Make Me Smart

The New York Times is reporting (and the White House is denying) that the Trump administration passed on buying more doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. We’ll give you the view from the 200 millionth place in line, where Kai and Molly are patiently waiting. Plus: the end of cash bail in Los Angeles, civil forfeiture on the rise and, uh, aliens.

Here’s everything we talked about today (if these links don’t work check out our episode page at makemesmart.org):

“Trump administration officials passed when Pfizer offered in late summer to sell the U.S. more vaccine doses.” from The New York Times

“White House denies report saying it passed when Pfizer offered additional vaccine doses” from MarketWatch

“On first day as L.A. County D.A., George Gascón eliminates bail, remakes sentencing rules” from the LA Times

“Trump Aims to Boost Vaccine Confidence at White House Summit” from Bloomberg

Our episode from 2017: “The police can just take your stuff”

“Former Israeli space security chief says aliens exist, humanity not ready” from The Jerusalem Post

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So the saying goes anyway. According to Pew, more Americans say they’re willing to get the coronavirus vaccine, but how do you convince the skeptics? Or when push comes to shove, maybe the holdouts will take it anyway? We’ll talk about it. Plus: a tear-jerking dog story and a startling revelation about Kai and Marketplace. You’re not gonna want to miss this one.

Here’s a list of everything we talked about today:

“Intent to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Rises to 60% as Confidence in Research and Development Process Increases” from Pew Research

“Enough With the Hand Wringing Over Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy” from Elemental

“25 former D.C. Bar presidents: Lawyers should not be complicit in Trump’s attack on democracy” from The Washington Post

This quote from Vice President Mike Pence

“A dog was missing for weeks. Then it wandered into Walmart and found its owner working at the register.” from The Washington Post

Finally, you can find Molly’s Spotify Wrapped — which she says has been grossly distorted by certain Steely Dan fans who use her smart speaker — on our episode page at makemesmart.org.

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Molly just found herself telling her son about Gamergate — the 2014 explosion in targeted online harassment that showed how online speech can turn into offline harm. It influenced political discourse in ways that politicos, platforms and daily podcast hosts are still reckoning with. Why are we talking about this today? Well, Facebook is rethinking its moderation policies … again. We’ll talk about it, plus vaccines, the future of movie theaters and #SpotifyWrapped.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Facebook is stepping up moderation against anti-Black hate speech” from the Verge

“Facebook to remove misinformation about Covid vaccines” from CNBC

“Everything is Gamergate: How an Online Mob Created a Playbook for a Culture War” from The New York Times

“Warner Bros. will release all of its new 2021 movies simultaneously on HBO Max” from the Verge

“Find Your Place in the Vaccine Line” from The New York Times

This cat and physics joke

And Kai’s Spotify Wrapped, which is heavy on show tunes and sad indie rock. You can find screenshots on our episode page at makemesmart.org.

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The leftovers are almost gone, your inbox is full of tracking numbers and your credit card balance might be a little higher. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us. Or are they? One of our listeners has observed some new temporal flexibility around holiday sales, and she wants to know: Are “Cyber Week” and “Black Friday Month” here to stay? We’ll talk about it, along with Afterpay and the continued ascendance of dollar stores. Plus we look ahead to climate policy from the Biden administration.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Biden Outlines $2 Trillion Climate Plan” from NPR

“How Joe Biden plans to use executive powers to fight climate change” from Vox

“How Biden aims to amp up the government’s fight against climate change” from the Washington Post

“Biden calls for major investments into carbon removal tech” from Technology Review

“Covid Unknowns Leave Survivors Fearing Life Insurance Rejection” from Bloomberg

“Black Friday weekend shopping and spending drop as season starts early, trade group says” from CNBC

“What will Black Friday be like this year?” from Marketplace

“More Americans are opting for ‘buy-now-pay-later’ this holiday shopping season — here are the pitfalls to watch out for” from Marketwatch

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The vast majority of Americans lacked enough retirement savings even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, some older Americans are leaving the workforce and others have stopped contributing to retirement accounts because they can’t afford to. Just half of workers participated in a retirement plan at work in the first place, partly because employers are not required to offer 401(k)s or other retirement plans. So, where did these plans come from? And, are they actually helping people save? On today’s show, New School labor economist Teresa Ghilarducci walks us through the 40-year decline of retirement in this country, the incentive structures setting up Americans for failure and why there’s some reason for hope in the new presidential administration.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Ghilarducci’s first appearance on Marketplace in 2012

“A brief history of the 401(k), which changed how Americans retire” from CNBC

“The 401(k) is forty and fabulous” from Quartz

BLS data showing just half of private sector workers participate in a retirement plan at work

“Few people are tapping 401(k)s, even without withdrawal penalties” from Marketplace

“Nasdaq pushes diversity requirements for company boards” from the Washington Post

“Don’t forget the other virus: How to keep COVID from reversing progress on AIDS” from Fortune

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We say it again and again: The stock market is not the economy. Well right now, the economy is trying to limp out of a coronavirus recession, and the Dow just hit 30,000. Our listener wants to know: What does that even mean? For this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll give you a quick refresher. Plus, we’ll answer your questions about tax season and the difference between Janet Yellen’s old job and her (potential) new job. We gotta make it quick, because guest host Marielle Segarra hasn’t done her Thanksgiving grocery shopping yet.

