go to Mars. Now he wants to sell … electricity? Yup, Elon Musk wants Tesla to get into the energy business in Texas. We’ll discuss what it all means and...
Listen
Raging against the patriarchy from 2021-08-27T00:39:30
Today, we blame our hollowed-out-ness on the patriarchy! First, one of the leaders of the Time’s Up organization, which is supposed to support women, resigned after helping former New York...
Listen
How to prove your vaccine status from 2021-08-26T00:00:41
From restaurants to bars and gyms, more and more businesses are requiring customers to be vaccinated. Our listener Leila wants to know what exactly you need to show those businesses to get throu...
Listen
Can capitalists save the planet? from 2021-08-25T00:26:17
We’ve seen plenty of companies make pledges to reduce emissions and increase investments in climate solutions. How real are these commitments?
<...
Listen
Should Fed chief Powell stay or go? from 2021-08-24T00:23:22
Today, we’ve got Jerome Powell on the brain. As he prepares to make a major speech at the virtual Jackson Hole summit this week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a Democrat, has indicated ...
Listen
Where are all the COVID tests? from 2021-08-21T00:47:53
As the delta variant spreads, Americans are once again in need of COVID tests. We’ll talk about one frustrating reason some of those tests are so hard to f...
Listen
Is Israel a sign of what’s to come? from 2021-08-20T01:42:19
For our 500th episode, we’re doing a little rinse and repeat. In the news fix, we get March 2020 vibes as we discuss developments from Israel, which has one of t...
Listen
The downsides of SPACs from 2021-08-19T00:30:53
SPACs have been all the hotness on Wall Street this year. These special purpose acquisition companies help businesses sell shares to the public faster than the t...
Listen
Our mental“surge capacity”is maxed out from 2021-08-17T22:59:19
For some, life is starting to resemble something like normal. Kids are going back to school, some offices are welcoming back workers… so why are we still feeli...
Listen
Our mental “surge capacity” is maxed out from 2021-08-17T22:59:19
For some, life is starting to resemble something like normal. Kids are going back to school, some offices are welcoming back workers… so why are we still f...
Listen
It’s time to start worrying about water from 2021-08-17T00:45:08
The United Nations report on the climate crisis may have fallen out of the headlines, but we’re still taking about it on the show. Today, we’ll dig into how the climate is behind a h...
Listen
The COVID-19 endemic? from 2021-08-14T01:03:39
The delta variant might have some of us feeling like we’re reliving March 2020, but a new piece in The Atlantic is making us smart on how the COVID-19 pandemic might end. We’ll discu...
Listen
America has been diverse. We just weren’t counting right. from 2021-08-13T01:01:48
The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau might create the impression that America just became more diverse, but we may have been that way all along. We’ll break down some of the census ...
Listen
The money behind the infrastructure bill from 2021-08-12T00:09:30
Senators have been referring to the bipartisan infrastructure deal as a $1.2 trillion package. They say $500 billion is considered new spending. So where does the other $500 billion come from? O...
Listen
Vaccine mandates are a sticky issue from 2021-08-10T23:19:58
A growing list of huge companies, from G...
Listen
What’d we miss? Nothing good, apparently. from 2021-08-10T00:15:49
We have two routes to the dark place today: That harrowing U.N. report on the climate crisis and the 2021 redo of all the COVID superspreader angst we went throu...
Listen
Pandemic moves are complicating the climate crisis from 2021-08-07T01:10:37
We’re picking up some of the apocalyptic themes from yesterday to talk about the drought and wildfires throughout the Western U.S., and how the folks who l...
Listen
Chill out and wear a mask from 2021-08-06T02:25:05
Feeling a little hollowed out this Thursday? Some in the media are downright apocalyptic. On today’s show, we’ll unpack some of the coverage around C...
Listen
Pandemic pups have an economic effect from 2021-08-05T00:14:14
Like so many people hanging out at home in this pandemic, our listener Joel got a dog. He wants to know if enough people got new pets to make an economic impact....
Listen
The debt ceiling debate is more about politics than economics from 2021-08-04T00:06
The debt ceiling debate is full of contradictions. It’s real but it’s not real. It’s a problem but it’s not a problem. Congress missed the deadline to raise the federal b...
Listen
The eviction moratorium blame game from 2021-08-03T00:44:51
The federal eviction moratorium expired at the end of July, meaning potentially millions of struggling renters could lose their homes. On today’s show, we&...
Listen
Let’s do the numbers on those breakthrough COVID cases from 2021-07-31T00:16:36
A tiny fraction of 1% of vaccinated Americans have tested positive for COVID-19. But if you don’t read beyond the headlines, you might not know that. On th...
Listen
A different kind of Hollywood superhero fight from 2021-07-30T00:48:22
It was bound to happen at some point. Scarlett Johansson, who’s played Black Widow in Marvel movies for a decade now, is suing Disney for breach of contrac...
Listen
You can’t hide from Facebook from 2021-07-29T01:17:08
Facebook earnings are out, and one our listeners is looking for a little clarity ...
Listen
WeWork’s whole bananapants story from 2021-07-27T23:41:14
Was WeWork a tech company? A trillion-dollar business? A way of life? With the benefit of hindsight it’s easy to say, emphatically, “No.” But l...
Listen
We need to think about the unvaccinated differently from 2021-07-27T00:53:24
There are limits to personal freedom and responsibility — it runs out when you put others at risk. You can’t drive drunk, for example. But are people who a...
Listen
Make Me Sports from 2021-07-24T00:44:09
We started out this episode talking about the folks who are still unvaccinated for COVID-19, but quickly turned to the way the NFL switched from carrot to stick ...
Listen
Let’s talk about loneliness from 2021-07-23T00:34:39
Welcome to the metaverse! It’s run by Facebook. Plus: We cover a wide range of topics on this show and on our other daily news programs. But there’s ...
Listen
Hey, whatever happened to student loan forgiveness? from 2021-07-22T00:16:03
Federal student loan forbearance is set to expire at the end of September. There was a lot of talk at the start of the year of the Biden administration forgiving...
Listen
Our power grid is buckling under the weight of climate change from 2021-07-21T00:24:10
The power grid isn’t like other infrastructure. It’s a complex system that’s always on, on-demand all over the country. When supply can’t keep up with demand, as in extre...
Listen
Monday is longreads day from 2021-07-20T01:13:42
We’re keeping with our What’d We Miss Monday theme and tackling a bunch of the big...
Listen
We’re feeling a little apocalyptic today from 2021-07-17T00:58:44
You know how in disaster movies, you usually see a montage of news stories as everything falls apart? We can’t help but feel that way about all the climate...
Listen
Would canceling the Tokyo games bankrupt the Olympics? from 2021-07-15T01:01:46
Japan has a relatively old population and a relatively low vaccination rate. A listener in Tokyo wants to know: What would have happened if the Olympic Committee...
Listen
“Right to repair”is about more than DIY from 2021-07-14T00:41:41
You might not want to crack open your smartphone, but iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens wants you to have the option. His company provides instructions, parts and tools, but the...
Listen
“Right to repair” is about more than DIY from 2021-07-14T00:41:41
You might not want to crack open your smartphone, but iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens wants you to have the option. His company provides instructions, parts and tools, but...
Listen
What’d we miss? from 2021-07-13T00:38:59
Kai was out on Friday, and there’s a lot to talk about, so we’re taking our listener Listen
We’re watching a rocket-measuring contest between two billionaires. Why? from 2021-07-10T00:40:10
This Friday, let’s look at things a bit differently. Take, for example, the Disney classic that’s really about climate change, or why Jeff Bezos and ...
Listen
Hey look, everything at Facebook is definitely, totally fine! from 2021-07-09T00:08:46
Billionaires, Big Tech executives and media moguls are rubbing shoulders in Sun Valley, Idaho, this week. Normally, they tend to be a little press shy at the ann...
Listen
How downward mobility really feels from 2021-07-07T00:36:26
A lot’s changed since the last time we saw Annabelle Gurwitch. Since the actress and writer last appeared on our show back in 2017, she’s been living through the same pandemic as the...
Listen
Let’s follow the money, and the controversy, at the Olympics from 2021-07-03T00:48:20
The Summer Olympic Games are about three weeks away. This week, there’s been no shortage of controversy around the International Olympic Committee and its ...
Listen
Let’s unpack the Supreme Court ruling on voting restrictions from 2021-07-02T00:45:03
The Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s voting restrictions with a 6-3 ruling today. We’ll talk about what it means for the Voting Rights Act, and the sig...
Listen
Where did all the chicken wings go? from 2021-07-01T00:20:30
You can still find chicken wings in grocery stores, but not so much in restaurants. This after last year, when canceling March Madness lead to a Listen
Fossil fuel is under pressure from 2021-06-30T01:35:41
No pun intended. Big Oil has hit a number of setbacks recently, but there’s still huge demand for fossil fuels. Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia Un...
Listen
Let’s unpack the big Facebook antitrust news from 2021-06-29T00:31:07
Some Big Tech news broke right before we recorded this episode: A federal judge dismissed antitrust lawsuits brought against Facebook by more than 40 states. Tod...
Listen
We are (probably) not alone in the universe from 2021-06-26T00:54:57
It’s not that they’re aliens, but they’re not not aliens. A new Pentagon report released Friday can’t account for 143 “uni...
Listen
COVID-19 is going to be with us for years from 2021-06-25T01:00:50
More than 150 million Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and that’s great. But that huge number masks some series disparities in this country...
Listen
Health care can’t quit fax machines — here’s why from 2021-06-24T01:13:04
We have a good, old-fashioned “I’ve Always Wondered” kinda listener question today: Why is the doctor’s office seemingly the only place i...
Listen
Critical race theory has been around for decades — why’s it a powder keg now? from 2021-06-23T00:44:57
If you’ve been tuned in to the culture war at all in the last six to 12 months, you’ve probably heard a lot about “critical race theory.” You’ve probably heard less...
