Each weekday, Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams make today make sense. Along with our supersmart listeners, we break down happenings in tech, the eco...
For our final episode of 2024, we’re throwing a holiday party with music, festive hats, drinks and a game. But we can’t forget about the news. The incoming Donald Trump administration is looking into the feasibility of eliminating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll unpack the public rage over the United States healthcare system that dominated the news this week. Plus, how much do our hosts remember about the biggest business headlines of the year?
Here’s everything we talked about today:
“Trump Advisers Seek to Shrink or Eliminate Bank Regulators” from The Wall Street Journal
Opinion | “UnitedHealth Group C.E.O.: Brian Thompson Was Never Content With the Status Quo” from The New York Times
“UnitedHealth Limits Access to Key Treatment for Kids With Autism” from ProPublica
“Boeing’s year of turbulence in five charts” from Reuters
“Why TikTok Faces a U.S. Ban, and What’s Next?” from The New York Times
“CrowdStrike outage: We finally know what caused it – and how much it cost” from CNN Business
“SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronauts perform historic 1st private spacewalk in orbit” from Space
“US ties China in Paris Olympics gold medal count after Americans’ women’s hoops win” from AP News
We’ll be back with new episodes in 2025! In the meantime, you can email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.
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22:39
The drug price blame game
A group of lawmakers have introduced legislation that would break up health care conglomerates, aiming to rein in the power of pharmacy benefit managers. We’ll explain what PBMs do and why all sides of the health care industry are pointing fingers at one another over high costs. And, we’ll get into how the future of the Trump-era tax cuts could impact the federal deficit and why General Motors is ditching its robotaxi business. Plus, now’s your chance to talk with an AI Santa Claus.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
“Yellen Talks Russia Sanctions, Tariffs and Deficit” from Bloomberg via YouTube
“Yellen says Trump’s tariffs could derail US inflation progress, raise costs” from Reuters
“Senators Warren and Hawley introduce a bipartisan bill to break up pharmacy-benefit managers” from CNBC via YouTube
“Elizabeth Warren, Josh Hawley Co-Sponsor Bill to Break Up Giant Health Care Conglomerates” from The New York Times
“What is a pharmacy benefit manager, anyway?” from Marketplace
“GM to stop funding troubled Cruise autonomous vehicle unit, abandoning robotaxis” from CBS San Francisco
“GM to Shut Down Its Cruise Robotaxi Project” from The New York Times
“OpenAI introduces ‘Santa Mode’ to ChatGPT for ho-ho-ho voice chats” from Ars Technica
Tomorrow is our last episode of the year! Join us for our annual holiday party on “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.
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13:31
The great HQ migration
Some states are trying to lure companies seeking to move their headquarters by offering a slew of financial perks. We’ll explain how these big relocations can impact local economies and the businesses themselves. And, the House of Representatives passed a defense bill that would restrict transgender medical care for children covered by the military’s health program. We’ll unpack how federal funding for health care can be used as a powerful political tool. Plus, do you dread winter? We’ll get into some tips for embracing the season.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
“Transgender Provision Injects Tension Into Defense Vote” from The Wall Street Journal
“Will Democrats Let the GOP Gut Trans Health Care?” from Rolling Stone
“Brace for a Nationwide Shuffle of Corporate Headquarters” from Bloomberg
“9 Ways to Embrace Winter — Even if You Think You Hate It” from Time
“New Jersey Politician Fakes Spotify Wrapped to Show All Springsteen Songs” from The New York Times
We love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.
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20:27
Trump’s contradictory economic agenda
Before this year’s election, Heather Cox Richardson, a historian at Boston College, joined “Make Me Smart” live in Boston to unpack the high stakes for our economy and democracy. Now that the election is over and the transition to a second Donald Trump administration is underway, we’re following up.
On the show today, Richardson weighs in on the election aftermath. She explains how the current media environment in the United States played into the election, how economic narratives have influenced American politics throughout history, and what the past can tell us about how President-elect Trump might brand his economic agenda while in office.
Then, we’ll get into the bipartisan effort to add federal judges that’s suddenly falling apart. And, author Evan Schwartz was wrong about the inspiration behind L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
Here’s everything we talked about today:
“December 9, 2024” from “Letters from an American”
“What Donald Trump’s Win Means for the Economy” from Time
Opinion: “Voters prefer Harris’s agenda to Trump’s — they just don’t realize it. Take our quiz.” from The Washington Post
“On Issue After Issue, Trump Promises the Moon. No Word on the Rocket.” from The New York Times
“Biden special envoy for hostages is in Beirut in search of Austin Tice” from The Washington Post
“House sets up vote on bill to add dozens of new federal judgeships” from Roll Call
“Ernst, Under MAGA Pressure, Signals Backing for Hegseth’s Pentagon Bid” from The New York Times
Power the show with a donation today and don’t forget to pick up one of our thank you gifts at a discount. Head to marketplace.org/givesmart.
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43:26
CEO killing and our for-profit health care system
A person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson was arrested today. We’ll get into the public’s reaction to the killing and what it says about our for-profit health system. Plus, we discuss the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in U.S. history, which is projected to take place over the next 25 years. And, Dick Van Dyke has us smiling as he waltzes into his 99th birthday.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
“Live Updates: Police Identify ‘Strong Person of Interest’ in C.E.O.’s Killing” from The New York Times
“Suspect in fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ID’d as Luigi Mangione, an ex-Ivy League student” from New York Post
“Manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO Killer Meets Unexpected Obstacle: Sympathy for the Gunman” from The Wall Street Journal
“A $105 Trillion Inheritance Windfall Is On the Way for US Heirs” from Bloomberg
“Dick Van Dyke, Approaching 99, Dances in Coldplay’s Latest Video” from The New York Times
“Biden says U.S. government believes Austin Tice is alive in Syria” from Axios
We love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.
Each 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.