Make Me Smart

BuzzFeed News published their findings over the weekend from huge cache of leaked “suspicious activity reports” from some of the world’s biggest banks. They show trillions of dollars worth of money laundering and other illegal activity over years. We’ll spend some of today’s show wading into it, but first, Marketplace’s Amy Scott is in the co-host chair, sharing some new data on how racism affects home appraisals. Plus, the comforts of a Costco hotdog and Earth, Wind & Fire.

As always, find links to everything we talked about on our episode page at makemesmart.org.

Who can afford to vote? On the season premiere of “This Is Uncomfortable,” host Reema Khrais looks into the history of voting rights in this country, and their long relationship with socioeconomic status. She’s filling in for Kai on our weekly happy hour episode to talk about it. Plus: the latest controversy at the CDC and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

As always, you can find a link to everything we talked about today at makemesmart.org.

Facebook makes an interesting decision about speech on the company’s internal version of of the social media site that has us scratching our heads. Plus: the pandemic in Europe, small business closures and Martha Stewart’s Instagram.

As always, you can find links to everything we talked about on the episode page at makemesmart.org.

Last week we talked about the settled science of preventing forest fires. Today we hear from one listener, a lung doctor in smoky Seattle, who wants to know how to start that process. We’ll answer as best we can on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Later, we’ll take a look back in history to see what might drive the federal government to some kind of action.

As always, you can find a list of everything we talked about on our episode page at makemesmart.org.

After six months of this pandemic, we have data showing women are working longer hours and taking on a disproportionate amount of the extra work at home. For those womens’ careers, sociology professor Caitlyn Collins says it can mean death by a thousand cuts. On today’s show, we’ll talk with Collins about women dropping out of the workforce, the ripple effects that could have years down the line and what we can do about it now.

The West Coast of the United States is burning, and chewable air is making its way into neighboring states. And yet President Donald Trump, staring the crisis in the face today in a visit to California, continued to question the science. “It’ll start getting cooler. You just watch,” he said. You might have heard similar points from your loved ones talking about “global warming.” So today we’re going to propose a new way of talking about the climate crisis — it puts whatever climate you’re in on steroids. It’s not all doom and gloom through, because we get to hear Paul Rudd say face masks are “beast.”

As always, you can find a link to everything we talked about on our episode page at makemesmart.org.

Between the COVID-19 pandemic and a brutal wildfire season, 2020 is all about the stuff we definitely knew how to prevent and just … didn’t want to. Today we’re going to zoom in a bit on those fires, and clarify a few things about the president’s income tax deferral. We’re gonna need a drink.

As always, you can find links to everything we talked about at makemesmart.org. Thanks to everyone who joined us live on YouTube! Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.

The United States is changing its focus from doing very little about the pandemic to doing very little about election interference. So to avoid getting too hollowed out this Thursday, let’s shift our focus to something less maddening, like … uh … Brexit?

As always, you can find a list of everything we talked about today on the episode page at makememsmart.org. And don’t forget to join us tomorrow on YouTube at 3:30 p.m. PDT/6:30 p.m. EDT for our live happy hour show! Subscribe so you don’t miss it.

President Donald Trump is allowing companies to defer payroll tax deductions through the end of the year. But those taxes come due Jan. 1, so who’s actually benefiting? We’ll try and puzzle that one out on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, how secure are Zoom doctor’s appointments? Which economic numbers should we be watching besides jobs? And the most burning question of all: What’s Kai’s favorite fruit?

As always, you can find links to everything we talked about today on our episode page at makemesmart.org

QAnon is more than just a conspiracy theory. BuzzFeed News has taken to calling it a “collective delusion.” Others just call it a cult. Whatever you call it, QAnon is not based on fact, but it’s had much more staying power than, say, Pizzagate or garden-variety social media misinformation. There are thousands of Facebook groups, supporters at Trump rallies and even candidates for Congress who say they believe the theory that President Donald Trump is battling Satan-worshiping pedophiles at the highest levels of government. Today, we’ll talk with professor and author Jevin West about QAnon’s spread and how to fight it. Plus, we answer your questions about Q, like how to talk to a loved one who’s caught in its thrall.

As always, you can find links to everything we talked about today on our episode page at makemesmart.org.