Make Me Smart
1,022 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 days ago - ★★★★★ - 4.6K ratingsEach weekday, Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams make today make sense. Along with our supersmart listeners, we break down happenings in tech, the economy and culture. Every Tuesday we bring on a guest to dive deeper into one important topic. Because none of us is as smart as all of us.
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Episodes
Whatever you’re going through, it’s OK
April 18, 2020 00:06 - 21 minutes - 11.8 MBIt’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” tweets, some new mental health data and this oral history of pandemic warnings in Wired. Then a special guest stops by and things get a little chaotic.
Where Is Congress?
April 16, 2020 23:44 - 14 minutes - 11.8 MBLawmakers 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? We’ll talk about it. Plus: Why testing is still the biggest coronavirus story, and the 99-year-old raising money for British health services.
Why did Zoom win the teleconference race?
April 16, 2020 00:10 - 14 minutes - 11.8 MBThere’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 this week’s Waddaya Want to Know Wednesday episode. Also discussed: inflation, the job market for 2020 graduates and which businesses have actually gotten their relief loans.
There’s plenty of food. Why can’t we get it?
April 15, 2020 00:44 - 32 minutes - 11.8 MBNo matter how many times we hear that the U.S. has plenty of food, the sight of empty grocery store shelves can still provoke anxiety. Should we worry? Here to talk us through the disruptions in the supply chain is Millie Munshi, an agriculture editor at Bloomberg. Plus, we’ll hear from listeners struggling to access small business relief loans.
Trump alone can’t reopen the economy, so who can?
April 13, 2020 23:51 - 13 minutes - 11.8 MBPresident 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’s not true, and several governors have banded together to go their own way. But it’s not that simple. We’ll talk through it. Plus: What do consumers really want from Amazon, other than stuff?
Google and Apple are linking up to track COVID-19
April 11, 2020 00:10 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBThe two giant-est giants in mobile software are collaborating on a system to track contact between users and slow the spread of the coronavirus. But what are the privacy implications? We’ll talk about the system’s potential and its limitations. Plus, as part of our Friday series “Economics on Tap,” we’ll discuss Republican Sen. Josh Hawley’s co-sign on a proposal for the federal government to pay workers.
Tip your delivery people, people!
April 09, 2020 23:52 - 16 minutes - 11.8 MBCNN reported today that some Instacart shoppers are taking on delivery jobs on the promise of big tips that never materialize. We’ll talk a bit today about that, and the grocery supply chain ahead of a bigger show on where the food is next week. Plus: Even if the science is dubious, it’s probably not a great idea to spit while you run right now.
Is that coronavirus relief check taxable?
April 09, 2020 00:37 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBAnother Wednesday, more of your questions. Like: Whenever it arrives, how do you deal with that $1,200 check on your taxes? How’s this crisis going to affect the housing market? And when can people who have recovered from COVID-19 return to work? Plus, a glimpse into Kai’s college days. Say it with us: “burrito popsicles.”
Relief for small businesses is already too little, too late
April 07, 2020 23:47 - 35 minutes - 11.8 MBTreasury 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 been able to access the existing relief package. Unemployment insurance is its own trial by fire. Today, we’ll talk with Marketplace personal finance reporter Sam Fields about the lengths people and businesses need to go to get that financial aid, and whether it’s actually helping.
California leads states in coronavirus cooperation
April 07, 2020 00:07 - 15 minutes - 11.8 MBCalifornia 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.” Plus: Apple’s spending spree and a very musical Zoom call.
Start getting comfortable with the word “depression”
April 04, 2020 00:40 - 15 minutes - 11.8 MBNow, 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 show, Kai Ryssdal and guest host Kimberly Adams will talk about some of the knock-on effects of coronavirus we’ll feel for a long time. Plus, Trump’s COVID-19 protectionism, a little gardening talk and of course, some drinks. TGIF.
The coronavirus economy numbers are getting big
April 03, 2020 00:13 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MB… So big that it’s starting to feel hard to grasp the damage this pandemic is doing. Like the 7% gross domestic product drop in the second quarter, the more than 6 million new unemployment claims or … a 9% year-over-year increase in cruise bookings? We’ll break it down. Plus: Dolly Parton reads to your kids.
What are we not talking about … while we’re talking about coronavirus?
April 02, 2020 00:35 - 15 minutes - 11.8 MBLike 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 credit card companies be more forgiving while we all weather this crisis? And, what other news is happening while everyone’s talking about COVID-19? Kai and Molly each have their own very specific examples. Plus, we learn about the little recessions that can happen inside a depression.
So, when are we getting that $1,200 check?
