Make Me Smart

In this rough labor market, job seekers are more vulnerable to scams. We’ve all seen those texts, right? The ones offering jobs with suspiciously high pay for suspiciously little work? On today’s show, Marketplace’s Kristin Schwab joins Kimberly to share what happened when she replied to one of these scam messages. Plus, why AI and the shift to remote work has fueled the rise in job scams.Here’s...

The effects of government shutdowns are felt particularly deeply in tribal communities across the United States. That’s because the federal government has a constitutional obligation to fund services in Indian Country. But when the government closes, tribal nations are left to pick up the tab. Marketplace’s Savannah Peters joins Kimberly to explain how tribal communities get caught up in the...

On today’s show, Kimberly is joined by the host of NPR’s “Life Kit” podcast, Marielle Segarra, who’s recently been working on a four-week newsletter series all about credit card debt — and how to avoid it all snowballing. Plus, we’ll play a round of Headline or Head-lyin’!Here’s everything we talked about today:“In credit card debt? There’s a path out” from Life Kit“Medical bills can cause a...

Today we’re all getting smarter about some of the economic and political terms dominating the headlines these days. Terms like “authoritarianism” and “state capitalism” that have been hotly debated during the second Trump administration. Plus, “stagflation” and other vocabulary words our listeners have been curious about. With some help from experts, Kimberly breaks them all down. Here’s...

A growing list of U.S. cities are set to see National Guard troops in their communities as President Trump explores ways to deploy the military on American soil. But legal challenges are piling up. On today’s show, Kimberly talks with Patrick Eddington, senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute, about the changing role of the National Guard and why Trump’s use...

On today’s show, Kimberly is joined by Marketplace’s very own Henry Epp to chat about his reporting on the “maturing” of the craft beer industry, and just who's sipping all those IPAs and sours. They'll also get into how the Trump administration is using the government shutdown to consolidate power. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!Here’s everything we talked about today:“For...

Messy fights over funding the federal government have become all too familiar in American politics. Why are we like this? On the show today, The Brookings Institution’s Molly Reynolds joins Kimberly to explain how shutdowns became Congress’ political weapon of choice and why the federal budget process has gotten even more complicated under the Trump administration. Plus, we hear from you, our...

Las Vegas is facing a months long decline in tourism, partly due fewer international visitors to the United States overall. So is Las Vegas dead? “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio went to find out. He joins Kimberly on the show today to share what he’s hearing from business owners and tourists about the city’s economic slump. Here’s everything we talked about today:"Sin City...

Hey Smarties! Today we’re sharing a special bonus episode from “How We Survive.” It’s a conversation between host Amy Scott, “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal and Pulitzer Prize winning science writer Elizabeth Kolbert. Together, they dig into how the climate crisis is triggering economic disruption. Plus, some solutions to be hopeful about.And, we get a peek into Kolbert’s forthcoming book, ”Life...

On today’s show, Alaska Public Media reporter Ava White joins Kimberly to make us smarter about Fat Bear Week and the issues that are top of mind for Alaskans right now. Alaska residents receive an annual check funded by the state’s oil royalties. But its purchasing power is lower than ever. We’ll get into it. Plus, we’ll weigh in on AI live translations and a rise in Hamburger Helper sales...