Listen
We’re still learning about the COVID-19 pandemic from 2021-06-22T01:34:29
It might feel like the COVID-19 pandemic is wrapping up in some parts of the United States, but there’s still new variants along with fresh revelations about the government’s respons...
Listen
Why Jeff Bezos needs to come back from space from 2021-06-19T00:57:12
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is headed to space on a suborbital flight run by his company Blue Origin. As of this taping, more than 16,000 people have signed a Chan...
Listen
The Fed is changing how it thinks about this economy from 2021-06-18T00:45
We’re going to get a little wonkier than usual today, because there’s a complex but important change happening in the way the Federal Reserve seems t...
Listen
When does a political donation become a bribe? from 2021-06-17T00:26:29
Kimberly Adams is still filling in for us from Washington, D.C., just in time for a big but surprisingly nuanced question about campaign finance reform. One list...
Listen
Voting has always been hard for some Americans, and it’s getting harder from 2021-06-16T00:31:27
For as long as we’ve had a democracy in this country, we’ve fought about who gets to vote and how. But this longstanding fight has taken on a new int...
Listen
The pandemic’s knock-on effects from 2021-06-15T00:31:13
American corporations were already borrowing a lot before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, with the economy all but ground to a halt and money even cheaper, they too...
Listen
And just like that, we have a big tech antitrust bill from 2021-06-12T01:09:27
Five of them, actually! We have to eat a little crow here. We’ve been saying for days, months, years that Congress can’t agree on anything much less regulate tech giants like Google,...
Listen
Remember MoviePass? The FTC does from 2021-06-11T01:07:34
The deal was too good to be true, because it was: A few years ago, MoviePass started offering users unlimited movie tickets for $10 per month. It was an unworkab...
Listen
Should you be worried about ransomware? from 2021-06-10T02:30:26
We spent a lot of time on yesterday’s show Listen
Ransomware attacks are “death by a 1,000 cuts” from 2021-06-09T03:22:37
There was a successful ransomware attack every eight minutes last year, according to one...
Listen
Ransomware attacks are“death by a 1,000 cuts” from 2021-06-09T03:22:37
There was a successful ransomware attack every eight minutes last year, according to one...
Listen
Jeff Bezos is going to space from 2021-06-08T00:48:16
After putting up the money for his own space company, Blue Origin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced today he’ll be on board its first manned mission. Hi...
Listen
Facebook made its bed and wants Congress to lie in it from 2021-06-05T00:38:02
You probably saw the big news from Facebook’s Oversight Board today, upholding former President Donald Trump’s suspension from the platform Listen
Wait, the NFL was doing *what*? from 2021-06-04T00:13:16
It’s the first week of summer — culturally, if not meteorologically. Changing of the seasons is a great time to start anew on some things, like redistribut...
Listen
How Amazon Sidewalk works (and how to opt out) from 2021-06-03T00:47:17
A few years ago, it might have been an intriguing idea: All the smart speakers, cameras and so on in your home networking with nearby smart home devices in your ...
Listen
Corporate tax doesn’t have to be a “race to the bottom” from 2021-06-02T00:35:21
You might remember our episode on the tax gap, the billions unpaid by s...
Listen
Corporate tax doesn’t have to be a“race to the bottom” from 2021-06-02T00:35:21
You might remember our episode on the tax gap, the billions unpaid by some of the richest ...
Listen
Microsoft says Russian group is responsible for latest cyberattack from 2021-05-29T00:42:44
Always double-check before you click. Over 150 organizations worldwide were targeted in the attack, according to a Listen
States offer the unvaccinated a shot at glory from 2021-05-28T01:07:39
Earlier today, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California would be joining the Listen
All we want for Christmas is supply chain relief from 2021-05-27T00:34:34
Winter is coming — eventually. Hopefully there’ll be plenty of cheer, but what about discount electronics? We answer one listener’s question about how the chip shortage will affect t...
Listen
A look at the history — and future — of police funding from 2021-05-25T23:25:45
How do we reduce crime, especially amid calls to defund the police?
While many point to rising crime rates as an indicator that more funding is needed, Listen
The streaming battle may be getting shaken, not stirred from 2021-05-25T00:18:18
In a world where content is king, Amazon may be looking to capture the crown. There are reports the Listen
Tim Cook’s (not so) Epic testimony from 2021-05-22T00:45:42
The antitrust trial involving Apple and Epic Games has provided a rare look into some of the tech giant’s business practices. The case wraps up soon, and it’s going out with a …...
Listen
Let’s get digital (currency?) from 2021-05-21T00:53:41
Cryptocurrency is a hot market, and some nations’ governments are wondering if it’s time to make their move. China already has a Listen
This is why the internet is so annoying right now from 2021-05-20T00:43:06
You know how it goes. You click on an article, but you can’t read it without tussling with a series of pop-ups, banners and prompts. “Yes, I accept c...
Listen
Who’s scared of a little inflation? from 2021-05-19T00:58:23
We’ve put it off for a long time, but it’s time to talk about the I-word. Nine letters, three syllables: inflation. The Federal Reserve likes it around 2%, but it’s been a long...
Listen
Air travel is back — but is that good? from 2021-05-18T00:46:52
Well, it’s definitely Monday. Companies are panic-buying over inflation fears, Elon Musk is still talking about crypto, AT&T is suddenly pivoting out o...
Listen
Joe Biden’s Venmo is a national security risk from 2021-05-15T00:46:22
In just 10 minutes of searching, reporters at BuzzFeed were able to find Joe Biden’s Venmo. See, while you can make your activi...
Listen
The White House trains its sights on for-profit colleges from 2021-05-14T00:51:32
For-profit schools got a bit of a break under the Trump administration, but no longer. The former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is now in char...
Listen
What you need to know about Apple’s new tracking update from 2021-05-13T00:36:45
If you have an iPhone or iPad and your software is up to date, you may have seen a prompt pop up in Instagram, Facebook or other apps. It asks if you want to all...
Listen
Back to school won’t mean back to normal from 2021-05-12T01:14:04
This economy won’t reopen until schools reopen, full stop. So how are we doing on that? Listen
Your COVID-19 vaccine was likely free — what about the booster? from 2021-05-11T00:56:13
President Joe Biden loosened intellectual property restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines last week in an effort to slow the pandemic — which, reminder, is very much ...
Listen
The economy gained 266K jobs — but they didn’t go to women from 2021-05-08T01:07:46
In a typical month, 266,000 new jobs would be amazing. But April (and the 12 months before that) was not a typical month. Economists expected about a million, th...
Listen
The chip shortage could mess up your summer vacation from 2021-05-07T01:15:23
As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, there’s been something of a global chip-demic brewing. And like the pandemic, a semiconductor shortage has knock-on effe...
Listen
What’s the difference between misinformation and plain ol’lies? from 2021-05-06T00:34:57
We got that question from a listener and today, as Facebook’s own Oversight Board Listen
What’s the difference between misinformation and plain ol’ lies? from 2021-05-06T00:34:57
We got that question from a listener and today, as Facebook’s own Oversight Board Listen
There’s more to the baby bust than COVID-19 from 2021-05-05T01:17:41
A baby represents an investment in the future. Looking back at the last 15 months, you could understand why some people may not feel great about having one right...
Listen
Is meat over? from 2021-05-04T01:01:31
The plant-based “meat” industry has been growing for a while — Listen
You can’t stop being you at work from 2021-05-01T01:15:17
You might not care about the company Basecamp or use its software, but you might care about the dust-up there. Employees are leaving en masse after the company b...
Listen
Feeling hollowed out? Us too. from 2021-04-30T01:02:49
Molly calls it fight-or-flight wearing off. Kai calls it rubber-band syndrome. It’s that special kind of burnout where you’ve been working so hard fo...
Listen
Do we really need a Real ID? from 2021-04-29T01:12:21
Homeland Security extended the real ID deadline this week, and one listener asked why this kind of ...
Listen
The pandemic all but killed privacy. It’s not too late to bring it back. from 2021-04-28T02:27:12
For more than a year we’ve been ensconced in our homes, but that doesn’t mean we have a lot of privacy. In fact, the...
Listen
Should we ban cryptocurrencies? from 2021-04-27T01:09:07
Twitter is full of conversation starters. Most of them are bad, but today we hit on a thread that really did make us think. It’s all about the why, if not ...
Listen
Everyone calm down about the capital gains tax from 2021-04-24T01:09:33
Look at a well-heeled publication like the Financial Times today and you’ll see that investors are in “Listen
Climate change won’t just trash the Earth — it’ll hurt the economy, too from 2021-04-23T00:43:10
Climate change is an existential risk to so much life on on this planet, but sometimes the bottom-line risks are more compelling to the people making the decisio...
Listen
How to turn real coins (sort of) into bitcoins from 2021-04-22T00:33:03
One of our listeners noticed that the Coinstar machine at her local grocery store is dealing in bitcoins now, and she’s wondering how that works. We’ll talk abou...
Listen
We are finally talking about reparations from 2021-04-21T02:24:11
For nearly a decade, the Black Lives Matter movement has called attention to the everyday injustices Black Americans endure, helping to build understanding around issues from systemic racism in ...
Listen
Guaranteed basic income is taking hold from 2021-04-20T00:45:46
Listen
The Biden administration’s first big faux pas from 2021-04-17T01:14:57
The White House is walking back its plan to keep the cap on refugees at the historic low set by the Trump administration. President Joe Biden had previously indi...
Listen
The system is broken from 2021-04-16T01:28:36
When you do the numbers on how many people police killed in nonviolent incidents just last year — to say nothing of the video and testimony coming out of multipl...
Listen
How do we know Coinbase is safe? from 2021-04-15T01:14:42
As a follow-up to yesterday’s show about cryptocurrencies, one of our listeners wants to know if Coinbase, which Listen
Bitcoin is getting real. What now? from 2021-04-14T01:05:47
We talk to Gil Luria, the director of research at D.A. Davidson, about who wins and who loses in the mainstreaming of Bitcoin. Plus: Gil answers your questions about Bitcoin mining and the relat...
