Climate Risks: Climate change is a growing threat that affects military readiness and increases vulnerability to disasters, especially as people move to risk-prone areas in the south and west of the United States. Awareness and preparedness are crucial to mitigate these climate-related challenges.
Climate change poses significant risks, including impacts on military readiness as temperatures rise and natural disasters increase. The military has recognized this threat since as early as the 1950s. As people relocate to regions more prone to hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires—like the southern and western United States—they become increasingly vulnerable. Recent data shows that these areas are experiencing more extreme weather events, highlighting the urgent need for awareness and preparation to adapt to climate-related challenges. Policymakers and citizens must work together to understand these trends and implement strategies to safeguard lives and property amidst the changing climate. It’s crucial to recognize how human movements and climate impacts are interconnected, shaping the landscape of our communities and their resilience against future threats.
Hostage Financial Protections: Many Americans are trapped in high-risk climate areas and face federal recovery costs. Hostages overseas can ruin their credit ratings due to unpaid bills, prompting the Fair Credit for American Hostages Act to protect them during their ordeal.
Many Americans are living in dangerous climate change areas, like after Hurricane Elaine, and often must rely on federal funds to recover, creating costs for everyone. Additionally, there are serious issues for Americans taken hostage abroad, such as accumulating tax bills and damaged credit scores. Senators Coons and Telles have introduced the Fair Credit for American Hostages Act, which aims to protect hostages from negative impacts on their credit ratings during their detention. It highlights the need for special protections for those unable to manage their financial responsibilities due to their circumstances, showing that these situations call for a more compassionate approach in acknowledging the struggles of detained citizens.
Rising Government Aid: Government aid is increasingly vital as more Americans depend on it for income, especially with an aging population and disasters. Political affiliations show regional disparities in this dependency.
More people in the U.S. are becoming reliant on government help than ever before. As the population ages, many are getting Medicare and Social Security. In many counties, a significant number of people depend on federal aid for their income, especially after disasters. This pattern has changed over the years, with more counties getting assistance. The political affiliation of these counties shows a growing need for support, reminding us how crucial government programs are in people's lives, especially during tough times. There have been moments when Congress has failed to help, but public pressure has often led to change. It’s essential for the leaders to acknowledge this rising dependency and work to improve support for those in need.
Government Dependence: Many Republican counties heavily rely on government assistance, which contrasts with their stance on limiting government involvement. This dependence is often overlooked, revealing the complex relationship Americans have with government support.
In recent years, many Republican-leaning counties have become increasingly reliant on government assistance programs, which contradicts the common Republican viewpoint that government interference is always negative. About 70% of counties in battleground states like Michigan, Georgia, and North Carolina depend heavily on government support for safety nets, such as Social Security and disaster aid. This reliance is often overlooked by those advocating for reduced government spending, especially since a substantial portion of that spending benefits Republican areas. This highlights the complex relationship Americans have with government aid: while many express a desire for less government involvement, a significant number still depend on social programs to sustain their communities and livelihoods, particularly in rural regions where economic challenges are prevalent.
Civic Stories: Civic engagement is on the rise, exemplified by individuals like a poll worker signing up to help. A beautiful story emerged from a 1970s photograph of a breakfast on the National Mall, uniting people through shared memories and the art of photography.
People are becoming more civically engaged, with exciting stories of individuals stepping up to participate in democracy, like someone’s mother signing up as a poll worker. Additionally, a beautiful story emerged from a famous photograph taken in the 1970s showing a group having an extravagant breakfast on the National Mall. The photographer’s daughter connected with a person from that photo, uncovering its heartwarming backstory. It highlights how visual art can bring people together and evoke collective memories, showcasing the importance of both involvement in civic duties and the power of storytelling through photography. Democracy thrives when individuals take action, ensuring it’s not just a spectator sport, while photographs can memorialize moments that connect past and present, fostering community and shared experiences.
Life and Money: Life's challenges can make financial decisions harder, especially during loss. The podcast 'This is Uncomfortable' discusses how money affects our emotional journeys, urging us to support loved ones and live fully.
Life often presents us with difficult moments intertwined with financial decisions, especially in times of loss or challenges. Reflecting on these experiences, such as making choices for a dying pet or dealing with unexpected financial secrets left behind by loved ones, highlights the complex relationship between our emotions and money. These challenges not only impact our personal lives but also remind us to cherish every day and act for those we care about. The podcast 'This is Uncomfortable' delves into these themes, offering stories that explore how money affects our experiences with grief and loss, and encourages listeners to recognize the importance of living life fully and supporting one another during tough times.
The heavy price of living in disaster-prone areas
Recent Episodes from Make Me Smart
Why immigration numbers are a headache for economists
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
Help us reach our Fall Fundraiser goal to hear from 2,500 Marketplace Investors. Give right now: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn
The heavy price of living in disaster-prone areas
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.
How some politicians are trying to sell their image
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
New artist-designed Marketplace sweatshirts are half off this weekend! Invest in Marketplace and get yours: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn
Should jobs require a college degree?
In a speech outlining her economic vision this week, Vice President Kamala Harris said she’d boost manufacturing in the United States by supporting trade school programs and getting rid of unnecessary college-degree requirements for federal jobs. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll explain why the DOJ is suing Visa. Plus, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde’s wild search for butter prices.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- “Harris pledges ‘pragmatic’ approach to the economy in Pittsburgh speech” from Politico
- “Kamala Harris says she will cut degree requirements for certain federal jobs” from Reuters
- “Justice Department Sues Visa for Monopolizing Debit Markets” from the Department of Justice
- “Justice Department accuses Visa of stifling competition in the debit card business” from NPR
- “Cruz gets heated after Booker blocks deepfake revenge porn bill” from The Hill
- “Christine Lagarde – Stabilizing Inflation & Regulating AI for the Global Economy” from the Daily Show
Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.
