Make Me Smart

During the GameStop brouhaha, we asked you to send us your stonks-inspired cocktail recipes, and you delivered. In true Economics on Tap style, guest host Kimberly Adams taste tested a few. Plus, a tidbit about the minimum wage tucked into the big economic relief bill, and voters may have gone to the polls in records number in 2020, but now lots of states are considering restricting voting access. We end the show with our favorite game, “Half Full/Half Empty.”

Here are links to everything we talked about today:

And we apologize for the technical difficulties with the livestream. We’ll be back next Friday for the live happy hour taping on YouTube! Join us at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern — subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.

Like a lot of people, we’ve spent some time today watching this story about Sen. Ted Cruz’s scuttled trip to Cancún, Mexico, but don’t take your eye off the ball. Today, we’ll talk about the crisis brought on by cold weather and infrastructure failures in Texas. Plus, what it takes for a woman to be promoted to general and the Mars rover Perseverance.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Sen. Ted Cruz faces storm of controversy for flying to Cancun as Texas grapples with power outages caused by severe weather” from The Washington Post

“Texas blackouts during deep freeze highlight grid challenges” from Marketplace

“How Texas weather disruptions will ripple through oil supply chain” from Marketplace

“Running an online business … when the power goes out” from Marketplace

“Deep freeze has Texas ranchers concerned about food, water for cattle” from Marketplace

“Promotions for Female Generals Were Delayed Over Fears of Trump’s Reaction” from The New York Times

“A Grim Measure of Covid’s Toll: Life Expectancy Drops Sharply in U.S.” from The New York Times

Redditors want to know: Where is AOC?

“NASA Lands the Perseverance Rover on Mars” from Wired

“New Zealand to Roll Out Free Period Products to All Students” from The New York Times

Join us live on YouTube Friday 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.

Guest host Kimberly Adams mentioned the return of earmarks yesterday, and a listener wants to know more about the “currency of compromise.” To help answer that one, we called up Laura Blessing, a senior fellow at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University. Plus, Kimberly and Kai Ryssdal answer more of your questions about the 10-year Treasury note, women in postsecondary education and, uh, campaign promises.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Can Pork Bring Back Bipartisanship?” from Cook Political Report

“10-year Treasury yield marks biggest daily jump in over three months” from MarketWatch

“Fed’s Esther George says she is not concerned about Treasury-yield spike” also from MarketWatch

“Mortgage demand falls further as rates rise at the fastest pace in months” from CNBC

“Household Debt Climbs to Record in U.S. Amid Surge in Mortgages” from Bloomberg

“Few Positives in Final Fall Enrollment Numbers” from Inside Higher Ed

A little additional research

The Biden administration is working to repair norms and rollback policies covering so much from the Trump era. So where does immigration sit in the priority list? The White House already rescinded the “zero-tolerance” policy that separated migrant families, but unwinding rules and reuniting those families are very different things. Today, we’ll talk with The Atlantic’s Caitlin Dickerson about the reunification effort and the lasting impact on families.

Here are links to everything we talked about on the show today:

Dickerson’s piece from The New York Times last year: “Three Years After Family Separation, Her Son Is Back. But Her Life Is Not.”

“Trump and Aides Drove Family Separation at Border, Documents Say” also from The New York Times

“Biden signs executive orders on family separation and asylum” from Politico

Another interview with Dickerson on MSNBC about how Biden is taking steps to tackle the root of immigration from Central America

“Biden faces questions about commitment to minimum wage hike” from the Los Angeles Times

“CEOs of Reddit and Robinhood and ‘Roaring Kitty’ slated to testify in GameStop hearing” from The Verge

“Democrats Want To Bring Back Earmarks” from HuffPost

“Restoring Earmarks Is Probably a Good Thing” from Bloomberg Opinion

This billboard a listener sent in

Finally, how to send us a voice memo

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in on the U.S. Postal Service. We’re about three weeks into the Biden administration, so why is a political lightening rod like Louis DeJoy still running the post office? We’ll explain. Plus: more Elon Musk stonks and a new wrinkle in Kai Ryssdal’s vendetta against his internet provider. And, of course, we’ll finish off with a round of our favorite game, “Half Full/Half Empty.”