Listen
What to watch for in tomorrow’s inflation numbers from 2021-04-13T00:46:54
We’re going to get the latest year-over-year inflation data early tomorrow morning. It will, in all likelihood, be followed by some misleading headlines — ...
Listen
The weirdest trade secrets from 2021-04-10T01:54:09
Guest host Scott Tong brought a truly wild story to this grab-bag Friday episode. Coca-Cola is accusing a former employee of stealing trade secrets — not the formula for what goes in the can, bu...
Listen
The cost of hygiene theater from 2021-04-09T01:06:52
You can stop cleaning your groceries now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affirmed this week what scientists have known for months: COVID-19 is spread primarily through the air, a...
Listen
With so many working from home, why not turn empty offices into homes? from 2021-04-08T01:13:18
Even before COVID-19, there was a housing crisis in much of this country. Now, cities like San Francisco have millions of square feet of empty office space and a...
Listen
What’s driving the humanitarian crisis at the border from 2021-04-07T00:39:05
Don’t call it a border crisis. What’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border — a Listen
Let’s talk about the big Amazon labor story. No, the other one. from 2021-04-06T02:27:21
With your regular hosts on spring break this week, Kimberly Adams is joined by Marketplace workplace culture reporter Meghan McCarty-Carino to talk all things Am...
Listen
MLB vs. Georgia Republicans from 2021-04-03T01:11:56
Yes, it’s the predictable sequel to yesterday’s discussion about corporate America and Georgia lawmakers. This time, we’re talking about Major ...
Listen
Georgia Republicans vs. Delta from 2021-04-02T01:03:47
The PR flap over Georgia’s new voting law gives us an interesting look at something we talk about a lot: The promise and peril of corporations acting as a ...
Listen
What you should know about “family offices” from 2021-04-01T00:53:41
Investment firms managing private wealth don’t have to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are responsible for some $6 trillion. The c...
Listen
What you should know about“family offices” from 2021-04-01T00:53:41
Investment firms managing private wealth don’t have to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are responsible for some $6 trillion. The colla...
Listen
40 years later, is this the end of Reaganomics? from 2021-03-31T00:58:22
It’s been 40 years since President Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem.” Now we’...
Listen
What if the pandemic had ended in June? from 2021-03-30T01:00:50
With the end of the pandemic maybe (maybe!) in sight, Kai and Molly are contemplating what their work lives have gained and lost in the past year. If COVID-19 ha...
Listen
Are you ready to go back to the office? from 2021-03-27T01:09:19
Big Tech is. Facebook, Google and other companies armed with the data to look ahead on this pandemic are slowly but surely bringing employees back in. On today&#...
Listen
Boats are taking the long way around the Suez Canal from 2021-03-26T00:04:48
What can we say? Like many people, we simply can’t look away from the big honkin’ ship that’s stuck in the Suez Canal. Today, we’ll talk ...
Listen
NFTs are“monetized FOMO” from 2021-03-25T01:16:44
We already know the “what” of nonfungible tokens: They’re blockchain-backed digital media, bought and sold for a Listen
NFTs are “monetized FOMO” from 2021-03-25T01:16:44
We already know the “what” of nonfungible tokens: They’re blockchain-backed digital media, bought and sold for a Listen
What’s the tax gap, and how do we close it? from 2021-03-24T00:19:36
New research shows that the top 1% o...
Listen
Vaccine supply and demand are about to flip from 2021-03-23T00:57:58
With 127 million “jabs” administered in America so far, and more manufacturers o...
Listen
What this country thinks of women from 2021-03-20T00:59:48
We’ll start out this episode talking about the viral video of the, let’s say, different facilities for men and women inside the March Madnes...
Listen
It’s been a long year. You deserve a nap. from 2021-03-19T00:27:44
We’re learning all about “pandemic trauma and stress experience” today, and why it’s a good reason to cancel your plans and rest a bit. B...
Listen
Where does the money for stimulus checks come from? from 2021-03-18T00:58:17
Stimulus payments are hitting bank accounts all over the country. Before they go out and spend that stimmy, one listener is wondering where the money for those $...
Listen
The changing face of America’s unions from 2021-03-17T01:04:21
About 10% of the American workforce belonged to a union in 2020. That’s way down from about a third in 1970, but unions are ma...
Listen
3 feet? 6 feet? Why are COVID rules still changing? from 2021-03-16T00:54:18
Show of hands: Who’s still cleaning off their groceries? As the COVID-19 pandemic has worn on, experts have developed a better understanding of the disease, the way it spreads and how to t...
Listen
Joe Biden, Ronald Reagan and the“Great Society” from 2021-03-13T02:22:49
We’re revisiting a forgotten Ronald Reagan speech on today’s show. As President Biden’s new COVID-19 relief bill rolls out, Reagan’s 1966 ...
Listen
Joe Biden, Ronald Reagan and the “Great Society” from 2021-03-13T02:22:49
We’re revisiting a forgotten Ronald Reagan speech on today’s show. As President Biden’s new COVID-19 relief bill rolls out, Reagan’s 1966...
Listen
Facebook is cigarettes from 2021-03-12T01:20:53
How else to think about a massive company that knows its products cause harm but can’t do anything about it without undercutting its business interests (no...
Listen
How worried should you be about the Microsoft email hack? from 2021-03-11T01:53:16
With so many high-profile data breaches in the news — Solar Winds wasn’t that long ago, neither were the settlements for Equifax — it can be hard to know h...
Listen
Is this finally the moment Americans get universal child care? from 2021-03-10T01:27:31
We don’t need to tell you America has a child care problem. Many of you can feel it. We certainly can; one of our producers changed a diaper during today’s taping. The COVID-19 pande...
Listen
Why aren’t more women in charge at the Pentagon? from 2021-03-09T01:16:17
We talked a bit last month abo...
Listen
Do we dare buy MLB tickets? from 2021-03-06T01:45:20
California theme parks and sports stadiums could reopen with limited attendance as early as next month. Between that and the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, i...
Listen
Don’t overthink it: Get the COVID-19 vaccine from 2021-03-05T01:56:35
There’s a new COVID-19 vaccine rolling out, from Johnson & Johnson. Maybe you’ve heard it’s less effective than the two-shot regimens from Pfizer and Moderna. That’s ...
Listen
Paramount+ launches tomorrow. How many streaming services is too many? from 2021-03-04T01:32:58
Listen
People, at scale from 2021-03-03T01:54:24
If current labor trends hold, the company of the future won’t have any employees outside of the C-suite. That’s the focus of our documentary podcast “Listen
We already know what happens in 2024 from 2021-02-27T01:45:34
After watching some of the news out of CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, Kai Ryssdal thinks he has a pretty good idea of where the Republican P...
Listen
Honest pay for honest work … or something from 2021-02-26T01:56:51
Listen
What those huge Texas power bills and Bitcoin mining have in common from 2021-02-25T01:32:42
Texans are being hit with massive electric bills after last week’s winter storm knocked out much of the state’s grid, which is primarily powered by n...
Listen
What can Texas teach us about climate adaptation? from 2021-02-24T01:25:48
Millions of Texans spent last week without power, boiling water, dealing with burst pipes and collapsed roofs as a “once-in-a-lifetime” winter storm battered the state and infrastruc...
Listen
500K dead from COVID is a worst-case scenario from 2021-02-23T02:19:50
It’s not the absolute worst worst-case, but 500,000 dead from COVID-19 is more than what some experts painted as the worst-case scenario back when the pand...
Listen
We try your “GameStonk”-inspired cocktails from 2021-02-20T01:44:56
Listen
We try your“GameStonk”-inspired cocktails from 2021-02-20T01:44:56
Listen
What’s going on in Texas is a humanitarian crisis from 2021-02-19T02:15:23
Like a lot of people, we’ve spent some time today watching this story about Sen. Ted Cruz’s scuttled trip to Cancún, Mexico, but don’t take you...
Listen
Congress considers putting pork back in its diet from 2021-02-18T01:37:41
Guest host Kimberly Adams mentioned the return of earmarks yesterday, and a listener wants to know more about the “currency of compromise.” To help a...
Listen
Why are so many migrant families still separated? from 2021-02-17T01:25:31
The Biden administration is working to repair norms and rollback policies covering so much from the Trump era. So where does immigration sit in the priority list...
Listen
Yes, Louis DeJoy is still postmaster general from 2021-02-13T02:02:26
It’s been a while since we’ve checked in on the U.S. Postal Service. We’re about three weeks into the Biden administration, so why is a political lightening rod like Louis DeJo...
Listen
One thing is still bugging us about GameStop from 2021-02-12T01:35:03
GameStop closed at $51.10 a share today. We’re far away from the heady days of, uh, Listen
Why is Tesla buying so much bitcoin? from 2021-02-11T02:16:34
Well, Elon Musk has been tweeting again. Specifically, he’s been tweeting about how much he loves bitcoin, right after his automaker Tesla bought up $1.5 b...
Listen
Let’s do the numbers on a $15 minimum wage from 2021-02-10T01:34:22
Why is it so hard to raise the minimum wage? Even the leading expert on the topic isn’t quite sure. It’s one of the few issues that’s broadly popular with Americans, and even s...
Listen
Our infrastructure is only as good as our cyber infrastructure from 2021-02-09T01:49:49
Listen
Stop talking about how great moms are and help them instead from 2021-02-06T02:03:11
We’ve been covering COVID’s impact on women in the workforce for a while, and this New York Times profile of three moms “on the brink” hi...
Listen
The 2020 election is over, but the lawsuits are just starting from 2021-02-05T01:51:44
Listen
What exactly is going on with Jeff Bezos and Amazon? from 2021-02-04T01:49:07
Amazon, the so-called “everything store,” is increasingly becoming the “everywhere store.” Why would the largest online retailer pivot so...
Listen
SPACs are turning Wall Street into Silicon Valley from 2021-02-03T02:17:20
There’s another hot, disruptive force in finance beyond r/WallStreetBets: special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs. A SPAC is basically big pools of money that help take companies p...