The little short-term spending bill that could
Congress has agreed on a temporary spending bill to fund the federal government through Dec. 20. The House GOP’s hotly debated SAVE Act didn’t make the final cut. We’ll get into what did make it into the bill beyond bare-bones funding measures. And, a wave of homeowners are looking to refinance their mortgages as borrowing costs ease. Plus, we’ll cry happy tears over a “Homeward Bound” story come to life.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- “Kushner’s Fund Has Reaped Millions in Fees, but So Far Returned No Profits” from The New York Times
- “US Mortgage Rates Fall Again, Triggering Big Wave of Refinancing” from Bloomberg
- “The final countdown” from Punchbowl News
- “Shippers scramble for workarounds ahead of looming US East Coast port strike” from Reuters
- “Cat Missing in Yellowstone Returns Home to California After an 800-Mile Trek” from The New York Times
- Tweet from Jacqui Heinrich about President Biden’s hot mic moment on “The View”
Got any questions about inflation or interest rates? Send ’em to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.
Kai on the military and climate change
Kai Ryssdal takes over the mic today as he digs into the U.S. military’s climate change paradox. While the military is fueling the climate crisis, it’s also on the frontlines of the fallout. It’s an issue that hits home for Kai, a Navy veteran. And it’s all part of the latest season of Marketplace’s climate solutions podcast, “How We Survive.” Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
The return of Three Mile Island
The 1979 disaster at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant helped define the energy conversation in the United States. Now it’s being reopened to help power artificial intelligence. We’ll get into the deal between the owner of the plant and Microsoft. Plus, the hosts weigh in on how some schools are warming up to AI and whether companies should take a political stand in a game of Half-Full/Half-Empty.
Here’s everything we talked about:
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- “How Sparing the Parkland Shooter’s Life Changed Florida’s Death Penalty” from The Marshall Project
If you’re in the Denver area, join Kimberly Adams for a live panel discussion on the economics of being single on Sept. 23. Make Me Smart listeners get a discount with the promo code SMART. And if you can’t make it in person, join the livestream on Monday at 6:30 p.m. Mountain time.
The lurking threat of political deepfakes
This year, fake content generated by artificial intelligence hasn’t created the massive election mess that many assumed it would in the United States … at least not yet. At a Senate hearing, tech executives pointed to recent efforts by Russia, China, and Iran to interfere with the upcoming election. And, no, the Teamsters union did not endorse former President Trump. We’ll explain. Plus, we’ll get into the ongoing strike at Boeing and Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan for a cap on childcare costs.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- “Censorship accusations loom over Big Tech hearing on election threats” from The Verge
- “Teamsters union declines to endorse Trump or Harris in presidential race” from NPR
- “Harris wants to limit child care costs to 7% of family income” from CNN Politics
- “Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on the economy, potential U.S. port strike and Boeing strike” from CNBC
- “Boeing Workers Go on Strike: What to Know” from The New York Times
- “Boeing Furloughs White-Collar Workers as Strike Worsens Cash Crunch” from The Wall Street Journal
Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.
The Fed says go big or go home
The Federal Reserve today said it’s lowering its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point. The rate cut is bigger than we’d predicted, and bigger than what the Fed normally does, but its effects will take some time to ripple through the economy. We’ll also get into former President Donald Trump’s switch-up on the state and local tax deduction cap and why Sen. Rand Paul wants Congress to reclaim power over tariffs.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- “Federal Reserve lowers interest rates by 0.50 percentage points in first cut since 2020” from CBS News
- “Dr. Rand Paul Celebrates Constitution Day with the No Taxation Without Representation Act” from Sen. Rand Paul
- Tweet from Burgess Everett about Rand Paul’s tariff proposal
- “Trump signals SALT deduction cap reversal” from Axios
- “Schumer calls out Trump for ‘selective amnesia’ on SALT” from The Hill
- “NPR Exclusive: U.S. overdose deaths plummet, saving thousands of lives” from NPR
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.
Interest rates, inflation and the American consumer
The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates this week for the first time in four years. It would be a major milestone in the central bank’s long fight to get inflation under control. The Fed changes interest rates to keep inflation in check. But inflation is a complex phenomenon, and people have different ideas about what drives it. On the show today, Harvard economics professor Stefanie Stantcheva explains what Americans believe about the root causes of inflation and how the government should manage it, how views differ along party lines and the role media play.
Then, the narrative around retail theft is changing. And, comedian Rola Z who hosts the “Funny Arabs” show in Washington, D.C., answers the Make Me Smart question.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- “People’s Understanding of Inflation” from the Social Economics Lab at Harvard
- “The Fed And Public Opinion” from Forbes
- “What actually happens when the Fed cuts interest rates?” from Marketplace
- “No, Americans Are Not Completely Stupid About Inflation” from The New York Times
- “The Growing Use of Voting Before Election Day” from the Center for Election Innovation and Research
- “America’s stores are winning the war on shoplifting” from CNN Business
- “Federal Debt Is Soaring. Here’s Why Trump and Harris Aren’t Talking About It.” from The Wall Street Journal
- “How would Project 2025 impact troops and veterans?” from Military Times
We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.