Make Me Smart

It’s time to shift our approach to climate change. The truth is, it may very well be too late to avoid the worst consequences of our warming planet — lost ecosystems, millions of plants and animals going extinct, scarce water and more extreme weather. It may be time to focus more on technology that will help us adapt. That’s the focus of “How We Survive,” the new series from Molly’s other show, “Marketplace Tech.” Here to talk with us about climate adaptation and how it’ll impact the economy and society is Solomon Hsiang, University of California, Berkeley, public policy professor and Stanford visiting scholar.

Subscribe to “Marketplace Tech” to hear more from “How We Survive” and check out Vox to get even smarter about Ramadan.

The Federal Reserve’s got quite the puzzle on its hands. We’re dealing with one of the longest job growth streaks in modern history. And yet, the economy isn’t working as expected. Interest rates and inflation are simply not behaving according to standard economic models. And it’s the Fed’s job to figure out what’s going on in the name of keeping things stable and growing. New York Times’ senior economics correspondent Neil Irwin returns to break things down for us. Plus, we hear from the ‘Iolani High School economics team (good luck at the finals!) on their favorite Fed chairs. And artist and author Jenny Odell answers the Make Me Smart question.

Some links from this week’s episode: Molly Wood’s news fix on UFOs, Kai Ryssdal’s latest on the trade war, how Crispr could help fight climate change and Molly’s secret weapon for today’s economics-focused episode.

The Federal Reserve’s got quite the puzzle on its hands. We’re dealing with one of the longest job growth streaks in modern history. And yet, the economy isn’t working as expected. Interest rates and inflation are simply not behaving according to standard economic models. And it’s the Fed’s job to figure out what’s going on in the name of keeping things stable and growing. New York Times’ senior economics correspondent Neil Irwin returns to break things down for us. Plus, we hear from the ‘Iolani High School economics team (good luck at the finals!) on their favorite Fed chairs. And artist and author Jenny Odell answers the Make Me Smart question.

Some links from this week’s episode: Molly Wood’s news fix on UFOs, Kai Ryssdal’s latest on the trade war, how Crispr could help fight climate change and Molly’s secret weapon for today’s economics-focused episode.

The Federal Reserve’s got quite the puzzle on its hands. We’re dealing with one of the longest job growth streaks in modern history. And yet, the economy isn’t working as expected. Interest rates and inflation are simply not behaving according to standard economic models. And it’s the Fed’s job to figure out what’s going on in the name of keeping things stable and growing. New York Times’ senior economics correspondent Neil Irwin returns to break things down for us. Plus, we hear from the ‘Iolani High School economics team (good luck at the finals!) on their favorite Fed chairs. And artist and author Jenny Odell answers the Make Me Smart question.

Some links from this week’s episode: Molly Wood’s news fix on UFOs, Kai Ryssdal’s latest on the trade war, how Crispr could help fight climate change and Molly’s secret weapon for today’s economics-focused episode.

You might remember the story from last fall: A scientist in China claimed to use the gene editing tool CRISPR to make twin babies resistant to HIV. That specific type of eye-popping genetic experimenting is illegal in the United States, but make no mistake, we are in the middle of a gene-editing gold rush. Big Pharma, agriculture and manufacturing are all clamoring to get in the game. Today we hear from a listener who’s already using the tool in his work, then turn to Wired staff writer Megan Molteni to give us the long view on how CRISPR could affect all of us. Plus, a little “Avengers” talk.

Some links from this week’s episode: Molly’s news fix on Facebook and elections, Kai’s news fix on the Fed and that Politico piece on health care pay we mentioned.

You might remember the story from last fall: A scientist in China claimed to use the gene editing tool CRISPR to make twin babies resistant to HIV. That specific type of eye-popping genetic experimenting is illegal in the United States, but make no mistake, we are in the middle of a gene-editing gold rush. Big Pharma, agriculture and manufacturing are all clamoring to get in the game. Today we hear from a listener who’s already using the tool in his work, then turn to Wired staff writer Megan Molteni to give us the long view on how CRISPR could affect all of us. Plus, a little “Avengers” talk.

Some links from this week’s episode: Molly’s news fix on Facebook and elections, Kai’s news fix on the Fed and that Politico piece on health care pay we mentioned.

“Medicare for all” was a fringe idea just a couple years ago, but it’s moved front and center in the political conversation ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Democratic candidates are getting asked about Medicare for all or announcing plans to implement it, and health care stocks are sliding at the suggestion of it. Now, we’re still a long way off from this kind of seismic change to the way Americans get their health care, but in the meantime, Vox senior editor Sarah Kliff is here to talk us through what Medicare for all is, exactly, and how it might change the economy.

“Medicare for all” was a fringe idea just a couple years ago, but it’s moved front and center in the political conversation ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Democratic candidates are getting asked about Medicare for all or announcing plans to implement it, and health care stocks are sliding at the suggestion of it. Now, we’re still a long way off from this kind of seismic change to the way Americans get their health care, but in the meantime, Vox senior editor Sarah Kliff is here to talk us through what Medicare for all is, exactly, and how it might change the economy.

We’re headed for the biggest year of IPOs since the ’90s dot-com boom. Lyft just went public, valued at $26 billion, with Postmates and Uber set to follow. Vested employees will become overnight millionaires, but what about the millions of independent contractors who deliver the food and drive the passengers? Lyft relies on its 1.4 million freelance drivers who earn, on average, $17.50 per hour with no benefits or organizing power. What’s that mean for the U.S. workforce? We get smart on the gig economy with Kristin Sharp, executive director of the Shift Commission at New America, a nonpartisan think tank. She leads a project on the future of work.

Here’s a link to Molly Wood’s news fix on living with a foldable phone. By the way, our fundraising drive for Make Me Smart ends this Thursday! Because we’re all in this together, right now you can get a Make Me Smart sticker with a donation in any amount. Don’t wait, donate today!

This week’s episode is brought to you by Triplebyte and Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage.

We’re headed for the biggest year of IPOs since the ’90s dot-com boom. Lyft just went public, valued at $26 billion, with Postmates and Uber set to follow. Vested employees will become overnight millionaires, but what about the millions of independent contractors who deliver the food and drive the passengers? Lyft relies on its 1.4 million freelance drivers who earn, on average, $17.50 per hour with no benefits or organizing power. What’s that mean for the U.S. workforce? We get smart on the gig economy with Kristin Sharp, executive director of the Shift Commission at New America, a nonpartisan think tank. She leads a project on the future of work.

Here’s a link to Molly Wood’s news fix on living with a foldable phone. By the way, our fundraising drive for Make Me Smart ends this Thursday! Because we’re all in this together, right now you can get a Make Me Smart sticker with a donation in any amount. Don’t wait, donate today!

This week’s episode is brought to you by Triplebyte and Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage.