Make Me Smart

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?

Want more of the Winter Games? We have good news for you: The Winter Paralympics kick off in Milan next week. On today’s show, three-time Paralympic gold medalist Declan Farmer joins Kimberly to break down the basics of para ice hockey and how more eyes on the Paralympics can translate to more opportunities for adaptive athletes. Plus, we’ll get into the financial struggles many Paralympians...

On today’s edition of “Economics on Tap,” Kimberly is joined by Anna Pope, agriculture and rural affairs reporter for KOSU and Harvest Public Media, to talk about how Oklahoma’s agricultural workers are faring amid wildfires, federal workforce reductions and shifting global trade tensions. One bright spot: beef prices! And, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty.Here’s everything we talked...

A $50 billion pot of money for rural health care made it into last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, President Trump’s hallmark tax and spending law. But the funding comes in tandem with massive cuts to Medicaid spending — an existential risk to many rural hospitals. On today’s show, Kimberly speaks with KFF Health News correspondent Arielle Zionts about the potential benefits of the Rural...

In December, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new rule that would ban hospitals from receiving any Medicare and Medicaid funding if they offer gender-affirming care for minors. Today, Kimberly checks in with Marketplace’s Samantha Fields to hear about her reporting on how this is affecting health care providers across the country. Plus, we’ll get into how the proposed rule...

Hey Smarties! There won’t be a livestream for “Economics on Tap” today. But don’t worry! “Economics on Tap” will return soon on Feb. 20. For now, we’re sharing a new episode from our friends over at “This Is Uncomfortable.” Enjoy!Author and journalist Aymann Ismail wants his kids to grow up with a real connection to their Egyptian roots, including speaking Arabic. For his family, that means...

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, in this episode we’re taking a look at what it’s like to be looking for love right now — and the technology that’s meant to help us do it. Lots of dating apps are integrating AI features these days, but are they making it easier to find real-life connections? We talk to Jason Parham, senior writer at Wired magazine, to try to find out.

Cliche or not, engaging with art is certainly one of the best ways to take a step back when the news cycle gets extra heavy. On the show today, Kimberly is joined by Maggie Smith, poet and host of “The Slowdown” podcast. They talk about why reading and writing are so good for the soul, and about the importance of practicing creativity when funding for the arts is under attack. Maggie also reads a...

Hey Smarties! There won’t be a livestream for “Economics on Tap” today. But don’t worry! “Economics on Tap” will return soon on Feb. 20. For now, we’re sharing a new episode from our friends over at “This Is Uncomfortable.” Enjoy!“Work Drama” is the “This Is Uncomfortable” advice column, answering your questions about sticky work situations. This week, Reema tackles your questions about workplace...