How some politicians are trying to sell their image

Total damages from Hurricane Helene in the United States could cost $250 billion. But only a small fraction of homeowners have flood insurance. As another major hurricane looms, we’ll unpack why coverage is becoming so expensive that many Americans choose to go without. Plus, some news you can use about communicating during an emergency, and how zoo workers and animals ride out big storms.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Kamala Harris Has Raised $1 Billion Since Entering 2024 Presidential Race” from The New York Times
• “CBS ’60 Minutes’ airs two different answers from VP Harris to the same question” from Fox News
• “Most U.S. homeowners hit by Hurricane Helene don’t have flood insurance” from CBS News
• “Hurricane Milton could cost insurers up to $100 billion, analysts say” from Reuters
• “The flood insurance crisis facing Americans” from Axios
• “‘We’ve used hallways, we’ve used bathrooms’: How zoos protect animals when hurricanes hit” from BBC News
• “Tampa zoo and aquarium staff to ride out Milton with the animals” from The Washington Post
• “When Cell Service Is Down, You Can Send iPhone Texts via Satellite” from The Wall Street Journal

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

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, cater to couples. Today’s episode is an excerpt from a Marketplace live show in Denver, hosted by “Make Me Smart” co-host Kimberly Adams, on the economics of being single. Kimberly is joined by a panel of experts who break down the financial challenges (and perks) of living the single life, and the power of pushing back against the societal pressures to pair up.

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 since this aid started. This adds to the already heavy human toll of the conflict. We’ll discuss the mounting costs of war. Plus, Anthony Fauci’s new warning about a mosquito-borne illness. And, is the pumpkin spice tax real?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Anthony Fauci: A Mosquito in My Backyard Made Me the Sickest I’ve Ever Been” from The New York Times

• “US spends a record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since last Oct. 7” from The Associated Press

• “United States Spending on Israel’s Military Operations and Related U.S. Operations in the Region, October 7, 2023-September 30, 2024” from the Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs at Brown University

• “Consumers Pay Up to 92% More for Pumpkin Items, but ‘Pumpkin Spice Tax’ Is Narrowing” from Lending Tree

• “Retail Investor Had Too Much Tesla” from Bloomberg

Help us catch up to our Fall Fundraiser goal today: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

The jobs report released today blew past economists’ forecasts, estimating that employers added about 250,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in September. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is falsely claiming the jobs report is “fake.” We’ll get into how big economic data is being politicized. And, what happens when October surprises aren’t so surprising anymore? Plus, we’ll weigh in on “white labeling” and flying taxis during a round of Half Full / Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “October surprises are piling up, but a toss-up race seems impervious to shocks” from CNN Politics
• “Jack Smith’s latest filing in the Trump election case is no ‘Comey letter'” from MSNBC
• “‘Trump Bible’ one of few that meet Walters’ criteria for Oklahoma classrooms” from The Oklahoman
• Tweet from Sen. Marco Rubio about today’s jobs report
• “Not hearing back on job applications? Some career consultants suggest a bold new tactic.” from Business Insider
• “Denver is funding sidewalk maintenance with a property owner tax” from Marketplace
• “Why do retailers white label certain products?” from Marketplace
• “Costco adds platinum bars to its precious metals lineup” from CNBC
• “Toyota puts another $500 million in an air taxi startup” from The Verge

Don’t let us fall short. We need your help to reach our Fall Fundraiser goal today!: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

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 the Fed doesn’t hold more meetings, why it tends to adjust interest rates in quarter-percentage-point increments, and why it’s target inflation rate is 2%. Plus, Kai Ryssdal unpacks the wonky relationship between the federal funds rate and the Treasury bond market.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Introduction to the FOMC” from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
• “A brief history of the Federal Reserve’s emergency rate shifts” from The Los Angeles Times
• “Why does the Federal Reserve raise rates in quarter percentages?” from Marketplace
• “Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement of longer-run goals and policy strategy” from the Federal Reserve
• “Why the Fed Targets a 2 Percent Inflation Rate” from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
• “The Fed cut rates, but the yield on the 10-year T-note is up” from Marketplace
• “How Might Increases in the Fed Funds Rate Impact Other Interest Rates?” from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

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 States. Now drug traffickers are exploiting that same law to import fentanyl ingredients. We’ll get into it. And, Kai watched last night’s vice presidential debate after all. The hosts share their takeaways. Plus, a story about repurposing old newspaper boxes takes us to nostalgia central.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “How fentanyl traffickers are exploiting a U.S. trade law” from Reuters
• “Takeaways from the VP debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz” from AP News
• “People fill old newspaper boxes with movies, call it ‘Free Blockbuster’” from The Washington Post

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

All sorts of statistics related to immigration are being thrown around in debates, speeches and campaign ads ahead of this year’s election. Immigration estimates are painstakingly calculated by various government agencies. But lately, economists have been wrangling with wide gaps between some of these numbers. On the show today, Jed Kolko, former under secretary for economic affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce, explains how government agencies actually crunch immigration numbers, why two agencies’ estimates aren’t matching up right now and why accurate immigration data is crucial to how we understand the economy and setting economic policy.

Then, we’ll get into why the ongoing dockworkers’ strike is about more than just higher wages. And, we’ll get smarter about a common cooking herb.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Can new data solve an immigration puzzle?” from Slow Boring
• “What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.” from Pew Research Center
• “Unprecedented U.S. immigration surge boosts job growth, output” from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
• “Key findings about U.S. immigrants” from Pew Research Center
• “New immigration estimates help make sense of the pace of employment” from Brookings
• “Opinion | The real reason 47,000 dock workers are on strike: Automation” from The Washington Post
• “Robots, automation a big factor in U.S. port strike” from Quartz
• “Tim Walz and JD Vance’s 2024 VP debate is tonight. Here’s what to know.” from CBS News

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Recovery efforts are continuing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida last Thursday and caused widespread devastation across several southeastern states. We talk about the cost of moving to areas prone to natural disasters. Plus, why Americans now, more than ever, are reliant on state and federal support to supplement their incomes. Then, Kai has a Jon Stewart moment. And, the backstory of an iconic photo from the 1970s of a group of friends enjoying an extravagant breakfast at the National Mall has us smiling!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Where Americans Have Been Moving Into Disaster-Prone Areas” from The New York Times
• “Welcome Home, Hostages, and Pay Up” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Americans Are More Reliant Than Ever on Government Aid” from The Wall Street Journal
• “How this first-time voter is helping other students get registered” from The Washington Post
• “The real story behind the iconic 1974 breakfast photo at the National Mall” [gift link] from The Washington Post

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

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, the wave of new state voting laws since 2020 has the potential to dramatically reshape ballot access in the 2024 election. And we’ll weigh in on the doomsday prepping economy and “fridgescaping” during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “G.O.P. Candidates, Looking to Soften Their Image, Turn to Their Wives” from The New York Times
• “In the tightest states, new voting laws could tip the outcome in November” from Stateline
• “Battleground State Removes Nearly 10 Percent of Voters for Being Ineligible” from Newsweek
• “VoteFlare’s mission to upgrade voter communication” from Marketplace
• “In uncertain times, the prepper supply business is booming” from Marketplace
• “Spurned by Social Media, Publishers Chase Readers on WhatsApp” from The New York Times
• “Southwest may need to change the perks that made customers loyal” from Marketplace
• “Earth will capture ‘second moon’ this weekend, scientists say” from Space
• “The pros and cons of fridgescaping your refrigerator” from The Washington Post

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