“Marketplace Morning Report” host Kimberly Adams is back in the “Make Me Smart” podcast feed to share some reporting from a trip to southwest Alabama. It’s a deep dive on rural health care access — about 700 rural hospitals nationwide are at risk of closure, <a href="https://chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Hospitals_at_Risk_of_Closing.pdf" class="default">according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.</a> Many of the headwinds are longstanding, but recent federal policy changes from the big Republican tax and spending law signed last year threaten to make the challenges more intense. As those changes kick in, the “Marketplace Morning Report” wanted to better understand what that will mean for communities all around the country. In this episode, we share the lessons learned from Alabama, starting with how hard a hospital closure can hit a community.

“Marketplace Morning Report” host Kimberly Adams is back in the “Make Me Smart” podcast feed to share some reporting from a trip to southwest Alabama. It’s a deep dive on rural health care access — about 700 rural hospitals nationwide are at risk of closure, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Many of the headwinds are longstanding, but recent federal policy changes from the big Republican tax and spending law signed last year threaten to make the challenges more intense. As those changes kick in, the “Marketplace Morning Report” wanted to better understand what that will mean for communities all around the country. In this episode, we share the lessons learned from Alabama, starting with how hard a hospital closure can hit a community.

“Marketplace Morning Report” host Kimberly Adams is back in the “Make Me Smart” podcast feed to share some reporting from a trip to southwest Alabama. It’s a deep dive on rural health care access — about 700 rural hospitals nationwide are at risk of closure, <a href="https://chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Hospitals_at_Risk_of_Closing.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.</a> Many of the headwinds are longstanding, but recent federal policy changes from the big Republican tax and spending law signed last year threaten to make the challenges more intense. As those changes kick in, the “Marketplace Morning Report” wanted to better understand what that will mean for communities all around the country. In this episode, we share the lessons learned from Alabama, starting with how hard a hospital closure can hit a community.

From "Marketplace Morning Report": The Rural Healthcare Crisis

Recent controversy surrounding the rock band Geese and a digital marketing firm Chaotic Good Projects has sparked debate over the tactics firms use to drum up hype for artists online. How can we tell if online hype is real or fake? And does it really matter? Trapital founder Dan Runcie joins Kimberly to break it down. Plus, a final thank you from Kimberly. Here’s everything we talked about today: <ul><li><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91527282/geese-psyop-debate-rock-band-questions-music-marketing">"Geese psyop debate: Rock band raises questions about music marketing"</a> from Fast Company</li><li><a href="https://www.wordsfromeliza.com/p/fake-fans">"Fake Fans"</a> from Eliza McLamb</li><li><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/geese-chaotic-good-marketing-industry-plant/">"The Fanfare Around the Band Geese Actually Was a Psyop"</a> from Wired</li><li><a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/70102/1/geese-psy-op-wired-chaotic-good-good-music-marketing-manipulated-for">"If Geese are a psy-op, so is everything else"</a> from Dazed </li><li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/arts/commotion/are-chaotic-goods-marketing-practices-bad-for-listeners-9.7170865">"Are Chaotic Good’s marketing practices bad for listeners?"</a> From CBC Arts</li></ul> “Make Me Smart” is a public media program. Show your support with a donation today and keep economic news available to everyone. Donate now: <a href="https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod" class="externallink">https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod</a>

Recent controversy surrounding the rock band Geese and a digital marketing firm Chaotic Good Projects has sparked debate over the tactics firms use to drum up hype for artists online. How can we tell if online hype is real or fake? And does it really matter? Trapital founder Dan Runcie joins Kimberly to break it down. Plus, a final thank you from Kimberly. Here’s everything we talked about today: "Geese psyop debate: Rock band raises questions about music marketing" from Fast Company"Fake Fans" from Eliza McLamb"The Fanfare Around the Band Geese Actually Was a Psyop" from Wired"If Geese are a psy-op, so is everything else" from Dazed "Are Chaotic Good’s marketing practices bad for listeners?" From CBC Arts “Make Me Smart” is a public media program. Show your support with a donation today and keep economic news available to everyone. Donate now: https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod

Recent controversy surrounding the rock band Geese and a digital marketing firm Chaotic Good Projects has sparked debate over the tactics firms use to drum up hype for artists online. How can we tell if online hype is real or fake? And does it really matter? Trapital founder Dan Runcie joins Kimberly to break it down. Plus, a final thank you from Kimberly. Here’s everything we talked about today: <ul><li><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91527282/geese-psyop-debate-rock-band-questions-music-marketing" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Geese psyop debate: Rock band raises questions about music marketing"</a> from Fast Company</li><li><a href="https://www.wordsfromeliza.com/p/fake-fans" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Fake Fans"</a> from Eliza McLamb</li><li><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/geese-chaotic-good-marketing-industry-plant/" rel="noopener noreferrer">"The Fanfare Around the Band Geese Actually Was a Psyop"</a> from Wired</li><li><a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/70102/1/geese-psy-op-wired-chaotic-good-good-music-marketing-manipulated-for" rel="noopener noreferrer">"If Geese are a psy-op, so is everything else"</a> from Dazed </li><li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/arts/commotion/are-chaotic-goods-marketing-practices-bad-for-listeners-9.7170865" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Are Chaotic Good’s marketing practices bad for listeners?"</a> From CBC Arts</li></ul> “Make Me Smart” is a public media program. Show your support with a donation today and keep economic news available to everyone. Donate now: <a href="https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod</a>

The TikTok-ification of music marketing

After a pandemic-era boom, the fine art market is going through something of a bust. Many galleries have closed due to climbing overhead costs and sales just aren’t what they used to be. Author and freelance journalist Julie Belcove joins Kimberly to demystify the inner workings of the global art market and what a slump could mean for the those who work in the arts.

After a pandemic-era boom, the fine art market is going through something of a bust. Many galleries have closed due to climbing overhead costs and sales just aren’t what they used to be. Author and freelance journalist Julie Belcove joins Kimberly to demystify the inner workings of the global art market and what a slump could mean for the those who work in the arts.

The highs and lows of the global art market

As Kimberly gets ready to step into her new role as the host of “Marketplace Morning Report,” her predecessor David Brancaccio joins her to talk about his years on the morning shift and what he’s looking forward to on his new beat covering future effects for Marketplace. Plus, the two swap summer reading recommendations and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today: <ul><li><a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393338690">"Liar's Poker"</a> by Michael Lewis</li><li><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711959/number-go-up-by-zeke-faux/">"Number Go Up"</a> by Zeke Faux</li><li><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/289017/pattern-recognition-by-william-gibson/">"Pattern Recognition"</a> by William Gibson </li><li><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/564989/the-sum-of-us-by-heather-mcghee/">"The Sum of Us"</a> by Heather McGhee</li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2021/02/15/public-pools-used-to-be-everywhere-in-america-then-racism-shut-them-down">"Public pools used to be everywhere in America. Then racism shut them down."</a> From Marketplace</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Open-Work-How-Get-Ahead/dp/0063486466">"Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI"</a> by Ryan Rolansky and Aneesh Raman</li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/05/05/want-to-make-new-friends-theres-an-app-for-that">"Want to make new friends? There's an app for that"</a> from Marketplace</li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/04/28/why-do-social-media-influencers-sell-online-courses">"Why online courses sold by influencers have become so popular"</a> from Marketplace</li><li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/familiar-machines-and-magic-robot-c8711e45?mod=WTRN_pos2">"The Roomba Guy’s Second Act: A Robot You’ll Want to Snuggle"</a> from The Wall Street Journal </li><li><a href="https://www.inc.com/sophie-meharenna/the-spirit-airlines-comeback-story-no-one-saw-coming/91341331">"The Spirit Airlines Comeback Story No One Saw Coming"</a> from Inc.</li></ul> “Make Me Smart” is a public media program. Support “Make Me Smart” with your donation today and keep economic news available to everyone. Donate now: <a href="https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod" class="externallink">https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod</a>

As Kimberly gets ready to step into her new role as the host of “Marketplace Morning Report,” her predecessor David Brancaccio joins her to talk about his years on the morning shift and what he’s looking forward to on his new beat covering future effects for Marketplace. Plus, the two swap summer reading recommendations and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today: "Liar's Poker" by Michael Lewis"Number Go Up" by Zeke Faux"Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson "The Sum of Us" by Heather McGhee"Public pools used to be everywhere in America. Then racism shut them down." From Marketplace"Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI" by Ryan Rolansky and Aneesh Raman"Want to make new friends? There's an app for that" from Marketplace"Why online courses sold by influencers have become so popular" from Marketplace"The Roomba Guy’s Second Act: A Robot You’ll Want to Snuggle" from The Wall Street Journal "The Spirit Airlines Comeback Story No One Saw Coming" from Inc. “Make Me Smart” is a public media program. Support “Make Me Smart” with your donation today and keep economic news available to everyone. Donate now: https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod

