Hey Smarties! There won’t be a livestream for “Economics on Tap” today. But don’t worry! “Economics on Tap” will return soon on Feb. 20. For now, we’re sharing a new episode from our friends over at “This Is Uncomfortable.” Enjoy!

“Work Drama” is the “This Is Uncomfortable” advice column, answering your questions about sticky work situations. This week, Reema tackles your questions about workplace tension, co-worker cliques, bosses behaving badly, and some bizarre office policies. And she’s joined by one of our favorite culture writers and podcasters, Sarah Hagi, who hosts “Scamfluencers.”

If you have any work drama going on, we want to hear about it! You can send it to us at [email protected], leave a message at 347-RING-TIU, or fill out the form at the bottom of the page.

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, pollsters and strategists from all over the world of politics are trying to get a pulse on American families. Kimberly recently sat down with a panel of experts at the Aspen Forum on Children and Families to discuss what their research is revealing and what it means for the future of policies that affect children and families across the United States. So, we’re sharing some of that conversation today. Spoiler: the economy comes up a lot.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• VIDEO: "Reality Check: What's Really Going On With Families" from the Aspen Institute
• "Voters See a Middle-Class Lifestyle as Drifting Out of Reach, Poll Finds" from The New York Times
• "The good, the bad and the ugly of election polling" from “Make Me Smart” 

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

Hey Smarties! We recorded today’s episode before the House passed a spending package that will end the partial government shutdown. We’re monitoring the situation as it develops.

President Trump has shown no signs of easing his pressure campaign on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. But this could spell trouble for Trump’s pick for Powell’s successor, Kevin Warsh. Marketplace’s Nancy Marshall-Genzer joins Kimberly to explain. Plus, we’ll get into what you should know about Warsh’s history at the Fed and more of the latest news from the central bank.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Trump’s Political Drama With Powell Overshadows Fed Rate Decision" from The New York Times 
• "What would Kevin Warsh bring to the Federal Reserve?" from Marketplace
• "Fed keeps interest rates unchanged, despite pressure from Trump" from Marketplace
• "Trump Needs an Off-Ramp for Powell Feud to Speed Warsh Into Fed" from Bloomberg
• "The economic headache that's coming for Kevin Warsh" from Politico

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

The Winter Olympics kick off next week in Milan, Italy. On today’s show, Kimberly is joined by Jackie Wong, self-described skate nerd and host of “The Rocker Skating Podcast” to break down the basics of Olympic figure skating and who to watch at the Milan Cortina Games. Despite the sport’s popularity, figure skaters frequently struggle financially off the ice. We’ll get into it. Plus, you pick: real hockey or “Heated Rivalry”?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Winter Olympics 2026 guide: All you need to know about the Milan Cortina Games" from AP News
• "Milan Cortina Olympics: Figure skating could have multiple American golds" from Yahoo Sports
• "What Should I Watch at the 2026 Winter Olympics?" from The Cut
• "Around 5 billion people - 84 per cent of the potential global audience - followed the Olympic Games Paris 2024" from the International Olympic Committee 
• "To Go for the Gold, These Olympians Went Into the Red" from The Wall Street Journal

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

In line with President Trump’s broader crackdown on immigration, the administration has moved to end the Temporary Protected Status program for certain countries including Venezuela and Haiti. TPS has allowed immigrants from countries with unsafe environments to temporarily live and work legally in the United States for decades. On today’s show, Marketplace’s Elizabeth Trovall joins Kimberly to share her recent reporting on Haitian care workers in Florida who will soon lose their legal status and the wider impact it could have on the U.S. economy.

The European Union is still reeling after President Trump’s Davos appearance, even after he walked back some of his Greenland threats. A big question remains: How should the EU deal with Trump going forward? Financial Times correspondent Paola Tamma joins Kimberly from Brussels to explain Europe’s shifting approach to Trump and why officials haven’t yet taken more drastic measures to respond to his economic threats. Could a push to seek alternative trade allies be an antidote?

Tech companies are pouring billions into developing the infrastructure necessary to meet the demand for artificial intelligence. But what does that infrastructure look like on the ground? Marketplace Tech’s Meghan McCarty Carino joins Kimberly to share her takeaways after visiting a variety of data centers and reporting on the surge in AI investment. Plus, we’ll weigh in on microdramas and AI slop during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Inside the relentless race for AI capacity" Financial Times
• "Redwood Materials built record grid storage project using old EV batteries" Canary Media
• "Just how big is the AI investment wave?" from Reuters
• "YouTube says battling ‘AI slop’ is a top priority" from The L.A. Times
• "TikTok-like microdramas are going to make billions this year, even though they kind of suck" from Tech Crunch
• "Apple to Revamp Siri as a Built-In iPhone, Mac Chatbot to Fend Off OpenAI" from Bloomberg 
• "Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT. Here’s How They’ll Work" from Wired

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

President Trump has routinely sought to influence the business dealings of U.S. media companies, including Netflix and Paramount’s fight over the future of Warner Bros. Rodney Benson, author of the book “How Media Ownership Matters,” has argued there’s a word for this trend: media capture. On today’s show, Benson joins Kimberly to explain how the phenomenon works and why he believes it’s playing out in the U.S. Plus, we’ll smile about the wonders of the cosmos.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Trump World Is Picking Sides in the Battle for Warner Bros." from The Wall Street Journal
• "Is the US Media Captured?" From Columbia Journalism Review
• "Trump's Year of Media Capture" from Rolling Stone
• "Inside Bari Weiss’s Hostile Takeover of CBS News" from The New Yorker
• "Rodney Benson on the Value of Publicly Backed Journalism" from Columbia Journalism Review

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

For student loan borrowers, the past few years have felt like whiplash. From the fallout of the Biden-era SAVE plan to policies in the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the federal financial aid system is getting an overhaul this year. On today’s show, founder and president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors Betsy Mayotte joins Kimberly to break down what borrowers need to know about the major changes coming to federal student loans in 2026.

On today’s show, Dana Ferguson, political correspondent for MPR News, joins Kimberly to share how her community has been affected by a recent surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, including the fatal shooting of Renee Macklin Good. We’ll also discuss the impact on small businesses in the Twin Cities and the political fallout from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s decision to end his reelection campaign.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Minnesota business owners feeling the effects of ICE enforcement actions" from MPR News
• "As immigration raids roil Minnesota, corporate leaders stay silent" from Marketplace 
• "Tim Walz drops out of Minnesota governor’s race, Klobuchar considers jumping in" from Politico
• "With limited political power, Minnesota Democrats navigate resistance to Trump" from MPR News
• "Walz's exit from Minnesota governor's race will pose challenges for both parties" from MPR News
• "What to Nosh in the North Star State: Minnesota's Most-Iconic Dishes" from Food Network 
• "Photos: The Minneapolis music scene, from the 1980s to now" from MPR News

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