
More than 150 million Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and that’s great. But that huge number masks some series disparities in this country, to say nothing of the rest of the world. On today’s show, we’ll talk a bit about virus variants and lasting effects in India and Brazil. Later, we’ll check in on President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan and briefly pivot to sports and art.
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 

“India’s black fungus outbreak: Recovering covid patients grapple with removal of eyes” from The Washington Post
“Brazil Passes 500,000 Covid Deaths, a Tragedy With No Sign of Letup” from The New York Times
“Biden, Senators Agree to Roughly $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan” from The Wall Street Journal
“Antitrust Overhaul Passes Its First Tests. Now, the Hard Parts.” from The New York Times
“Cheer for Black girls with orange hair, long nails, tats, and lashes” from The Philadelphia Inquirer
Watch Sha’Carri Richardson’s win at the Olympic trials
“Rembrandt’s Damaged Masterpiece Is Whole Again, With A.I.’s Help” from The New York Times



COVID-19 is going to be with us for years

Each weekday, Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams make today make sense. Along with our supersmart listeners, we break down happenings in tech, the economy and culture. Every Tuesday we bring on a guest to dive deeper into one important topic. Because none of us is as smart as all of us.

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

News


It’s Tax Day! Millions of Americans have already filed their 2023 returns, but today we’re talking about tax protesters and the moral and ethical reasons some refuse to file their taxes or pay what they owe. Plus, the “no landing” scenario has entered the chat. And, what are we getting wrong about the cosmos?
Here’s everything we talked about today:




“Taxes are due even if you object to government policies or doubt the validity of the 16th Amendment’s ratification” from The Conversation



 



“Taxes 2024: I stopped paying taxes a decade ago. The results shocked me.” from Slate



 



“‘The 401(k) industry owns Congress’: How lawmakers quietly passed a $300 billion windfall to the wealthy” from Politico



 



“Fed Hiking Rates to 6.5% Is ‘Real Risk’ for UBS Strategists” from Bloomberg



 



“March retail sales data show the American consumer is still pretty strong” from Axios



 



“World’s top cosmologists convene to question conventional view of the universe” from The Guardian







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

The rise of the (tax) resistance


It’s hard to get around without a car these days. But in the last couple of years, owning one has become very expensive. We’ll explain the deceptive practices happening in the auto lending market. And, we’ll explain how Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s power in the Democratic Party was demonstrated by a campaign contribution. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty and weigh in on “dumbphones” and adult gap years.
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 



“Ocasio-Cortez Never Steered Money to a Key Arm of Her Party. Until Now.” from The New York Times



 



“The rise of the scammy car loan” from Vox



 



“Decades later, Bonnie Tyler still finds new fans for her hit song every total eclipse” from CBC Radio



 



“Tech is supercharging pre-employment personality tests” from Marketplace



 



“The Dumbphone Boom Is Real” from The New Yorker



 



“Broadband ‘nutrition labels’ help you comparison shop for cable” from Marketplace



 



“Brands in Space: What’s behind the rush to advertise in the final frontier?” from Marketplace



 



“‘Companies are starting to realize burnout is an issue’: Meet the lucky workers taking sabbaticals and ‘adult gap years’ to recharge” from Fortune




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


Why owning a car is getting so expensive


Today, we’re discussing the bond market’s big reaction to the latest inflation news and why you shouldn’t worry about it. Plus, a new Boeing whistleblower comes forward, and Beyoncé calls out the home insurance industry.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 



“Bonds are talking to us after inflation gauge comes in above forecasts” from Marketplace



 



“US consumer prices heat up in March; seen delaying Fed rate cut” from Reuters



 



“$6.6 billion TSMC deal in Arizona the latest in the CHIPS Act’s rollout” from Marketplace



 



“TSMC: Biden to give Taiwanese company $6.6 billion to ramp up US chip production” from CNN



 



“Biden administration bets an old plant can make new chips” from Marketplace



 



“‘Benefit of the doubt running thin with Boeing’: Capt. Dennis Tajer on whistleblower claims” from CNBC



 



“Boeing whistleblower says the Dreamliner 787 could ‘break apart’ because of safety flaws, report says” from NBC



 



Beyoncé’s YA YA (Clean Version)



 



Video breaking down Beyoncé’s “YA YA” from Daryl Fairweather on X




 
Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap! The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. We’ll have news, drink, and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty.


Bonds, Boeing and Beyoncé

Inflation is coming in hot! Today’s consumer price index shows prices kept rising in March. Kai Ryssdal explains the one thing everybody should be doing right about now in addition to taking a deep breath! Plus, the rising cost of insurance — from homeowners coverage to life insurance — and what companies are doing to dump customers. Also, hear a whale talk to a scientist.

Here’s everything we talk about today:
 



“Hot Inflation Report Derails Case for Fed’s June Rate Cut” from The Wall Street Journal



 



“Insurers Are Spying on Your Home From the Sky” from The Wall Street Journal



 



“The Soaring Cost of Homeowners Insurance” from Comstock’s Magazine



 



“MassMutual is rolling out free genetic testing for members, a dicey area for life insurers” from STAT+



 



“The scientists learning to speak whale” from BBC



 



Solar Grazing Resources from the American Solar Grazing Association





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

The last mile of the inflation fight just got bumpy



There’s a lot of buzz about a slowdown in the electric vehicle market. EV sales, while still growing, are not accelerating at the pace of just a few years ago. At the same time, EV makers from Tesla to General Motors and Ford are pushing back EV plans. So, what gives? On the show today, Robinson Meyer of Heatmap explains what’s really happening with the U.S. EV market, what it’s going to take to rev it back up, competition from China and whether moves by the Biden administration will be enough to help domestic EV producers pull ahead.
 
Then, can robots make the meatpacking industry safer? Plus, in celebration of Monday’s solar eclipse, a planetary scientist answers the Make Me Smart question.
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 



“What happened to EVs?” from Business Insider



 



“Opinion | China’s Electric Vehicles Are Going to Hit Detroit Like a Wrecking Ball” from The New York Times



 



“The key to growing EV adoption is cars with lower sticker prices. They may be on their way.” from Marketplace



 



“Here Comes the Flood of Plug-In Hybrids” from Wired



 



“How Americans view electric vehicles” from Pew Research



 



“Tesla’s Sales Drop, a Sign That Its Grip on the E.V. Market Is Slipping” from The New York Times



 



“The U.S. Urgently Needs a Bigger Grid. Here’s a Fast Solution.” from The New York Times



 



“Meet the Robots Slicing Your Barbecue Ribs” from The Wall Street Journal



 



“Dogs can understand the meaning of nouns, new research finds” from The Guardian




 
We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.



COVID-19 is going to be with us for years

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