Make Me Smart

No pun intended. Big Oil has hit a number of setbacks recently, but there’s still huge demand for fossil fuels. Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, gives us a more holistic view of the fight against climate change and fossil fuels’ role in it. Because even as electric cars and solar batteries become more accessible, massive industries like steel and cement still run through a lot of oil. So, too, will emerging economies in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

When you’re done listening, tell your Echo device to “make me smart” for our daily explainers. This week, we’re explaining the Pride flag, Section 18 and charcoal. You can hear them all here. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter! You can find the latest issue here.

Some Big Tech news broke right before we recorded this episode: A federal judge dismissed antitrust lawsuits brought against Facebook by more than 40 states. Today we’ll spend some time breaking down the reasoning, its impact on Facebook’s share price and what to expect next from Lina Khan’s Federal Trade Commission. Plus: The heat wave in Oregon, LeVar Burton and a gender-reveal party that’s … actually good?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Finally: We need your voice memos! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood to answer! Here’s how to do it.

It’s not that they’re aliens, but they’re not not aliens. A new Pentagon report released Friday can’t account for 143 “unidentified aerial phenomena” seen since 2004, though it has a few ideas. We’ll allow ourselves to speculate, and quote “Contact” a bit on today’s show. That, plus a grab bag of news to round out the week.

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

Thanks to everyone who joined us live on YouTube today! We go live each Friday at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern for happy hour! Subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.

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:

We have a good, old-fashioned “I’ve Always Wondered” kinda listener question today: Why is the doctor’s office seemingly the only place in American life you need to fax documents to? We’ll talk about why health records are so slow to digitize and the impact it can have on care. Plus more of your questions about gerrymandering and the Federal Reserve.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Join us on YouTube Fridays at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern for our live happy hour episode! Subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.

It might feel like the COVID-19 pandemic is wrapping up in some parts of the United States, but there’s still new variants along with fresh revelations about the government’s response to the crisis. We’ll talk a bit about both on today’s show, plus the Supreme Court ruling on the NCAA and the West Coast perspective on New York’s mayoral race.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is headed to space on a suborbital flight run by his company Blue Origin. As of this taping, more than 16,000 people have signed a Change.org petition telling him to stay there. (There’s also a petition for him to buy and eat the “Mona Lisa,” but we’ll leave that alone). On today’s show, Kimberly Adams rounds out her guest-hosting stint with a surprisingly thoughtful answer for why Bezos needs to come back down to Earth. But first, we have to talk about the drought in America’s southwest and a very good dog. Plus, another round of Half Full/Half Empty, with suggestions from the fan-run “Make Me Smart” Discord server!

Here’s everything we talked about today (if you can’t open these on your podcast app, check out the episode page at makemesmart.org):

Thanks to everyone who joined us live on YouTube today! We’re live Fridays at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern for happy hour. Subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.

We’re going to get a little wonkier than usual today, because there’s a complex but important change happening in the way the Federal Reserve seems to think about the labor market and this economy more broadly. Plus: An update on that couple who waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters and the nuances of America’s newest federal holiday.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Kimberly Adams is still filling in for us from Washington, D.C., just in time for a big but surprisingly nuanced question about campaign finance reform. One listener wants to know about political action committees, dark money and the philosophical framework ostensibly making sure those contributions are on the right side of the law. Plus, more of your questions about career changes, gas prices and “The Expanse.”

Here’s everything we talked about today (if you can’t open these links on your podcast app, check out the episode page on makemesmart.org):

Join us on YouTube Fridays at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern for our live happy hour episode! Subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.

For as long as we’ve had a democracy in this country, we’ve fought about who gets to vote and how. But this longstanding fight has taken on a new intensity since the 2020 election: At least 14 states have passed more than 20 laws so far this year restricting voting, and money is pouring in both to fight and enact them. On today’s show, the Brennan Center’s Daniel Weiner gives us the lay of the land and tells us why there’s reason to be hopeful about the state of voting in this country.

Here’s everything we talked about today (if you can’t click these links on your podcast app, try the episode page at makemesmart.org):