“How the Stock Market Works Now: Elon Musk Tweets, Millions Buy” from The Wall Street Journal

Here’s ElonStocks.com, if you’re interested

“Postmaster general’s new plan for USPS is said to include slower mail and higher prices” from The Washington Post

“Inside the making of Facebook’s Supreme Court” from The New Yorker

“AT&T scrambles to install fiber for 90-year-old after his viral WSJ ad” from Ars Technica

“SpaceX opens Starlink satellite internet pre-orders to the public” from Engadget

“Aunt Jemima Has a New Name After 131 Years: The Pearl Milling Company” from The New York Times

“How the end of slavery led to two different minimum wages” from Marketplace

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the live happy hour taping on YouTube! Join us next Friday at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern —subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.<

GameStop closed at $51.10 a share today. We’re far away from the heady days of, uh, two weeks ago. But something has still been nagging at us: Why didn’t the beleaguered video game retailer jump on the opportunity to sell some shares and pay down its debt? Today we finally got an answer, and we’ll take some time to explain. Plus: a little talk about the impeachment trial so far, vaccines and Bitcoin.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Join us live on YouTube Friday 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.

Well, Elon Musk has been tweeting again. Specifically, he’s been tweeting about how much he loves bitcoin, right after his automaker Tesla bought up $1.5 billion worth of it. Is this a distraction from the company’s China troubles? A scheme running afoul of the SEC? An epic bacon win for all the lulz, good sir? Maybe all three? We try and get into Musk’s head on today’s show. Wish us luck. Plus, your questions about minimum wage, interest rates and mRNA.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Tesla buys $1.5 billion in bitcoin, plans to accept it as payment” from CNBC

“Why did Tesla buy bitcoin?” from MarketWatch

“‘Big Short’ investor Michael Burry calls Tesla’s $1.5 billion bet on Bitcoin a distraction – and says Dogecoin’s record price signals a massive bubble” from Business Insider

“Low U.S. Rates Exacerbate Racial Wealth Gap, Paper Shows” from Bloomberg

“The next act for messenger RNA could be bigger than covid vaccines” from MIT Technology Review

And you might want to catch up with our recent episodes on mRNA and the minimum wage

Why is it so hard to raise the minimum wage? Even the leading expert on the topic isn’t quite sure. It’s one of the few issues that’s broadly popular with Americans, and even some corporate hard-liners are softening. Democrats have been trying to tie a new federal minimum wage to the COVID relief bill, and the Congressional Budget Office has come out with a new analysis of its impact. Today, we’ll talk with that expert, University of Massachusetts at Amherst economist Arindrajit Dube, about that analysis and the broader view of the minimum wage and how it affects the overall economy.

Here are links to everything we talked about on the show today:

You can read more about Dube here: “The Burger Flipper Who Became a World Expert on the Minimum Wage” from Bloomberg

“Even a divided America agrees on raising the minimum wage” from Brookings

The CBO’s latest analysis of a minimum wage hike, and one from 2019 (be warned: both are PDFs)

“No Quick Fix for Auto Chip Shortage” from The Wall Street Journal

“Biden: Yellen needs a ‘Hamilton’ musical. Dessa: Here you go.” from “Marketplace.” You can also hear “Who’s Yellen Now?” on YouTube and all the streaming services.

Oh, you say you need one more thing to worry about? Look to Oldsmar, Florida, where hackers seem to have broken into a water treatment plant, temporarily raising the amount of lye in the water. Today, we’ll talk about the cyber arms race and the threats, large and small, that are facing this country. Plus: women’s workforce participation has been set back decades, and Kai Ryssdal looks into minimum wage’s impact on the deficit.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Someone tried to poison Oldsmar’s water supply during hack, sheriff says” from the Tampa Bay Times

“How the United States lost to hackers” from The New York Times, plus reporter Nicole Perlroth’s thread on the Oldsmar incident

“Another 275,000 Women Left the Labor Force in January” from the National Women’s Law Center

The book “Kill Switch” by Adam Jentleson

“CBO report finds $15 minimum wage would cost jobs but lower poverty levels” from The Washington Post

And if you want to read the Congressional Budget Office report, which is in PDF format, it’s here

We’ve been covering COVID’s impact on women in the workforce for a while, and this New York Times profile of three moms “on the brink” hit close to home. Today, we take a step back and look at how these women and their struggles are being framed and reckoned with. Plus: More SPAC news, Valentine’s Day plans and the coverage of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the live happy hour taping on YouTube! Join us next Friday at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern —subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.