Here’s a list of everything we talked about today:

“The pandemic-resistant Dow Jones Industrial Average” from Marketplace Morning Report

“Here’s what you need to know about paying taxes on unemployment benefits” from CNBC

“The K-shaped recovery is getting worse” from the Washington Post

“Mnuchin Plans to Put $455 Billion Beyond Yellen’s Easy Reach” from Bloomberg

Revisit Kai’s interview with Janet Yellen from last year.

AstraZeneca is the third pharmaceutical company in recent weeks to say it has a potentially viable coronavirus vaccine, and a cheaper one at that. With Marketplace’s Marielle Segarra, we’ll talk about how businesses can influence public health once we have a vaccine, and even dare to imagine a day when kids can permanently go back to school. Plus: The people President-elect Joe Biden has tapped to run the Treasury and State departments. Did you know Antony Blinken has a singing career?

Here’s everything we talked about today (if these links don’t work on your device, check out the episode page on makemesmart.org):

“3rd major COVID-19 vaccine shown to be effective and cheaper” from the Associated Press

“Vaccination will be required to fly, says Qantas chief” from the BBC

“Biden Picks Janet Yellen for Treasury Secretary” from The Wall Street Journal

“The end is in sight’: Experts express optimism about COVID-19 pandemic coming to a close” from the Boston Globe

“Key government agency acknowledges Biden’s win and begins formal transition” from CNN

Antony Blinken’s Spotify page

And this Janet Yellen meme

No matter who you are — even, say, a New York Times columnist — it’s so important that you stay safe at home this Thanksgiving, because your bubble is likely bigger than you think. Also, the hospitals are already straining ahead of a long winter. We’ll talk about it, plus our favorite Thanksgiving sides in another round of “Half-Full or Half-Empty.”

Here’s a list of everything we talked about today:

Some background info on Kimberly’s cocktail today

“I Traced My Covid-19 Bubble and It’s Enormous” from The New York Times Opinion

“One in Five U.S. Hospitals Face Staffing Crises Within a Week” from Bloomberg

“Dolly Parton & Friends Set for Live Holiday Special With Pandora” from Billboard

Thanks to everyone who joined us live on YouTube today! We’re off next Friday, and planning to be back in December. Subscribe so you don’t miss it!

It’s almost hack to say at this point, but it’s worth remembering: If what President Donald Trump and his campaign are doing right now — refusing to concede a called election, eroding trust in the democratic process, asking for ballots to be tossed — if all that was happening in another country, we’d be talking about it very differently. It’s worth unpacking why that is, which we’ll do today. But first: We’ll explain the feud between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Fed Chair Jerome Powell and present yet more evidence that you should stay home for Thanksgiving. Seriously.

Join us tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern for our live happy hour episode on YouTube! Subscribe so you don’t miss out.

Here’s a list of everything we talked about today (if these links don’t work on your device, try our episode page at makemesmart.org):

“The coronavirus risk for a big Thanksgiving dinner in your community” from The Washington Post

“Don’t rely on a negative test result to see your family for Thanksgiving” from CNN

“Treasury moves to end several crisis-era programs, drawing pushback from the Fed” from CNBC

“Federal Reserve’s Emergency Loan Programs at Center of Political Fight” from The New York Times

“Dog at Delaware SPCA for 866 days finds forever home” from Fox 29 Philadelphia

This Twitter exchange between Chef José Andrés and Chris Krebs, the recently fired director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Kai’s interview with Andrés from 2018

The bills are piling up for the Trump campaign. Even though its legal challenges to the election don’t seem to be going anywhere, someone’s got to pay the lawyers. We discuss who is on the hook. Plus: We answer your questions about what a Biden administration may mean for businesses struggling during the pandemic, why the Fed’s Main Street Lending Program flopped, and Kai and Molly reminisce about the last time they were in the same place together, pre-COVID-19 (sigh).

Here’s a list of everything we talked about today (if these links don’t work on your device, check out the episode page on makemesmart.org):

“Who Is Paying for Trump’s Lawsuits and Recounts?” from Campaign Legal Center

“Justice Dept. Intervenes to Help Trump in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Lawsuit” from The New York Times

“Wisconsin recount would cost Trump campaign $7.9 million” from CNN

“Dr. Céline Gounder, Adviser to Biden, on the Next Covid Attack Plan” from The New York Times

“Fed Again Eases Terms for Main Street Lending Program” from The Wall Street Journal