Make Me Smart
Episodes
Texts, emails and the deception of elderly political donors
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Election Day looms closer, the emails and texts from campaigns pleading for money continue to flood voters’ inboxes. A CNN investigation found th...
Things are changing fast in the home insurance market
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the weeks after Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the Southeast, the price to rebuild has become a topic of contention in the home insurance market....
The rise of pharmacy deserts
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Across the country, pharmacies big and small are closing. The closures have disproportionately affected rural and low-income communities, leaving re...
Birkin bag buyers and the consumer-driven economy
19 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
New research from the Federal Reserve shows that wealthier Americans are driving retail spending while lower-income Americans have been squeezed by hi...
The risky business of corporate political spending
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Companies in the United States spend billions in political donations each election cycle with the aim of gaining more influence in government. But all...
The rise of the podcaster’s political capital
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Kamala Harris has been sitting down with popular podcasts like the “The Breakfast Club,” Call Her Daddy,” and The Howard Stern Sh...
Mining and the clean energy paradox
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about a key piece of the global transition to renewable energy: metals. Specifically, metals like copper, lithium and cobalt tha...
FEMA’s job is getting even harder
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Federal Emergency Management Agency crews working hurricane recovery efforts paused aid in parts of North Carolina over the weekend after threats were...
What TikTok knew of the app’s toll on teens
12 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, more than a dozen states came together to sue TikTok over the social media app’s effects on young users. Now, a report by NPR and Kentuc...
The future of FEMA funding
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already burned through almost half of its $20 billion Disaster Relief Fund that’s meant to last for anot...
Who will pay for Helene’s damage?
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Total damages from Hurricane Helene in the United States could cost $250 billion. But only a small fraction of homeowners have flood insurance. As ano...
Live from Denver: The Economics of Being Single
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Almost half of adults in the U.S. are single. But so many of our economic policies and financial systems, from homeownership to retirement planning, c...
The cost of the Israel-Hamas war
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war a year ago, the U.S. has spent at record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel — more than any other year ...
The political attacks on economic data
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The jobs report released today blew past economists’ forecasts, estimating that employers added about 250,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in September....
Whaddya wanna know about the Fed’s move to cut interest rates?
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After the Federal Reserve’s recent move to cut interest rates, you had questions. Lots of them! Today, we’re answering your questions about why th...
The connection between fast fashion and drug trafficking
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A 2016 trade law has made it easier for fast-fashion companies like Temu and Shein to ship massive volumes of cheap clothes to customers in the United...
Why immigration numbers are a headache for economists
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
All sorts of statistics related to immigration are being thrown around in debates, speeches and campaign ads ahead of this year’s election. Immigrat...
The heavy price of living in disaster-prone areas
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recovery efforts are continuing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida last Thursday and caused widespread devastation a...
How some politicians are trying to sell their image
28 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Branding is big in contemporary political campaigns. But some candidates are going to odd lengths to appeal to women in 2024. We’ll explain. Plus, t...
Should jobs require a college degree?
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a speech outlining her economic vision this week, Vice President Kamala Harris said she’d boost manufacturing in the United States by supporting ...
The little short-term spending bill that could
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Congress has agreed on a temporary spending bill to fund the federal government through Dec. 20. The House GOP’s hotly debated SAVE Act didn’t mak...
Kai on the military and climate change
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kai Ryssdal takes over the mic today as he digs into the U.S. military’s climate change paradox. While the military is fueling the climate crisis, i...
The return of Three Mile Island
21 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 1979 disaster at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant helped define the energy conversation in the United States. Now it’s being reopened t...