Listen
The fallout from GameStop and Wall Street’s wild week from 2021-01-30T01:53:02
We just can’t look away from these stonks! The whole affair around GameStop, r/WallStreetBets, Robinhood and the rest is like a car crash — a 20-car pileup...
Listen
Here’s how Robinhood (and short selling GameStop) actually work from 2021-01-29T01:47:37
Two things you need to know about the situation with GameStop, WallStreetBets and that whole mess today: First, retail traders aren’t actually the customer...
Listen
GameStop isn’t a scam or a penny stock — we’ll explain from 2021-01-28T01:39:52
The Reddit- and Discord-fueled explosion of GameStop’s stock isn’t over. In fact, a bunch of other companies are seeing their stock prices inch close...
Listen
The state of the union is … not great from 2021-01-27T01:45:12
In just the past three Wednesdays we’ve seen an insurrection, a (second!) impeachment and an inauguration. Coming off this not-so-peaceful transition of po...
Listen
How GameStop became a “meme stock” from 2021-01-26T01:59:51
We looked at GameStop’s ballooning share price Friday, and since then things have … progressed. Today, we’ll look at what happened between the ...
Listen
Meet the new COVID-19 variant, CAL.20C from 2021-01-22T02:02:30
Just as we were getting used to the idea of a European COVID-19 mutation spreading to the states, scientists in California have found a new, domestic mutation of...
Listen
Who pays for the inauguration? from 2021-01-21T01:25:06
Speeches were made, the parade’s all done and President Joe Biden got to work this afternoon, signing Listen
For COVID-19 vaccines, “no one seems to think that we have a plan” from 2021-01-20T02:03:22
President-elect Joe Biden says his administration will administer 100 million COVID-19 vaccines in his fir...
Listen
Wait, what happened to that vaccine stockpile?? from 2021-01-16T01:51:41
Given the state of the democracy right now, you’d be forgiven for taking your eye off the COVID-19 vaccine ball. Today, we’ll catch you up on how the...
Listen
Let’s talk about accountability from 2021-01-15T01:48:41
No, not for the president, but his supporters who filmed themselves charging into the Capitol and posted it online. Do they have a “right to be forgotten&#...
Listen
“Disinformation laundering” got us here from 2021-01-13T01:50:30
Disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz says conspiracy theories like QAnon are like giant balls of lint, picking up everything in their path: baseless claims of voter fraud, 5G, Hunter Biden, anti...
Listen
“Hydra is still inside of SHIELD” from 2021-01-12T01:25:47
That’s how Molly describes the lawmakers who still voted against certification of a free and fair election. That’s right: We’re back from our break and still assessing the fall...
Listen
Can Twitter end a presidency? from 2021-01-09T01:57:47
We were planning to come back anyway, honestly. After pro-Trump insurrectionists broke into the Capitol, egged on by the president, we decided to cut short our h...
Listen
A vote for the ERA was long overdue, but it might be too late (rerun) from 2021-01-05T17:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays, so we’re revisiting some favorite episodes from 2020. We want to say a big thank you for be...
Listen
Maybe Modern Monetary Theory is an answer to the COVID-19 economic crisis (rerun) from 2020-12-29T17:00
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays, so we’re revisiting some favorite episodes from 2020. We want to say a big thank you for being part of the Make Me Smart family t...
Listen
A higher ed crisis is a terrible thing to waste (rerun) from 2020-12-22T17:44
Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays, so we’re revisiting some favorite episodes from 2020. We want to say a big thank you for being part of the Make Me Smart family t...
Listen
See you next year! from 2020-12-19T02:03:55
This is our last episode of the year! After nine months of daily episodes, we’re gonna take a short break. We can’t thank you enough for hanging with...
Listen
All the ICUs in Southern California are full from 2020-12-18T02:22:16
In what feels like a flashback to New York in March, field hospitals are sprouting up around Southern California as the region hit an alarming milestone: ICU cap...
Listen
Eggnog by the gallon from 2020-12-17T01:26:08
We’ve got some really memorable calls from listeners today, y’all. There’s the guy who’s staring down a huge milestone in his life, but c...
Listen
The student loan system has “layers and layers of dysfunction” from 2020-12-16T01:58:03
As President-elect Joe Biden mulls forgiving $10,000 in student loan debt — and leading Democrats and others on his left push for more — one of our listeners wan...
Listen
This is a cyberattack worth paying attention to from 2020-12-15T01:50:41
You’d be forgiven for missing it in the firehose of news, but let’s stop a second to talk about today’s drip, drip, drip about a likely Russian...
Listen
The Supreme Court roasts Trump’s “legal marshmallow” from 2020-12-12T01:17:17
We talked a bit yesterday about the lawsuit out of Texas, cosigned by a surprisingly huge number of Republicans, seeking to turnover the presidential election. W...
Listen
Make Me (and my dog) Smart from 2020-12-11T02:13:41
Some very important research into dog cognition came across our desk today, and we can’t wait to tell you all about it. But before that, we’re still ...
Listen
What’s better: real or fake Christmas trees? from 2020-12-10T01:23:35
We’ve been talking a lot about coronavirus vaccines on the show lately, and for good reason. But it’s also the holiday season, so for this Whadda Ya ...
Listen
How we got a COVID-19 vaccine so fast from 2020-12-09T01:34:02
The United Kingdom administered its first COVID-19 va...
Listen
Vaccine futures from 2020-12-08T01:25:08
The New York Times is reporting (and the White House is denying) that the Trump administration passed on buying more doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. We...
Listen
More people say they’d get a COVID-19 vaccine, but is it enough? from 2020-12-05T01:51:25
So the saying goes anyway. According to Pew, more Americans say they’re willing to get the coronavirus vaccine, but how do you convince the skeptics? Or wh...
Listen
All these years later, policy is still catching up to Gamergate from 2020-12-04T01:45:39
Molly just found herself telling her son about Gamergate — the 2014 explosion in targeted online harassment that showed how online speech can turn into offline h...
Listen
Every Friday is Black Friday from 2020-12-03T02:16:36
The leftovers are almost gone, your inbox is full of tracking numbers and your credit card balance might be a little higher. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are be...
Listen
You can’t really retire with a 401(k) alone from 2020-12-02T01:38:36
The vast majority of Americans lacked enough retirement savings even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, some older Americans are leaving the workforce and others have stopped contributing to ret...
Listen
Schools are closed, bars are open from 2020-12-01T01:29:48
It’s still too early to know how the Thanksgiving holiday — and some Americans’ refusal to follow the advice of experts and stay home for it — will i...
Listen
DOW 30K IDK from 2020-11-26T02:13:50
We say it again and again: The stock market is not the economy. Well right now, the economy is trying to limp out of a coronavirus recession, and the Dow just hit 30,000. Our listener wants to k...
Listen
The cost of racism is incalculable. Here’s a start. from 2020-11-25T01:30:08
Sixteen trillion dollars is a lot of money. It’s hard to even conceive of a number so big in real economic terms — it’s bigger than China’s GDP...
Listen
Another COVID-19 vaccine looks promising, but who will take it? from 2020-11-24T02:30:02
AstraZeneca is the third pharmaceutical company in recent weeks to say it has a potentially viable coronavirus vaccine, and a cheaper one at that. With Marketplace’s Marielle Segarra, we&#...
Listen
Please, please stay home this Thanksgiving from 2020-11-21T01:34:10
No matter who you are — even, say, a New York Times columnist — it’s so important that you stay safe at home this Thanksgiving, because your bubble is like...
Listen
This is American exceptionalism from 2020-11-20T02:18:50
It’s almost hack to say at this point, but it’s worth remembering: If what President Donald Trump and his campaign are doing right now — refusing to concede a called election, erodin...
Listen
We’re on a ‘Groundhog Day’ loop from 2020-11-19T01:47:31
The bills are piling up for the Trump campaign. Even though its legal challenges to the election don’t seem to be going anywhere, someone’s got to pay the lawyers. We discuss who is on the hook....
Listen
The war on drugs lost this election. Now what? from 2020-11-18T00:24:50
One in three Americans now live in a state with legal recreational marijuana, and that wasn’t the only big drug story on Election Day. Oregon voted to decriminalize possession of hard drug...
Listen
Would you take a coronavirus vaccine? What if it came from Dolly Parton? from 2020-11-17T01:06:28
With the promise of another coronavirus vaccine from Moderna, in addition to last week’s blockbuster news from Pfizer, we were inspired to go back and do t...
Listen
Half full or half empty? from 2020-11-14T01:45:09
We’re trying out a new game on the show today, where Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood say whether they’re “half full” or “half empty̶...
Listen
No, Virginia, Santa can’t get coronavirus from 2020-11-13T01:36:48
It’s hard to fit a mask over that big beard, but never fear. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and, by extension, our show would like to reassure children that they shouldn’t wor...
Listen
Here’s how presidential transitions are supposed to work from 2020-11-12T02:21:53
The 2000 election isn’t a particularly great analogue to the Trump campaign’s legal challenges here in 2020, but it can help us better understand presidential transitions — because G...
Listen
A week after Election Day, here’s what to keep an eye on from 2020-11-11T01:51:03
You’d be forgiven for feeling like this election has been going on forever. Early voting started over a month ago in some states. The media couldn’t project a winner until three days...
Listen
Who’s in charge of protecting the country right now? from 2020-11-10T01:50
A lot of people are talking about President Donald Trump’s baseless allegations of election fraud today, and for good reason, but he made another move that’s worth your attention. Th...
Listen
Trumpism is here to stay from 2020-11-07T01:47:41
Look, we’re gonna have some fun today. We’re gonna have happy hour and talk about Philadelphia and Stephen Colbert. But we have to do some soul-searching first. Because no matter wha...
Listen
While we wait for results, let’s talk turnout from 2020-11-06T02:02:13
We taped today’s show while waiting for President Donald Trump’s first non-tweet remarks since election night, not to mention results from key states. To fill the time, let’s t...
Listen
How much productivity are we losing to the election? from 2020-11-05T01:16:07
Making Election Day a holiday would surely benefit democracy, but what about the economy? A listener wants to know, so for this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re looking at the cost to...