As Kimberly gets ready to step into her new role as the host of “Marketplace Morning Report,” her predecessor David Brancaccio joins her to talk about his years on the morning shift and what he’s looking forward to on his new beat covering future effects for Marketplace. Plus, the two swap summer reading recommendations and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today: <ul><li><a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393338690" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Liar's Poker"</a> by Michael Lewis</li><li><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711959/number-go-up-by-zeke-faux/" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Number Go Up"</a> by Zeke Faux</li><li><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/289017/pattern-recognition-by-william-gibson/" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Pattern Recognition"</a> by William Gibson </li><li><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/564989/the-sum-of-us-by-heather-mcghee/" rel="noopener noreferrer">"The Sum of Us"</a> by Heather McGhee</li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2021/02/15/public-pools-used-to-be-everywhere-in-america-then-racism-shut-them-down" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Public pools used to be everywhere in America. Then racism shut them down."</a> From Marketplace</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Open-Work-How-Get-Ahead/dp/0063486466" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI"</a> by Ryan Rolansky and Aneesh Raman</li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/05/05/want-to-make-new-friends-theres-an-app-for-that" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Want to make new friends? There's an app for that"</a> from Marketplace</li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/04/28/why-do-social-media-influencers-sell-online-courses" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Why online courses sold by influencers have become so popular"</a> from Marketplace</li><li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/familiar-machines-and-magic-robot-c8711e45?mod=WTRN_pos2" rel="noopener noreferrer">"The Roomba Guy’s Second Act: A Robot You’ll Want to Snuggle"</a> from The Wall Street Journal </li><li><a href="https://www.inc.com/sophie-meharenna/the-spirit-airlines-comeback-story-no-one-saw-coming/91341331" rel="noopener noreferrer">"The Spirit Airlines Comeback Story No One Saw Coming"</a> from Inc.</li></ul> “Make Me Smart” is a public media program. Support “Make Me Smart” with your donation today and keep economic news available to everyone. Donate now: <a href="https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod</a>

Kimberly's final cheers on "Economics on Tap"

Could dimming the sun be the key to cooling things down before the climate crisis worsens? Some scientists say yes, that we can cool the earth by launching tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. It’s a type of solar geoengineering that was once seen as preposterous, meant to exist only in the pages of a sci-fi novel. But now, it’s a reality. To find out for ourselves, we travel to Northern California where two entrepreneurs are launching sulfur-filled balloons from the top of stacked shipping containers. Later, we talk with scientists on both sides of this issue to find out if solar geoengineering could help prevent catastrophic tipping points or introduce a whole new slew of cascading consequences.

Could dimming the sun be the key to cooling things down before the climate crisis worsens? Some scientists say yes, that we can cool the earth by launching tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. It’s a type of solar geoengineering that was once seen as preposterous, meant to exist only in the pages of a sci-fi novel. But now, it’s a reality. To find out for ourselves, we travel to Northern California where two entrepreneurs are launching sulfur-filled balloons from the top of stacked shipping containers. Later, we talk with scientists on both sides of this issue to find out if solar geoengineering could help prevent catastrophic tipping points or introduce a whole new slew of cascading consequences.

Could dimming the sun be the key to cooling things down before the climate crisis worsens? Some scientists say yes, that we can cool the earth by launching tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. It’s a type of solar geoengineering that was once seen as preposterous, meant to exist only in the pages of a sci-fi novel. But now, it’s a reality. To find out for ourselves, we travel to Northern California where two entrepreneurs are launching sulfur-filled balloons from the top of stacked shipping containers. Later, we talk with scientists on both sides of this issue to find out if solar geoengineering could help prevent catastrophic tipping points or introduce a whole new slew of cascading consequences.

From "How We Survive": How to Dim the Sun

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann on how to best spend $40 billion.

46: With Gates' power comes Gates' responsibility

Madeleine L'Engle's classic young adult novel is a story about love, patience and persistence (which is what it took to get the book published).

45:"A Wrinkle in Time" and the battle against rhythmic cyclical hopelessness

Calculating the cost of unequal opportunity.

44: Where are all the "lost Einsteins?"

The author of "The Martian" and "Artemis" has big plans for the moon.

43: Andy Weir loves to geek out about space economics

How to survive the holidays when no one shares your worldview.

42: Breaking bread without conflict

As economic inequality rises, populism surges around the globe.

41: Do you hear the people sing?

We answer your questions about taxes, the cloud inflation and socks. Yup, socks.

40: Explainathon 2! The search for more answers

39: Distressed human assets

Ethical capitalism? Moral capitalism? Enlightened capitalism?

38: Confronting Capitalism

No podcast today, but there will be one Wednesday. Until then, we've got a little preview of our continuing discussion of moral capitalism to whet your appetite ... or make you run for the hills. You decide. Talk with you soon.

37.5: Hold on for one more day...

Each weekday, Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams makes today make sense along with her Marketplace colleagues, breaking down happenings in tech, the economy, and culture. Because none of us is as smart as all of us.

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