Make Me Smart

We’re trying to be careful to stay in our lane these days, but we haven’t been able to shake that Atlantic article about President Donald Trump calling soldiers who die in war “losers.” So beer in hand, we’re gonna talk about it. Plus: the (de)politicization of COVID-19 vaccines, teen hormones and dreams of traveling far, far away … TGIF.

On today’s show, we’re looking at the long tail of COVID-19 and the effects it will have on health and health care long after we get a vaccine. Plus, we read your many, many emails about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You have strong thoughts.

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

One of our listeners asked, and the answer is no. Not even if you’re Captain America. We’re talking about Mark Zuckerberg and the Avengers on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Of course, it wasn’t always this way. We’ll look at the role of cheap Facebook ads in elections and how Mark Zuckerberg sees it. Plus, the appliance shortage, the Phillips curve and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We could all be forgiven for indulging in a little retail therapy right now. In fact, retail sales in July were up 2.7% year over year as Americans flocked to home improvement stores and took up new hobbies while in lockdown. Today we’ll spend some time talking with Marketplace retail reporter Marielle Segarra about how spending habits have changed six months into the coronavirus pandemic and what shifts are yet to come.

Today on the show, how COVID-19 upends parents’ ability to care for their children, and — surprise! — women are more likely to see it affect their careers than men. According to new research from the Census Bureau and Federal Reserve, 1 in 5 working-age adults said they were not working because they had COVID 19-related child care issues. Of that group, “women are nearly three times more likely than men” to not be working. Plus, the stock market continues to make sense to nobody but the rich. Homecoming masks make us smile, and Molly’s hankering for some chowda! Which is a whole lot better than frogs in a pot.

For a list of everything we talked about today, check out the episode page at makemesmart.org

There’s a “parallel media universe” on Facebook. And the biggest companies in the gig economy are pushing an alternative narrative of their own. It’s all kinda bananas … to put it lightly. But today is Friday, so we’re putting down the Twitter and raising a glass. Here’s to the National Basketball Association and its players’ union, who have set out plans to expand voting access and promote social justice.

No, not Amazon’s new tone-policing wearable, though we’ll get to that. And no, not the Fed turning up the heat on inflation — but we’ll cover that, too. The weirdest thing happening at this very weird time is that Walmart is teaming up with Microsoft to buy TikTok. On today’s show, we’ll talk about why a retail giant would want to own a video app. We’ll also talk a little bit about poop. It’s a weird day.

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

It’s been more than a week since President Donald Trump took executive action to extend unemployment benefits. One of our listeners wants to know: Has anyone actually received a check yet? The answer is … complicated. But we’ll do what we can. Plus, questions about COVID-19 testing, the Dow and Trump’s proposal to eliminate payroll taxes on today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. But first, there are some bigger stories we need to talk about.

The S&P 500 closed at another record high today at 3,443.62. The NASDAQ hit a record high, too. The Dow is well on its way. But the pandemic keeps taking lives, new unemployment claims rose again, and consumer confidence has taken a dive. If you listen to our show, you know we’re fond of saying, “The stock market is not the economy.” Because it isn’t. So what is going on? To find out, we called up New York Times markets reporter Matt Phillips. After the interview, we’ll debate the fracas at Syracuse University and the pros and cons of an astroid hitting our planet. Plus, a bunch of listeners wrote in to tell us what the pandemic isn’t screwing up for them; we’ll share some of their answers.

Today was the first day back to school for a bunch of kids, and Zoom crashed. California is burning again. Police shot another Black man on camera. And a man in China was reinfected with COVID-19. The bad news keeps coming back to haunt us. Even pumpkin spice.

For a list of everything we talked about today, head to the episode page at makemesmart.org.