Listen
Your election stories from 2020-11-04T00:55:53
We asked you all for some dispatches from your Election Day, so we’re playing a few of our favorites for this quick episode. We’ll hear from election judges, first-time voters and co...
Listen
“Find your why” from 2020-11-03T01:58:02
It’s a management philosophy, but it could apply to voting, we guess. We’re talking about it with regard to masking up. Massachusetts’ Republic...
Listen
Science is here to save Halloween from 2020-10-31T01:11:30
Tomorrow is Halloween, and one of us is in costume. Today we’ll look at some new research on the (minimal) SARS-CoV-2 viral load carried on fun-sized candy packaging. Good news: The result...
Listen
Look how far people will go to vote from 2020-10-30T00:35:02
Sometimes those “make me smile” stories are actually kinda sad. We’ve featured a few like that on the show recently. There are also those stories that might seem sad or frustra...
Listen
Is it daylight savings time or daylight saving time? from 2020-10-28T23:53:53
Whatever you call it, this weekend we’ll “fall back” to standard time, and it will suddenly feel like it gets dark very early. One listener wants to know: What if we didn’...
Listen
The United States is a gerontocracy from 2020-10-28T01:30:40
The average age of a member of Congress is 58, and the most influential lawmakers are much older. No matter who wins the election next week, the White House will be occupied by the oldest sittin...
Listen
A mask mandate, right on time? from 2020-10-27T00:38:52
We’re talking about two recent pieces in The Wall Street Journal: one describing a worldwide “pandemic fatigue,” the other arguing that it’s finally time for the United S...
Listen
The super-sized happy hour episode from 2020-10-24T00:48:31
Look: It’s Friday, we’re having beers and talking about the news. Much like Kai’s prospective RV trip, this episode covers a lot of ground. We’ll talk about the latest ea...
Listen
The real cause of the coronavirus recession from 2020-10-23T00:39:35
Iowa has never had a statewide mask mandate, and it lifted its few restrictions earlier than a lot of other states. But economic recovery has been slow, suggesting that this downturn is due more...
Listen
How the stock market is preparing for Nov. 4 from 2020-10-22T00:37:09
Is a Biden win already priced in? One of our listeners wants to know — and if you’re not sure what that means, there’s an explainer on our smart speaker skill. Today we’ll talk...
Listen
What you need to know about dark money in this election from 2020-10-20T23:55:32
Dark money is a bipartisan issue. When the Supreme Court handed down the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission verdict more than a decade ago, conservatives were primarily benefitting f...
Listen
Hey, what’s Adam Neumann up to these days? from 2020-10-20T01:06:17
Remember WeWork’s doomed IPO? We’re about a year from that whole bananapants story, but today The Wall Street Journal helped clear up one loose end. Apparently erstwhile WeWork CEO A...
Listen
The real “October surprise” from 2020-10-17T01:07:11
… was all the votes we cast along the way. Today we’re geeking out about early numbers from the U.S. Elections Pr...
Listen
“300 episod Kay” from 2020-10-16T00:56:13
It’s our 300th episode! We’re eating some cake to celebrate, and Kai’s got a little messed up. We’...
Listen
Unburden yourself from Facebook guilt from 2020-10-15T00:49:17
Tell us if this sounds familiar: The endless string of controversies around user data, disinformation, anticompetitive practices, QAnon and more have soured you on Facebook, big time. But where ...
Listen
Playing whack-a-troll with our democracy from 2020-10-14T00:07:02
Disinformation is a growing business that brings up a lot of questions. Is that fake news story getting to your timeline from a troll farm in Russia? Or a teenag...
Listen
Disney is doubling down on streaming from 2020-10-13T00:26:06
It’s not a great time to be in the movie business. It’s an even worse time to be in the theme park business. So it makes sense that Disney just announced a big restructuring of Disne...
Listen
For millions of Americans, it’s Election Day already from 2020-10-10T00:47:06
Early voting is already underway in several states. For this Friday happy hour episode, we’re going to dig into some of the data out of those states and compare it to 2016. Why, what do
Deal or no deal? from 2020-10-09T01:08:47
First President Donald Trump squashed coronavirus relief negotiations. Then he tweeted about some piecemeal relief he would sign. Now he’s reportedly asking for a “big deal” be...
Listen
Quick: How much toilet paper is in your home right now? from 2020-10-08T00:57:26
The coronavirus is spreading in the White House. It’s flu season, and experts are bracing for a new wave of COVID-19 cases with a vaccine still months away. So are people going to start st...
Listen
The state of state economies from 2020-10-06T23:48
President Donald Trump pulled the plug on a coronavirus relief package today, tweeting that he would sign a bill after the election. For months now, Speaker of t...
Listen
What’s it going to take to get another COVID relief package? from 2020-10-06T00:44:48
U.S. markets rose on President Donald Trump’s claims he was recovering from COVID-19, but the stock market isn’t the economy. For real economic growth, Goldman Sachs is looking ahead...
Listen
Watch the news about Trump, but don’t borrow trouble from 2020-10-03T00:13:59
We had a few news stories ready to discuss today, but shortly before the taping, President Donald Trump flew to Walter Reed military hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 last night. This...
Listen
What we still don’t know about coronavirus from 2020-10-02T00:37:10
Zeynep Tufekci has given us so much. Real Smarties know the UNC associate professor appeared on our show Listen
Make sure your vote counts from 2020-10-01T00:23:39
Make a plan. Do your research. Make sure your voice is heard this year. We’re talking, of course, about the National Park Service’s Fat Bear Week, which opened up its polls today. We...
Listen
Death and taxes come for us all, but not equally from 2020-09-30T01:04:53
… But this episode is about taxes, just to be clear. The New York Times put out part two of its bombshell investigation last night, and ahead of the first presidential debate tonight, form...
Listen
The $750 question from 2020-09-29T00:37:22
How much has President Donald Trump paid in income taxes? We’ve been waiting since the 2016 primaries for his returns, and The New York Times finally dropped years of tax data in a bombshe...
Listen
Thick thighs (and rats) save lives from 2020-09-26T00:12:42
You may have heard the expression “thick thighs save lives.” And we have a story today about a rat who’s kept people in Cambodia safe from landmines. What about a rat with thic...
Listen
Normal? Not normal? You’re asking the wrong question from 2020-09-25T01:06:36
President Donald Trump wouldn’t commit yesterday to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the election next month. It’s giving us flashbacks to similar comments he made, and in...
Listen
Everything is broken from 2020-09-24T00:54:23
That’s the short answer. We’ll have some longer answers, too, on this week’s installment of Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. We’re answering listener questions about campa...
Listen
Solving the wildfire paradox from 2020-09-23T00:47:49
We’ve talked a lot on the show recently about the wildfires raging in the western U.S. and darkening skies all over the country. We’ve talked about climate change and fire prevention...
Listen
Making sense of the FinCEN files from 2020-09-22T00:52:50
BuzzFeed News published their findings over...
Listen
Voting and economics have always been intertwined from 2020-09-19T01:48:36
Who can afford to vote? On the season premiere of “This Is Uncomfortable,” host Reema Khrais looks into the history of voting rights in this country, and their long relationship with...
Listen
It’s not free speech, it’s market-manipulated speech from 2020-09-18T00:53:49
Facebook makes an interesting decision about speech on the company’s internal version of of the social media site that has us scratching our headsListen
When a controlled burn is better than the alternative from 2020-09-17T00:45:20
Last week we talked about the settled science of preventing forest fires. Today we hear from one listener, a lung doctor in smoky Seattle, who wants to know how to start that process. We’l...
Listen
Coronavirus is pushing women out of work from 2020-09-16T00:24:44
After six months of this pandemic, we have data showing women are working longer hours and taking on a disproportionate amount of the extra work at home. For those womens’ careers, sociolo...
Listen
The Barry Bonds theory of climate change from 2020-09-15T00:38:05
The West Coast of the United States is burning, and chewable air is making its way into neighboring states. And yet President Donald Trump, staring the crisis in the face today in a visit to Cal...
Listen
How do you prevent wildfires? The science is settled from 2020-09-12T00:16:20
Between the COVID-19 pandemic and a brutal wildfire season, 2020 is all about the stuff we definitely knew how to prevent and just … didn’t want to. Today we’re going to zoom i...
Listen
Maybe things are better across the pond? from 2020-09-11T00:35:33
The United States is changing its focus from doing very little about the pandemic to doing very little about election interference. So to avoid getting too hollowed out this Thursday, let’...
Listen
Trump’s tax holiday is no holiday at all from 2020-09-10T00:21:25
President Donald Trump is allowing companies to defer payroll tax deductions through the end of the year. But those taxes come due Jan. 1, so who’s actually benefiting? We’ll try and...
Listen
Is it too late to stop QAnon? from 2020-09-09T00:47:38
QAnon is more than just a conspiracy theory. BuzzFeed News has taken to calling it a “Listen
What the president said, and what it says about him from 2020-09-04T23:47:48
We’re trying to be careful to stay in our lane these days, but we haven’t been able to shake that Atlantic article about President Donald Trump calling soldiers who die in war “...
Listen
COVID is an earthquake — we’ll feel the aftershocks for decades from 2020-09-04T00:42:10
On today’s show, we’re looking at the long tail of COVID-19 and the effects it will have on health and health care long after we get a vaccine. Plus, we read your many, many emails a...
Listen
You can’t win public office without being on Facebook from 2020-09-03T00:42:09
One of our listeners asked, and the answer is no. Not even if you’re Captain America. We’re talking about Mark Zuckerberg and the Avengers on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Of ...
Listen
How we shop now from 2020-09-02T00:56:55
We could all be forgiven for indulging in a little retail therapy right now. In fact, Listen
We’re not working from home, we’re living at work from 2020-08-31T23:51:39
Today on the show, how COVID-19 upends parents’ ability to care for their children, and — surprise! — women are more likely to see it affect their careers than men. According to new research fro...
