Make Me Smart

We were all surprised by this morning’s May jobs numbers, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust them. That’s a dangerous road to go down. On today’s show, we’ll pick apart how the Bureau of Labor Statistics does the numbers and the wonkiness behind the (forgive us) wonky numbers. Plus: revolt over comments from public officials at The New York Times and Facebook.

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

We were all surprised by this morning’s May jobs numbers, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust them. That’s a dangerous road to go down. On today’s show, we’ll pick apart how the Bureau of Labor Statistics does the numbers and the wonkiness behind the (forgive us) wonky numbers. Plus: revolt over comments from public officials at The New York Times and Facebook.

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

If you find yourself rage-clicking on trending topics that appear to be racist this week, you’ll likely be greeted by gifs and videos of BTS or another massively popular Korean pop group. Their famously dedicated fan armies have joined the fight against racism online, flooding anti-Black hashtags. Also on the docket today: What would it take for you to sit in the middle seat on an airplane again?

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

If you find yourself rage-clicking on trending topics that appear to be racist this week, you’ll likely be greeted by gifs and videos of BTS or another massively popular Korean pop group. Their famously dedicated fan armies have joined the fight against racism online, flooding anti-Black hashtags. Also on the docket today: What would it take for you to sit in the middle seat on an airplane again?

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

For Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we dipped into the mailbag and pulled out a mix of your questions from the past week, including: What’s happening with Quibi, the very-well-funded mobile-only streaming service that landed with a thud in the middle of a pandemic? Plus, we look at consumerism post-COVID-19 and the ripple effects of Silicon Valley workers permanently working from home anywhere in the world.

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

For Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday, we dipped into the mailbag and pulled out a mix of your questions from the past week, including: What’s happening with Quibi, the very-well-funded mobile-only streaming service that landed with a thud in the middle of a pandemic? Plus, we look at consumerism post-COVID-19 and the ripple effects of Silicon Valley workers permanently working from home anywhere in the world.

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

Protests against the killing of George Floyd in police custody have flared in some 140 cities. Once again Americans are confronted with a reminder of the ways people of color, particularly black people, bear a disproportionate burden in this economy in the areas of health care, resources like loans and pandemic relief, food security and more. Today, we talk with D’Artagnan Scorza, founder and executive director of the Social Justice Learning Institute, about the language we use to talk about protest and policing, and where the fight for equality and justice goes after a crisis.

Protests against the killing of George Floyd in police custody have flared in some 140 cities. Once again Americans are confronted with a reminder of the ways people of color, particularly black people, bear a disproportionate burden in this economy in the areas of health care, resources like loans and pandemic relief, food security and more. Today, we talk with D’Artagnan Scorza, founder and executive director of the Social Justice Learning Institute, about the language we use to talk about protest and policing, and where the fight for equality and justice goes after a crisis.

Many Facebook employees took a virtual hike to protest the company’s policies around presidential messaging. And there’s a lot to process on this Monday. We do bring you a couple of things to make you smile, though.

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

Many Facebook employees took a virtual hike to protest the company’s policies around presidential messaging. And there’s a lot to process on this Monday. We do bring you a couple of things to make you smile, though.

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