Make Me Smart

• Make Me Smart: St. Louis Edition

  Today we’re taking a trip to Kimberly’s hometown: St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis Public Radio’s politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum joins Kimberly to break down the fights over Missouri’s congressional maps and voter-led ballot initiatives. And, we’ll get into how St. Louis is recovering from the historic tornado that swept through the city earlier this year. Plus, are you Half Full or Half Empty on St. Louis style pizza?Here’s everything we talked about today:"Democratic National Committee will contribute to blocking Missouri congressional map" from STLPR"Missouri voters and lawmakers clash over ballot initiative powers" from AP News"Missouri Gov. Kehoe activates National Guard to assist ICE agents" from STLPR"FEMA approves additional funding and assistance for St. Louis tornado debris cleanup" from STLPR"Should you postpone your flight during the government shutdown?" from Marketplace"Thune dangles Obamacare vote after shutdown ends" from Politico "Thin-Crust Fans, Meet St. Louis Pizza: Crunchy, Cheesy, and Totally Underrated" from Serious EatsWe love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

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• This labor market is ripe for job scams

  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 everything we talked about today:"Job scam texts have become more frequent and more believable" from Marketplace"Who experiences scams? A story for all ages" from the Federal Trade Commission"Job Scam Texts Are Duping Gen Z, Millennials Amid Unemployment Fears" from Business InsiderJoin us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

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• When the government shuts down, tribal communities get the shaft

  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 federal government’s dysfunctional budget process and why tribal leaders argue this needs to change.Here’s everything we talked about today:"How the government shutdown is playing out in Indian Country" from Marketplace "Tribal governments fend off the worst of the impacts of the shutdown" from High Country News "The shutdown isn’t big for Utah’s tribes yet. If it drags on, that’s the problem" from KUER "In Indian Country, federal budget dysfunction takes a toll" from MarketplaceWe love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

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• Dealing with credit card or medical debt? Here's how to handle it.

  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 financial crisis. Here’s how to negotiate them” from Life Kit“A big misconception about debt — and how to tackle it” from Life Kit

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• An economic vocab lesson for the Trump era

  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 everything we talked about today:"Why journalists are reluctant to call Trump an authoritarian – and why that matters for democracy" from The Conversation"What do we call the Trump administration's economic interventions?" from Marketplace"The U.S. Marches Toward State Capitalism With American Characteristics" from The Wall Street Journal"Trump's Latest Trade Deals Raise More Questions Than Answers and Harm America’s Future" from the Center for American Progress"Supreme Court Agrees to Review Trump’s Sprawling Tariffs" from The New York Times"What Is Stagflation, What Causes It, and Why Is It Bad?" from Investopedia"Are Donald Trump's tariffs the new sanctions?" from Stanford UniversityJoin us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

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