Listen
Disinformation is real from 2020-08-29T00:03:27
There’s a “parallel media universe” on Facebook. And the biggest companies in the gig economy are pushing an alternative narrative of their own. It’s all kinda bananas … to put it lightly. But t...
Listen
The weirdest thing happening in American business right now from 2020-08-28T00:02:26
No, not Amazon’s new tone-policing wearable, though we’ll get to that. And no, not the Fed turning up the heat on inflation — but we’ll cover that, too. The weirdest thing happ...
Listen
Where are those new unemployment checks? from 2020-08-27T00:10:35
It’s been more than a week since President Donald Trump took executive action to extend unemployment benefits. One of our listeners wants to know: Has anyone actua...
Listen
The stock market is not the economy, exhibit 3,443.62 from 2020-08-26T01:14:44
The S&P 500 closed at another record high today at 3,443.62. The NASDAQ hit a record high, too. The Dow is well on its way. But the pandemic keeps taking lives, new unemployment claims rose ...
Listen
Everything is so fragile right now from 2020-08-25T00:33:17
Today was the first day back to school for a bunch of kids, and Zoom crashed. California is burning again. Police shot another Black man on camera. And a man in China was reinfected with COVID-1...
Listen
Here’s the mail, it never fails … from 2020-08-22T00:37:35
… at least, according to Louis DeJoy. The postmaster general testified before Congress today, promising — with more than a little prodding — that election mail would be delivered “fu...
Listen
This was always where things were going from 2020-08-21T00:53:04
Today we ask, with respect to … everything, “Why didn’t the right people see this coming?” Between the ride-share industry’s brinksmanship in California and the mes...
Listen
Those masks are doing double duty now from 2020-08-20T00:34:10
It’s wildfire season in California. That means face masks are not only an essential accessory in fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but now they’re also filtering out smoke and ...
Listen
The climate is still changing from 2020-08-19T00:32:45
It’s not easy to keep your eye on the ball with an election, economic collapse and a pandemic hanging over your head, but here’s the thing: Climate change is as much of an existentia...
Listen
Back to school … for about a day from 2020-08-18T00:55:53
Kai’s kids had their first miserable day of remote learning today. Molly’s kid was back last week, while she provided IT support. The situation at some colleges and universities is e...
Listen
Yeah, we’re still talking about the Postal Service from 2020-08-15T00:06:17
We’ll stop discussing absentee voting and the upcoming election when things that threaten it stop happening. Today it’s the revelations that 46 states might not get their ballots in...
Listen
Some threats to democracy are real from 2020-08-14T00:23:12
President Donald Trump spelled things out pretty clearly today when he told Fox News why he doesn’t want Congress to allocate funding to the U.S. Postal Service. Without the money, he said...
Listen
College football’s canceled … sort of from 2020-08-13T00:12:48
Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams field listener questions on this Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday. We’ll cover a range of topics from college sports to insider trading,...
Listen
Is our right to vote at risk? from 2020-08-12T00:16:21
Confidence in our elections system is sagging. This year’s primary season brought reports of long lines at polling places and uncounted absentee ballots. And just when it was looking like many o...
Listen
Oh good, we’ve got … memoranda from 2020-08-10T23:39:37
More kids are testing positive for COVID-19, people are making rent payments on their credit cards and Disney’s got no more “Fox” to give (pardon our French). On this Monday show, Kai Ryssdal re...
Listen
The virus is the economy from 2020-08-08T00:37:04
Talks for a now-overdue coronavirus aid package collapsed going into the weekend, with President Trump weighing what he can do with executive orders. Meanwhile, the country has passed 200,000 &#...
Listen
It’s OK to not be OK! from 2020-08-07T00:32:09
Whether you’ve lost someone, lost a job, gotten sick or are just feeling lonely, this pandemic is taking a toll on all of us. Today, we discuss two pieces in The New York Times about the p...
Listen
The data collection ‘arms race’ from 2020-08-06T00:31:29
Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok — owned by Beijing-based ByteDance — amid much handwringing over the data the app collects. And while TikTok’s fate may ultimately be decided by the...
Listen
An unequal country is a vulnerable country from 2020-08-05T02:07:28
A widening wealth gap isn’t good for democracy. Yet inequality has been on the rise for decades in the United States. So what does that tell us about the state of the republic? On today...
Listen
Let’s get real about USPS from 2020-08-04T00:42:55
Kimberly Adams is co-hosting the show this week with Molly Wood. We kicked off our Monday episode with a little perspective on the U.S. Postal Service. Plus, we try and unpack what exactly has b...
Listen
It’s a ‘Succession’ day from 2020-08-01T00:21:01
James Murdoch, scion of News Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch, resigned from the company’s board of directors today, citing “disagreements over certain editorial content.” We’...
Listen
Happy National Blueberry Month, or something? from 2020-07-31T00:18:32
After failing to agree on and pass a new pandemic relief bill, the U.S. Senate appears to have officially recognized July 2020 as National Blueberry Month. That sounds a least a little productiv...
Listen
Check your quarantine snack supplies from 2020-07-29T23:51:24
We’re tackling a deeply important question on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday: What’s everyone snacking on in quarantine? Let’s compare notes. Plus, we’ll answer some...
Listen
Let’s get antisocial from 2020-07-29T01:32:45
The convergence of nationwide protests over police violence and a global pandemic have placed renewed scrutiny on the role of companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple in our democracy. ...
Listen
Let’s just call this year a wash from 2020-07-28T00:25:38
Tech was one of the first industries to send workers home in response to the pandemic. And it was one of the first to let its employees work from anywhere. So what should we make of the fact tha...
Listen
Be nice to someone this weekend from 2020-07-25T00:35:04
We’re 135 days into the COVID-19 pandemic and the bottom could fall out of the economy in a few days. Everyone’s having a hard time in some way, so our main message for today’s...
Listen
So you’re out of work. How’s 70% of your old salary sound? from 2020-07-24T00:14:25
That’s the pitch Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin gave CNBC today when outlining the Republican plan for coronavirus relief after the extra weekly $600 in unemployment benefits runs out a...
Listen
Why hasn’t Congress extended jobless benefits yet? from 2020-07-23T00:10:37
Congress is about to blow through its deadline to extend extra unemployment benefits for the tens of millions of Americans out of work due to the coronavirus. What gives? Great question. For Wha...
Listen
U.S.-China relations are bad, but are they ‘new Cold War’ bad? from 2020-07-22T01:23:34
As China returns to some sense of normalcy after the worst of the pandemic — and as the U.S. tries to slow down a new surge in coronavirus cases — relations between the two countries have reache...
Listen
This is the whole ballgame, folks from 2020-07-21T00:34:18
The vast majority of Americans support the United States Postal Service, but the president is not a fan, and apparently neither is the Trump-donor-turned-postmaster-general-appointee Louis DeJoy...
Listen
What’s happening to protesters in Portland? from 2020-07-18T00:34:54
On today’s happy hour episode, “This Is Uncomfortable” host Reema Khrais is on to talk about...
Listen
The Washington … Red Tails? from 2020-07-17T00:12:58
That’s just one name being kicked around for Washington, D.C.’s football team, and it’s our favorite so far. That’s our Make Me Smile today, but first we have to talk abo...
Listen
Rent is due??? Again??? from 2020-07-16T00:19:50
Just in time for Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, one of our listeners is making us smart. We talked a bit last week about eviction moratoriums happening around the country. Today we have a lawye...
Listen
The state of Oklahoma from 2020-07-15T00:48:08
… after last week’s landmark ruling over Native land rights, that is. A huge swath of eastern Oklahoma has been a reservation since the Trail of Tears in the 1830s, and the U.S. Supr...
Listen
‘A Tapestry of Bonkers’ from 2020-07-14T01:03:50
Sometimes you have to laugh so you don’t cry. That’s how guest host Kimberly Adams is feeling about two big news stories out of her hometown of St. Louis and her current town, Washin...
Listen
“Open the schools, or else” from 2020-07-11T00:00:40
That’s apparently the mandate from the Trump administration. And, look, maybe going back to school is the best thing (perhaps more data would be useful). But we’re looking for more planning, les...
Listen
They’re banning TikTok, Ma from 2020-07-10T00:25:20
Things felt so quaint when we covered the video app TikTok on the show last year. Lil Nas X was topping the chart, and parent company ByteDance had just racked up a few million in Federal Trade ...
Listen
How college got so unaffordable from 2020-07-08T23:56:58
On our recent episode on higher education, Scott Galloway discussed the “Rolexification” of public education. For today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll dig a bit ...
Listen
We can’t reopen the economy without solving child care from 2020-07-08T00:52:17
It’s kind of a circular problem: If we’re ever going to get people back to work, they need child care. But those child care workers are out of work, too. As Congress weighs new coron...
Listen
Is it too early in the week for a rage supernova? from 2020-07-06T23:31:41
If you’re flying on a plane, you should wear a mask. But as far as the federal government is concerned, of all the things you have to do to get on a plane, wearing a mask isn’t one o...
Listen
How are you doing? from 2020-07-02T23:58:40
We’re about 113 days into this pandemic, heading into a holiday weekend unlike any other in recent memory. We’re still learning about the best way to treat COVID-19, and some states ...
Listen
Will coronavirus make it easier to buy a home? from 2020-07-01T23:46:09
We’ve gotten a lot of questions about the housing market during the COVID-19 recession. For today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re going to dive into that, plus scary te...
Listen
A higher ed crisis is a terrible thing to waste from 2020-07-01T00:00:22
The rock walls, sushi bars and student center bowling alleys at colleges around the country will likely sit empty this fall. The spring semester has shown that online learning has significant li...
Listen
Even the pandemic is bigger in Texas from 2020-06-29T23:28:42
Marketplace reporter Andy Uhler is in for Kai today, bringing us his on-the-ground reporting from Austin, Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott is rolling back reopening plans. But Abbott’s mostly...
Listen
That was fast: Facebook’s ad moderation flip-flop from 2020-06-26T23:40:20
It was just days ago that Facebook declared it would “not make policy changes tied to revenue pressure” after advertisers announced a boycott over the platform’s moderation eff...
