Make Me Smart

In just 10 minutes of searching, reporters at BuzzFeed were able to find Joe Biden’s Venmo. See, while you can make your activity on the payment app private, your friends list is always public. For the White House, there are potential national security implications, but for the layperson, that feature could open the door to spying, scamming and harassment. We’ll talk about it over drinks. Plus more of the day’s news and a round of our favorite game: Half Full/Half Empty!

By the way, in this episode we talk a lot about the new Marketplace tote bag, which is a thank-you gift for Marketplace Investors. See it for yourself and get your own here.

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For-profit schools got a bit of a break under the Trump administration, but no longer. The former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is now in charge of student loans at the Education Department, and he’s hitting some schools’ bottom line. Marketplace reporter Amy Scott is with us to talk about it today. Plus: the politicization of unemployment, New York City homes under $100K and, of course, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new mask rules.

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“Make Me Smart” is a part of your daily habit. We run on listener support, so make donating part of that habit, too! Give what you can today: marketplace.org/givesmart

If you have an iPhone or iPad and your software is up to date, you may have seen a prompt pop up in Instagram, Facebook or other apps. It asks if you want to allow the apps to track you, and it’s a little confusing. On today’s show, we’ll try and help a listener clear it up. Plus, immersive travel, jobs numbers and Kai Ryssdal’s “Top Gun” days.

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“Make Me Smart” is a part of your daily habit. We run on listener support, so make donating part of that habit, too! Give what you can today: marketplace.org/givesmart

This economy won’t reopen until schools reopen, full stop. So how are we doing on that? More than half of schools teaching up to eighth grade have reopened for in-person instruction, and a large majority of teachers and other relevant workers are vaccinated. But most students are still learning at least partly online and, of course, it’s nearly summer break. No one seems to know what fall will bring. Today, Washington Post education reporter Valerie Strauss walks us through the uncertainty and the possibilities of a hybrid model that’s actually good.

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“Make Me Smart” is a part of your daily habit. We run on listener support, so make donating part of that habit, too! Give what you can today: marketplace.org/givesmart

President Joe Biden loosened intellectual property restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines last week in an effort to slow the pandemic — which, reminder, is very much still going on. On today’s show, we’ll follow on that news a bit and talk about where the real money is made from those vaccines. Plus: The Food and Drug Administration says yes to vaccines for more teens, attorneys aeneral say no to an Instagram for kids, and America says “well … OK” to the return of Bennifer.

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Make Me Smart is a part of your daily habit. We run on listener support, so make donating part of that habit, too! Give what you can today: marketplace.org/givesmart

In a typical month, 266,000 new jobs would be amazing. But April (and the 12 months before that) was not a typical month. Economists expected about a million, the labor market’s still in a deep hole and on balance, we expected women to get some of them. On today’s show we’ll take you behind the numbers, plus a little on Elon Musk’s autopilot problem and another round of our favorite game, Half Full/Half Empty.

Check out all the thank-you gifts at $5 amonth and keep “Make Me Smart” going strong when you donate today: marketplace.org/givesmart

As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, there’s been something of a global chip-demic brewing. And like the pandemic, a semiconductor shortage has knock-on effects you might not expect — like not enough rental cars to go around. How will this affect the pent-up demand for post-vaccination travel this summer? We’ll talk about it. Plus: Berkshire Hathaway gets Y2K’d, the Fed talks about “meme stocks” and condors make a mess.

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Check out all the thank-you gifts at $5 a month and keep “Make Me Smart” going strong when you donate today: marketplace.org/givesmart

We got that question from a listener and today, as Facebook’s own Oversight Board handed down a decision on banning Donald Trump, seemed like the right day to pick it apart. Along with the lexicon of dishonesty, we’ll answer your questions about record-high lumber prices and “green hydrogen.”

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Check out all the thank-you gifts at $5 a month and keep “Make Me Smart” going strong when you donate today: marketplace.org/givesmart

A baby represents an investment in the future. Looking back at the last 15 months, you could understand why some people may not feel great about having one right now. But the causes and effects of a record-low birthrate stretch much further than the pandemic. On today’s show, Notre Dame economics professor Kasey Buckles will help us put the birthrate in context and unpack the immigration, climate and economic implications. Later in the show, listeners weigh in the death of the mall and the return of cruise ships, plus acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel answers the Make Me Smart Question.

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The plant-based “meat” industry has been growing for a while — we did an episode about it in 2019. But now tastemaking websites and restaurants are starting to turn away from meat and seafood, and companies who have made their name in meat are embracing alternatives. Is the sun setting on the burger kingdom? We’ll talk about it. Plus: “The Fed” hits the small screen, Trump might be back on Facebook and the Gates marriage comes to an end.

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