April 01, 2020 00:18 - 33 minutes - 11.8 MBRent 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 in time. But not everyone’s getting a check, and those checks are definitely not arriving tomorrow. Here to talk us through it is Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation.
Things can always get worse
March 31, 2020 00:24 - 16 minutes - 11.8 MBThe 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 a lot worse than the numbers will look. We’ll explain. Plus, we’ll talk about making your own masks, finding “Joy” when you’re stuck at home and — sorry, why is Nancy Pelosi out shopping?
Happy hour for an unhappy time
March 28, 2020 00:50 - 14 minutes - 11.8 MBIt’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 threatening to strike over and what kind of recession we might be facing. We might even talk about something that will make you smile (we hope).
Reminder: the markets don’t care if you live or die
March 27, 2020 00:41 - 13 minutes - 11.8 MBMarkets 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-19 in the world. What gives? We’re steering straight into the dark place today.
Your coronavirus questions, answered
March 26, 2020 00:14 - 11 minutes - 11.8 MBWe 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 devoting this Wednesday show to answering as many as we can. It’s like an abbreviated Explainathon. Today: answers about $2 trillion relief bill, our national debt and the work-from-home broadband load now that lots of us are doing that.
The U.S. health care system is bracing for COVID-19
March 24, 2020 23:41 - 34 minutes - 11.8 MBJust 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 Times health care reporter Sarah Kliff about supply chains for masks and ventilators, the Defense Production Act and how Obamacare will fare in a recession. Plus, we hear from a listener who recovered from COVID-19 and another who does buying for grocery stores.
Where are all the masks?
March 23, 2020 23:55 - 13 minutes - 11.8 MBAs 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 professionals who need them? We’ll talk about it, and skid into the Dark Place. Only Dodgers legend Vin Scully can pull us out.
Early indicators of a COVID-19 recession are here
March 21, 2020 00:28 - 15 minutes - 11.8 MBThe 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 have and how much you can trust them. Plus, we look at the essential question in fighting this pandemic: If we shut down the economy, will that paralyze our healthcare system? Finally, a seasonal Make Me Smile moment.
The COVID-19 economy: our new daily podcast
March 19, 2020 23:51 - 13 minutes - 11.8 MBThe 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 afternoon to help you make sense of it all. (We’ll still take a deep drive into one topic every Tuesday.) Today, we’re talking about the repo market, the Senate stimulus bill and why you don’t need to hoard groceries. Remember, this show only works when we’re all getting smarter together. Send your questions to m...
School’s out. COVID-19 means we’re all learning a lot. Differently.
March 18, 2020 01:43 - 34 minutes - 11.8 MBNearly 38 million children are home, quite possibly through the summer break. For education, this is unprecedented. Many schools are embracing some kind of distance learning, but not everyone has access, and it can’t replace school’s function as an essential piece of the social safety net. So how will weeks or months of this new normal affect students, the digital divide and — oh, yeah — parents? Here to talk us through it is Pedro Noguera, UCLA distinguished professor of education.
Welcome to the coronavirus economy
March 10, 2020 22:22 - 32 minutes - 11.8 MBEven 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’s starting to look like the start of a real economic slowdown, even a recession. Does the government have the tools to avoid the worst? That’s something we’re still figuring out. Here to talk us through this and more is the New York Times’ Neil Irwin. Plus, we hear from a “Make Me Smart” listener in Venice, Italy.
What did the Fed just do?
March 04, 2020 00:07 - 30 minutes - 11.8 MBAs 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 move, unseen since 2008. So we’re going to take some time today to talk though what that cut means, what the Fed is saying about coronavirus, the market reaction and whether or not we should even care about stocks when there’s a pandemic brewing.
When CDC says “this might be bad”
February 26, 2020 00:54 - 33 minutes - 11.8 MB… 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 CDC to warn of an outbreak Tuesday morning, but the World Health Organization isn’t declaring a pandemic yet. Here to talk with us about pandemics past and their economic effects is is Olga Jonas, a senior fellow with the Harvard Global Health Institute. Subscribe to the “Make Me Smart” newsletter at Marketplac...
Every problem is a housing problem
February 19, 2020 00:17 - 35 minutes - 11.8 MBAt 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, listeners weigh in on BlackRock and the “Internet der Dinge,” and we celebrate our 150th episode.
No more business as usual?
February 12, 2020 01:49 - 34 minutes - 11.8 MBThe 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 should serve a social and environmental good, not just enrich shareholders. What a concept, right? It comes after those Business Roundtable guidelines on corporate responsibility, and sustainability pledges from big players like Microsoft and BlackRock. But is this really a challenge to Milton Friedman’s 50-year-old treatis...