Listen
Verizon boycotts Facebook (for a month) from 2020-06-25T23:59:25
Joining the likes of REI, Patagonia and others, Verizon is the biggest company by far to pull advertising from Facebook to protest the social media company’s moderation policies and overal...
Listen
Who gets to be an “investor”? from 2020-06-24T23:40:37
There’s an accreditation process… and there’s an app. For this week’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll talk about both. Plus: If you’re not attending col...
Listen
Stock up on masks and wipes, the country’s reopening from 2020-06-23T23:58:32
Loren Wold came on the show to talk about testing and vaccines Listen
Let’s rename the places and stuff named after racists from 2020-06-22T23:17:13
Sen. John C. Stennis was a segregationist who opposed civil rights bills during his 41-year tenure. So why is there still an aircraft carrier named after him? That’s just one example we...
Listen
Friday the Juneteenth from 2020-06-20T00:29:58
It’s Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached slaves in Galveston, Texas. To celebrate, Kimberly is lining up joyful movies about Black characters to ...
Listen
We have an empathy gap in this country from 2020-06-19T00:05:48
Kai has said it over and over again: We’ve given up on this pandemic. But people are still dying by the thousands from coronavirus infections. And, according to an interview Kimberly talks...
Listen
What do you do when a business is spreading COVID? from 2020-06-18T00:14:59
On this week’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, Kai and Kimberly tackle a listener’s ethical dilemma: Should you blow the whistle on a company that’s knowingly accelerating the ...
Listen
BLM and pride take it to the streets from 2020-06-16T23:54:19
Pride month and Juneteenth are upon us, and protests against police brutality are entering their third week. Across the country, we’re seeing two civil rights mo...
Listen
Imagine the economic upside of dismantling systemic racism from 2020-06-16T01:11:58
Kicking off the week with guest co-host Kimberly Adams, we pick up the conversation within the context of Kai’s interview with Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic. Plus, what today’...
Listen
This just in: a rollback of protections for trans Americans from 2020-06-13T00:50:13
A Friday-afternoon story we couldn’t ignore: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new rules Friday afternoon that would effectively exclude trans people from protecti...
Listen
Who got half a trillion in COVID loans? The Trump administration won’t say from 2020-06-12T00:08:57
The Small Business Administration was supposed to release detailed information about who got hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer-backed PPP loans. But at a hearing yesterday, Treasury Se...
Listen
Do investors care about fighting systemic racism? from 2020-06-10T23:58:15
IBM’s stock price slumped this week after the company announced it would get out of the facial recognition business for fear that it could lead to racist, abusive surveillance. So what do ...
Listen
Defund police? Then what? from 2020-06-10T01:22:41
Following two weeks of sustained protest over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, the City Council there voted to explore dismantling its Police Department. Minneapolis is among t...
Listen
We’re officially in a recession from 2020-06-09T01:01:09
After a 128-month expansion, the U.S. economy entered a recession in February. Today, we’ll talk about what that means and where we go from here. Plus: Guest co-host Kimberly Adams talks a...
Listen
Yes, you can trust the jobs report from 2020-06-06T00:14:50
We were all surprised by this morning’s May jobs numbers, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust them. That’s a dangerous road to go down. On today’s show, we...
Listen
K-Pop stans vs. racism from 2020-06-05T00:23:23
If you find yourself rage-clicking on trending topics that appear to be racist this week, you’ll likely be greeted by gifs and videos of BTS or another massively popular Korean pop group. ...
Listen
Yes, Quibi still exists from 2020-06-04T00:17:43
For Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we dipped into the mailbag and pulled out a mix of your questions from the past week, including: What’s happening with Quibi, the very-well-funded mobile-...
Listen
Will the George Floyd protests finally catalyze real change? from 2020-06-03T01:50:53
Protests against the killing of George Floyd in police custody have flared in some 140 cities. Once again Americans are confronted with a reminder of the ways people of color, particularly black...
Listen
Facebook, protests and a whole lot more from 2020-06-02T00:34:48
Many Facebook employees took a virtual hike to protest the company’s policies around presidential messaging. And there’s a lot to process on this Monday. We do bring you a couple of ...
Listen
These are broken times from 2020-05-30T00:41:19
It’s been a long week, so we went live on YouTube Friday to talk about what’s happening in Minneapolis, our hobbled economy, and President Trump’s leadership over a drink. In l...
Listen
What does Hong Kong bring to China’s economy? from 2020-05-29T00:11:08
As China cracks down on Hong Kong’s autonomy, we take a minute to examine the territory’s place in the world’s second-largest economy. Plus: the Boston Marathon, the Wall Stree...
Listen
What’s HBO Max? from 2020-05-28T00:22:57
Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday isn’t just about answering your questions. Sometimes our hosts have questions too. Today, Kai is trying to figure out the latest entrant in the streaming wa...
Listen
Back to the mall … but is anyone buying? from 2020-05-27T00:42:05
After years of sagging sales and changing customer habits, the coronavirus pandemic has retail fighting for its life. As more states move to partially reopen nonessential bu...
Listen
Happy Friday: Your SAT scores really don’t matter anymore from 2020-05-23T00:06:07
Not in California, anyway. The University of California system announced this week it will phase out the use of ACT and SAT test scores in its admissions process...
Listen
Hank Paulson on the strong dollar from 2020-05-22T00:14:42
On today’s show, we’ll dig into former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s column in Foreign Affairs about how to keep the dollar strong. Plus, Big Tech’s new work-from-ho...
Listen
Can you deduct a home office on your taxes? from 2020-05-20T23:56:21
Or will your employer pay for some WFH remodeling? Eh, don’t get your hopes up. We’re fielding a couple of personal finance questions on today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday....
Listen
When we go back to work, tech will have a new job from 2020-05-20T01:03:21
Ready or not, the country is starting to reopen, and some Americans are getting back to work. There’s a lot of new tech on the table for preventing a surge...
Listen
This recession curve could take many shapes from 2020-05-19T00:18:10
Is it a “V”? A “W”? What about a Nike swoosh? What about a “K”? Stay with us. Also meeti...
Listen
Will there be a baseball season? from 2020-05-16T00:26:57
For now, it’s millionaires versus billionaires. The MLB is exploring a way to get baseball season started during the pandemic… and Kai’s out today. So we drafted Andy Uhler to ...
Listen
If you could work from anywhere, where would you live? from 2020-05-14T23:47:45
Twitter was the first big tech company to tell workers they could work remotely indefinitely, even after the pandemic wanes. Does this portend tech workers fleeing the high price of living in Si...
Listen
Some Airbnb, more MMT and ‘keyboard money’ from 2020-05-14T00:23:45
You guys had a lot of questions after our episode about Modern Monetary Theory, and today we’re going to answer one on Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. We’ll also talk about the Fed, ...
Listen
Maybe Modern Monetary Theory is an answer to the COVID-19 economic crisis from 2020-05-13T00:40:46
Does debt matter? For an individual, a household or even a generation, sure it does. But what about a nation? Modern Monetary Theory says no. To help us understand MMT and why it matters in this...
Listen
What is Elon Musk doing now? from 2020-05-12T00:42:50
In his (sigh) tweet today, the Tesla CEO said he’s reopening a Northern California factory a couple weeks before he’s allowed, daring police to come arrest him. But given the way thi...
Listen
What a week, huh? from 2020-05-09T01:58:07
Some days you’re the murder hornet, some days you’re the praying mantis. It’ll make more sense when you listen.
For all the links from today’s show, check out ...
Listen
We know what we need to do, but we’re not doing it from 2020-05-08T00:21:01
The U.S. is the richest country in the world. Why can’t we get our act together around COVID-19? If it sounds like we’re oversimplifying, on the show today we’ll look to German...
Listen
When we look back, will this be a blur? Or a new beginning? from 2020-05-07T00:19:05
Will the memories of this COVID-19 outbreak and economy fade away for most of us, or change society forever? That’s one of the big questions for this edition of “Whadda Ya Wanna Know...
Listen
The state of the states from 2020-05-06T01:17:21
Thirteen percent of American workers are employed by a state government, and states get about 70 percent of their income from sales and income taxes. But with businesses shuttered and unemployme...
Listen
Is the simulation breaking? Cruises are going to set sail again? from 2020-05-04T23:45:59
We don’t have enough time today to ponder the nature of our existence, but we are going to talk about these fascinating coronavirus pandemic simulation...
Listen
Elon Musk is tweeting through it from 2020-05-02T01:53:15
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Twitter this morning: “Tesla stock price is too high imo,...
Listen
How about contact tracing for COVID-19 misinformation? from 2020-05-01T01:47:55
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, no great fan of Facebook, has asked other tech giants to follow the company’s example by contacting users who’ve interacted with misinformation. Plus, we...
Listen
Can states run out of unemployment money? from 2020-04-30T01:46:42
And can they go bankrupt? That’s just two of the questions we’re tackling in today’s “Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday.” Plus: Should we be concerned Google is in so ...
Listen
We need millions of tests to open this economy. So, where are they? from 2020-04-29T01:55:40
Coronavirus testing is way, way, waaaay behind here, folks. A lack of tests hobbled the government’s efforts to track the pandemic in the U.S. Now health e...
Listen
UFOs? Sure, why not. from 2020-04-28T02:11:08
After years of leaks and reportage, the Pentagon has finally declassified three videos of Navy pilots e...
Listen
A very-happy happy hour from 2020-04-25T01:55:44
First of all, we have to kick off this episode with a big thank you. In just two days, 230 of you donated to support the show. If you wanna join that group, head to Listen
That new $484 billion aid package isn’t enough from 2020-04-24T01:55:14
Right before we started the taping, the House of Representatives passed another big coronavirus...
Listen
Where will all that extra oil go? from 2020-04-23T02:14:52
It’s time for another “Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday,” where Kai and Molly take your questions about the economics of the COVID-19 crisis. On the docket today: What’s it t...
Listen
Trump’s OSHA could mandate essential worker protections, but it hasn’t. Why not? from 2020-04-22T02:09:49
In the U.S., there are no specific regulations for protecting workers from a disease like COVID-19. President Donald Trump could use the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to mandate ...
