Make Me Smart

In line with the Pentagon’s ambitions to build an “AI-first warfighting force,” earlier this year, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded unrestricted use of Anthropic’s Claude model. Anthropic had concerns. Now the two parties are engaged in a legal battle that could shape the future of AI safety. Kimberly talks with Justin Hendrix, CEO and editor of Tech Policy Press, to explain...

Farm bills are huge, sprawling pieces of legislation that affect all Americans — not just farmers. But as they’ve gotten more expensive, they’ve gotten tougher to pass. And due to the SNAP cuts in Congress’s big budget bill passed last summer, the coalitions that have historically gotten this legislation over the finish line may be fractured beyond repair. Kimberly talks with Chris Neubert,...

On today’s show, we’re preparing for the Oscars by checking in on the state of the film industry. Marketplace’s Amy Scott sits down with Wall Street Journal entertainment reporter Ben Fritz to discuss what slumping ticket sales means for the future of movies, why the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger has Hollywood workers worried, and what it would take for the industry to make a comeback. Plus,...

ICE may have wound down its operations in Minnesota, but the state is still facing the economic consequences of Operation Metro Surge. This has fueled concerns that an eviction crisis could take hold, particularly in the Twin Cities. On today’s show, Kimberly joins MPR News correspondent Dana Ferguson in St. Paul, Minnesota to discuss measures the state legislature is taking to provide economic...

As prices have risen over the past decade, snow sports have gotten farther and farther out of reach for many Americans. And this has big implications not just for the ski-inclined, but also for the workers and local businesses that rely on steady ski area traffic. On today’s show, Kimberly talks with University of Waterloo professor and sustainable tourism expert Daniel Scott about what’s driving...

This week’s Texas primary elections were heated — and historic in terms of campaign spending. On today’s show, Blaise Gainey, state politics reporter for The Texas Newsroom, joins Kimberly to share his election takeaways and the economic issues that brought voters out to the polls. Plus, what does the Texas Railroad Commissioner have to do with oil and gas? And, we’ll pit Texas icons against each...

The endangerment finding paved the way for federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, and power plants. Now that the Environmental Protection Agency has repealed the finding, the future of U.S. climate policy is in limbo. Marketplace’s Amy Scott joins Kimberly to explain what the repeal could mean for the auto industry, American consumers, and the United States’ place in...

As war in the Middle East widens, it’s become clear that drones now play a fundamental role in global conflict. They’ve changed the way wars are fought—and how much they cost. On today’s show, Kimberly talks with Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy, about how drone technology has evolved over the years, how the rise of drone warfare has...

On today’s show, we’re taking a trip to the Green Mountain State for an up close look at one of Vermont’s most pressing economic issues: housing. Kimberly is joined by Carly Berlin, housing reporter for VTDigger and Vermont Public, to talk about the factors driving Vermont’s housing crisis and how solutions, like a catalog of pre-approved home designs, could help fix it. Plus, are you more of a...

Things have felt pretty chaotic in this economy since the Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s signature tariffs last week. On today’s show, Kai Ryssdal joins Kimberly to share his takeaways from the decision and the legal questions surrounding Trump’s new global tariff. Plus, how would tariff refunds actually work?