Do we have to call it the “internet of things”?
February 04, 2020 21:50 - 36 minutes - 11.8 MBThere’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 already big and growing fast. By 2021, the market for all things connected is on track to pass $500 billion. There is no upfront connection or service fee to make these things work; we pay for them with our data. The Economist’s technology editor, Tim Cross, walks us through privacy concerns, security concerns and 5G.
We have enough (vegan) food for everyone on the planet
January 28, 2020 19:54 - 32 minutes - 11.8 MBBut 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 a plant-based diet is inching its way toward the mainstream, even as the average American consumes a record 220 pounds of meat a year. Lappé talks with us about what’s changed since the 1970s, “regenerative agriculture” and the difference a plant-based diet can make for the planet. Plus, we read your emails about the ...
A vote for the ERA was long overdue, but it might be too late
January 22, 2020 00:12 - 34 minutes - 11.8 MBVirginia 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, some 80% according to one poll, think the U.S. Constitution already includes equal protections for women’s rights, but it doesn’t. On today’s show, we’re going to look more at how we got to this point and what “equal rights” really means for the women’s movement and the economy overall. Here to guide us thr...
It’s 2020. And the Cambridge Analytica story? It’s growing …
January 15, 2020 01:13 - 37 minutes - 11.8 MBRemember Cambridge Analytica? You probably wish you could forget. But 10 and a half months from the next presidential election, Brittany Kaiser says there’s still more we all need to know about Big Data and how companies like her former employer are using it to steer democracy. She used to work at CA, and after writing a book and appearing in a documentary about it, she’s publishing a bunch of internal documents showing how the company worked and its reach beyond the United States. For our ...
What’s the big deal about Section 230? (And your 2020 predictions)
January 08, 2020 01:11 - 30 minutes - 11.8 MBThe 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 the fate of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement seemed to rest in part on a semi-obscure passage of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. It says online platforms are not legally liable for what people say or do in the spaces they run. Trillions of dollars in company valuation and the sharing of content as we know it rests on the rule, w...
Something to think about over winter break (plus Kai’s 2020 predictions)
December 31, 2019 14:00 - 31 minutes - 11.8 MBAmericans 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 (and their parents) we’re revisiting and interview we did last January with Maura Reynolds, a senior editor at Politico. She’s reported extensively on the school-skills-jobs pipeline. Plus, part two of our annual predictions episode: Last year Kai said “Nothing will change”. Was he right? We talk about it ...
A very quantum Christmas (and Molly’s 2020 predictions)
December 24, 2019 14:00 - 35 minutes - 11.8 MBIt’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 … the perfect time to bring you one of our favorite interviews from the past year: UC Berkeley’s Steven Weber on quantum computing. Plus, we’re breaking our annual predictions episode into three parts. Today, we assess Molly’s 2019 predictions and get her take on what’s coming in 2020.
We now have Impossible Burgers!
December 18, 2019 02:48 - 44 minutes - 11.8 MBIn 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 other country, but new widespread awareness of meat’s heavy environmental toll has accelerated the race to find a more sustainable alternative. Larisa Rudenko, a research affiliate in the Program on Emerging Technologies at MIT, joins us to talk about Impossible Burger, lab-grown meat and where this exploding industry i...
Must. Keep. Growing.
December 11, 2019 00:58 - 41 minutes - 11.8 MBEvery 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 jobs numbers and the GDP. We’ve had a few listeners write in to ask: Why? Does the economy always need to get bigger, all the time, forever? Here to help us sort through this kind of existential question and maybe even figure out some better numbers to “do” is Josh Bivens with the Economic Policy Institute. By th...
Congrats!? Your business has been “rescued”
December 04, 2019 00:30 - 32 minutes - 11.8 MBToys 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 bought by private equity firms that claimed to see value in a fledgling brand. When that didn’t pan out, there were store closures, bankruptcy filings and a lot of layoffs. Many progressive politicians are now pointing to private equity as “exhibit A” in the case for more Wall Street regulation. Joini...
Explainathon VI: Return of the Explainathon
November 26, 2019 23:52 - 32 minutes - 11.8 MBIt’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 minimal prep in just 30 minutes! This time, you have all kinds of great questions like: What’s a “currency pact”? How does a fair tax work? Is 401(k) matching making inequality worse? And more. By the way, we’re preparing for a new predictions episode! Turn your crystal ball toward 2020 and tell us what yo...
Is this even working? Economist Esther Duflo is trying to find out.