Listen
Who’s organizing those anti-quarantine protests? from 2020-04-21T02:37:09
Large Facebook groups appear to be amassing protests against local shelter-in-place orders, but the real organizers Listen
Whatever you’re going through, it’s OK from 2020-04-18T02:06:53
It’s important to take care of yourself in these trying times, so we’re back with another happy hour episode, aka Economics on Tap. We’ll cover Trump’s “liberate...
Listen
Where Is Congress? from 2020-04-17T01:44:05
Lawmakers are deadlocked over additional funding for struggling small businesses, and the already-approved loans are almost gone. So why did the Senate adjourn today? And where’s the House...
Listen
Why did Zoom win the teleconference race? from 2020-04-16T02:10:07
There’s a lot of video conferencing software out there, so why did the relatively new Zoom take over the public consciousness so quickly? That’s just one question we try to answer in...
Listen
There’s plenty of food. Why can’t we get it? from 2020-04-15T02:44:04
No matter how many times we hear that Listen
Trump alone can’t reopen the economy, so who can? from 2020-04-14T01:51:31
President Donald Trump has said repeatedly, including during this taping, that he alone has the authority to reopen this economy after we’re past the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. That&#...
Listen
Google and Apple are linking up to track COVID-19 from 2020-04-11T02:10:04
Tip your delivery people, people! from 2020-04-10T01:52
CNN reported today that some Instacart shoppers are taking on delivery jobs on the promise of big tips...
Listen
Is that coronavirus relief check taxable? from 2020-04-09T02:37:34
Another Wednesday, more of your questions. Like: Whenever it arrives, how...
Listen
Relief for small businesses is already too little, too late from 2020-04-08T01:47:17
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has asked Congress for another $250 billion for small businesses suffering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. But a lot of small businesses haven’t bee...
Listen
California leads states in coronavirus cooperation from 2020-04-07T02:07:30
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is interested in teaming up with other states to tamp down bidding wars on personal protective equipment, and we’re all learning the word “monopsony.R...
Listen
Start getting comfortable with the word “depression” from 2020-04-04T02:40:24
Now, there’s no technical definition of an economic depression other than a very, very bad recession. That’s what it looks like we’re in the early stages of — and today on the ...
Listen
The coronavirus economy numbers are getting big from 2020-04-03T02:13:15
… So big that it’s starting to feel hard to grasp the damage this pandemic is doing. Like the Listen
What are we not talking about … while we’re talking about coronavirus? from 2020-04-02T02:35:26
Like many of you, we’re starting to build routines in self-isolation. So now Wednesdays are “Whadd’ya Wanna Know Wednesdays,” where we take your questions. Questions like: Will...
Listen
So, when are we getting that $1,200 check? from 2020-04-01T02:18:48
Rent is due tomorrow, along with car payments and other bills. You might think that historic $2 trillion economic stimulus package, with up to $1,200 going directly to Americans, is coming just ...
Listen
Things can always get worse from 2020-03-31T02:24:39
The March jobs report is due out this Friday, and it’s not going to be pretty. But thanks to some wonkery with how the Bureau of Labor Statistics handles its data, the reality is probably ...
Listen
Happy hour for an unhappy time from 2020-03-28T01:50:54
It’s Friday. Kai and Molly raise a glass to a very hard week and talk through everything you need to know: what’s ahead for states that are losing their tax base, what the Instacart workers are ...
Listen
Reminder: the markets don’t care if you live or die from 2020-03-27T01:41:38
Markets are up for the third day in a row, even as weekly unemployment claims hit 3.2 million, ten times what they were last week. Plus this milestone: the U.S. notches the most cases of COVID-1...
Listen
Your coronavirus questions, answered from 2020-03-26T01:14:21
We started doing daily podcasts and asking about your COVID-19 economy almost a week ago, and you guys didn’t disappoint. We’ve already received more than 100 emails, and we’re...
Listen
The U.S. health care system is bracing for COVID-19 from 2020-03-25T00:41:10
Just because we’re doing 10-minute daily dispatches doesn’t mean we’re stopping the regular weekly podcast. For this week’s deep-dive, we’re speaking with New York ...
Listen
Where are all the masks? from 2020-03-24T00:55:21
As some political and industry voices start calling for America to “reopen for business,” we have another, more pressing question: why aren’t there enough masks for medical pro...
Listen
Early indicators of a COVID-19 recession are here from 2020-03-21T01:28:23
The economy is hitting a brick wall, but we don’t yet have the hard economic data — like jobs numbers. On our second daily episode, Kai and Molly talk about some of the indicators we do ha...
Listen
The COVID-19 economy: our new daily podcast from 2020-03-20T00:51:38
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing our economy in real time, meaning it’s harder than ever to keep up with the news. Starting today, Kai and Molly are doing a 10-minute podcast every aftern...
Listen
School’s out. COVID-19 means we’re all learning a lot. Differently. from 2020-03-18T02:43:21
Nearly 38 million children are home, quite possibly through the summer break. For education, this is unprecedented. Many schools are embracing some kind of dista...
Listen
Welcome to the coronavirus economy from 2020-03-10T23:22:13
Even after recent market volatility, supply shock, a surprise rate cut and a brewing oil war, COVID-19 has only just started to batter the American economy. It&#...
Listen
What did the Fed just do? from 2020-03-04T01:07:52
As if you needed more evidence that the COVID-19 outbreak has ripple effects through the economy, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a half point this morning. It’s a very unusual m...
Listen
When CDC says “this might be bad” from 2020-02-26T01:54:51
… it’s bad. There are now 80,000 cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including new diagnoses in Italy, Iran and South Korea. This news has sent American markets plummeting, and prompted the...
Listen
Every problem is a housing problem from 2020-02-19T01:17:46
At least, according to New York Times reporter Conor Dougherty. We talk with him about the affordable housing crisis, local government and his new book “Golden Gates.” Plus, listener...
Listen
No more business as usual? from 2020-02-12T02:49:43
The big buzzwords among the executives and world leaders at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this year were “stakeholder capitalism,” the idea that a corporation shoul...
Listen
Do we have to call it the “internet of things”? from 2020-02-04T22:50:12
There’s a whole galaxy of connected items you can buy to ostensibly make your life easier: speakers, locks, coffee mugs, even dog collars. The so-called “internet of things” is...
Listen
We have enough (vegan) food for everyone on the planet from 2020-01-28T20:54:40
But only if we start eating differently, says activist and food expert Frances Moore Lappé. Veganism wasn’t really a thing in 1971 when she wrote “Diet for a Small Planet.” But...
Listen
A vote for the ERA was long overdue, but it might be too late from 2020-01-22T01:12:56
Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the equal rights amendment to the constitution last week, giving the ERA the support it needs … about three decades after it expired. Many people, ...
Listen
It’s 2020. And the Cambridge Analytica story? It’s growing … from 2020-01-15T02:13:45
Remember Cambridge Analytica? You probably wish you could for...
Listen
What’s the big deal about Section 230? (And your 2020 predictions) from 2020-01-08T02:11:30
The potential for real war in 2020 might make the trade disputes of 2019 seem quaint and distant. But cast your mind back, if you can, to three weeks ago, when t...
Listen
Something to think about over winter break (plus Kai’s 2020 predictions) from 2019-12-31T15:00
Americans face more than $1.3 trillion in student debt, with less and less assurance the job market’s going to provide salaries to cover it. For all the students home for the holiday break...
Listen
A very quantum Christmas (and Molly’s 2020 predictions) from 2019-12-24T15:00
It’s Christmas Eve and we’re all out of town. But we’re also in your feed today? It’s almost as if we exist in some kind of quantum state...
Listen
We now have Impossible Burgers! from 2019-12-18T03:48:10
In a few short years, artificial “meat” has gone from co-op curio to heavily hyped menu item at giant chains like Dunkin’ and Burger King. America consumes more meat than any o...
Listen
Must. Keep. Growing. from 2019-12-11T01:58:04
Every single day here at Marketplace, Kai Ryssdal “does the numbers,” talking about how the stock market fared at close. When they are up, we play the happy music. Same with monthly ...
Listen
Congrats!? Your business has been “rescued” from 2019-12-04T01:30:31
Toys R Us, Payless, Brookstone, Sports Authority, Gymboree. Maybe you remember shopping at some of these stores. Maybe you remember reading elegies when they shut down. All of these stores were ...
Listen
Explainathon VI: Return of the Explainathon from 2019-11-27T00:52:34
It’s time for Kai and Molly to face the gauntlet again. Every six(ish) months or so we put them through an Explainathon, where they try to answer as many of your questions as they can with...
Listen
Is this even working? Economist Esther Duflo is trying to find out. from 2019-11-20T02:01:51
About 1.3 billion people are in extreme poverty, living on less than $1.25 a day. Meanwhile, some of the most powerful people in wealthy countries, like the U.S....
Listen
When student athletes play hard, who gets paid? from 2019-11-13T03:05:13
The NCAA has been regulating college sports for more than a century, and its ban on student athletes making money from their playing, name and likeness has ostensibly kept the game more “p...
Listen
Native Americans and the tech economy from 2019-11-06T01:37:59
Native Americans have the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the country. Technology, particularly new financial tech, offers an opportunity for this hist...
Listen
We have plug-in cars. Why not plug-in planes? from 2019-10-30T00:04:45
Planes are bad for the environment, we know this. Innovation in electric cars has surged in the past decade, so why not electric planes? Today on the show, Aviation Week and Space Technology man...
Listen
VC hype vs. Wall Street from 2019-10-23T02:07:10
How does a company lose $39 billion in value in just a few weeks? This week we’re diving into all the unicorn companies that rode a wave of venture capital hype onto the rocky, unforgiving...
Listen
Your outfit is trash from 2019-10-16T01:48:50
What happens to our clothes when we’re done with them, they go out of style or just lose a button? Maybe we donate them, or sell them, but too often we throw them away. And that’s to...
Listen