Make Me Smart

The endangerment finding paved the way for federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, and power plants. Now that the Environmental Protection Agency has repealed the finding, the future of U.S. climate policy is in limbo. Marketplace’s Amy Scott joins Kimberly to explain what the repeal could mean for the auto industry, American consumers, and the United States’ place in the global transition to clean energy.

As war in the Middle East widens, it’s become clear that drones now play a fundamental role in global conflict. They’ve changed the way wars are fought—and how much they cost. On today’s show, Kimberly talks with Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy, about how drone technology has evolved over the years, how the rise of drone warfare has changed the way global conflicts play out, and what that means for civilians.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Iran strike marks first time U.S. used new one-way attack drones in combat" from Task and Purpose 
"Iran Fires Cheap Drones Into Arab Countries, Wreaking Havoc" from The New York Times
"How are Drones Changing War? The Future of the Battlefield" from the Center for European Policy Analysis 
"America’s Eroding Airpower" from the Center for New American Security 
Obama’s Final Drone Strike Data from the Council on Foreign Relations  

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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 Vermont cheddar or a Ben & Jerry’s type of person?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Vermont Housing Needs Assessment" from the State of Vermont
"Vermont is overhauling Act 250. Here’s what the development maps look like so far" from Vermont Public
"Vermont develops catalog of prevetted home designs for faster building" from VTDigger
"Green Mountain Grub: The Best Things to Eat in Vermont" from Food Network

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

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 face.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Milan Cortina Paralympics guide: Winter Games celebrate 50 years and Russian flag returns" from AP News 
"Para Ice Hockey - About the Sport" from the International Paralympic Committee
"Record 15.4 Million Total Viewers Watch Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Across NBCUniversal" from NBCUniversal
"It Shouldn’t Be This Expensive to Be a Paralympic Athlete" from Self Magazine

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].