November 20, 2019 01:01 - 33 minutes - 11.8 MBAbout 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., say they want to help alleviate some of that poverty. Every year, individuals, charities and governments pour billions of dollars into aid, development and a range of causes. But how do you know what’s actually working and what’s a waste of time? Our guest today, MIT economist Esther Duflo, just won a Nobel Prize for using a hard ...
When student athletes play hard, who gets paid?
November 13, 2019 02:05 - 40 minutes - 11.8 MBThe 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 “pure.” But pressure has been mounting for years for the NCAA to share some of its billion-dollar business with the athletes that drive it, and a new California law is poised to challenge the old model of “amateurism” in college sports entirely. Today we’re joined by Katelyn Ohashi, a former UCLA gymnast who ...
Native Americans and the tech economy
November 06, 2019 00:37 - 31 minutes - 11.8 MBNative Americans have the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the country. Technology, particularly new financial tech, offers an opportunity for this historically marginalized group to better access the strong economy. But getting online in largely rural, remote reservations is a challenge — to say nothing about access to capital and credit. Tribal sovereignty can also make access, taxes and generally doing business more complicated. To help talk us through the challenges and potenti...
We have plug-in cars. Why not plug-in planes?
October 29, 2019 23:04 - 20 minutes - 11.8 MBPlanes 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 managing editor Graham Warwick talks us through making the friendly skies a bit friendlier.
VC hype vs. Wall Street
October 23, 2019 00:07 - 32 minutes - 11.8 MBHow 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 shores of the stock market. It’s not just WeWork either — Uber, Slack, Snap and plenty of other tech darlings have struggled after their splashy IPOs. Is it the exception or the rule? And what’s it say about how investors assess a company’s value? Here to help us sort through it is the New York Times’ Erin...
Your outfit is trash
October 15, 2019 23:48 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBWhat 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 say nothing about how they’re produced — The clothes we wear are tied to climate change as what we eat or how we get around. And in recent years, the impact of clothing on the environment has drastically increased. That’s the argument fashion reporter Dana Thomas makes in her new book “Fashionopolis: the Price o...
Brexit is really, maybe happening this time, probably.
October 08, 2019 22:22 - 38 minutes - 11.8 MBIt’s been three years, three months and 15 days since the Brits voted to leave the EU. There have been three prime ministers since then, and so far none of them have successfully brokered a Brexit deal. This time, new PM Boris Johnson says it’s gonna happen by the end of the month, no matter what. To help us sort through what’s going on and what it means for the rest of us, we’re joined by Ros Atkins, who hosts “Outside Source” on the BBC.
Nuclear, but better
October 01, 2019 23:15 - 39 minutes - 11.8 MBWe heard you: After our show on climate change, several listeners wanted to know more about nuclear power and its place in the green energy discussion. Joining us is Suzy Hobbs Baker, the creative director of the Fastest Path to Zero Initiative at the University of Michigan. She’ll walk us through the basics of how nuclear power works, its impact on the environment, its tricky economics and, yes, the image problems it can’t shake. By the way, we have an Explainathon coming up and we need you...
A gig is a gig is a gig
September 25, 2019 00:23 - 36 minutes - 11.8 MBUsed to be, gigs were for musicians, artists, folks who did work that didn’t fit neatly in any traditional notion of “employment.” These days, the “gig economy” means something very different: Nearly a fourth of Americans earn money from freelance work, and 44% said “gigging” was their primary source of income. And while the future of work as we know it is still very murky, a new law in California has thrown the gig economy into a transitional moment. Here to talk us through is Marketplace w...
We need solutions to climate change, but who’s going to help pay for them?
September 17, 2019 23:48 - 37 minutes - 11.8 MBTech giants like Google, Apple and Facebook are seemingly unafraid to take on huge challenges. So why are they relatively quiet about climate change? Molly has spent several weeks reporting around Silicon Valley about tech companies and VCs’ relationship to the climate. We’ll hear some of her interview with Danny Kennedy, runs a nonprofit startup incubator focused on clean energy. Plus: Your thoughts on our women at work episode and a bit about Marketplace’s fall fundraiser.
The economy isn’t working for women who work
September 10, 2019 23:45 - 32 minutes - 11.8 MBBetween the ’70s and ’90s, women were entering the workforce in droves. Then female workforce participation peaked in 2000. What happened? And why are women’s wages still stagnant? We’re picking up our series on the economics of inequality, trying to figure that out with some help from Emily Bazelon, an author, lecturer at Yale Law School and a staffer for The New York Times Magazine. Plus: Back to the Dark Place on deepfakes, and departing producer Shara Morris answers the Make Me Smart que...