Since Vice President Harris proposed a federal ban on price gouging in the food and grocery industries, her campaign has offered up few details about what the policy would actually look like. That’s left room for wild speculation. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll debunk former President Trump’s claims that the Biden administration manipulated job data to influence the election. Plus, the future of V2X technology on our roadways and the National Women’s Soccer League’s historic move to do away with drafts.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “And today Trump and his allies are being dishonest about jobs data” from The Washington Post
• “US job totals will likely be revised down by 818,000 as Trump cries fraud” from Politico
• “Commerce Sec. Raimondo on VP Harris: She’s pro-business, pro-worker, and opposed to price-fixing” from CNBC
• “FTC to investigate high grocery prices” from Marketplace
• “Harris’s Price-Gouging Ban: Price Controls or No Quick Effect?” from The New York Times
• “DOT plans to implement V2X technology raise privacy concerns” from Marketplace
• “The U.S. Sports League That Just Scrapped the Draft—and Made Everyone a Free Agent” from The Wall Street Journal
• “National Women’s Soccer League and its players agree to a new contract deal” from NPR

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

We read the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting so you don’t have to! Kai Ryssdal explains why an interest rate cut in September is looking more and more likely. Plus, how the Ozempic boom is changing the cost of workplace insurance plans. And, Chicago’s hottest dance club is at the … Democratic National Convention?!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• 
  
  
  

  1. “Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee” from the Federal Reserve

  
  
  
  
  

• “Workplace insurance could soon be stripped down” from Axios
  
  

• “The FTC’s noncompete agreements ban is blocked” from The Verge
  
  

• “The DNC roll call featured a musical salute to each state. Here’s what your state chose” from NPR
  
  

• “‘Crowd’ size 📏 “ from Politico
  
  

Kimberly Adams is headed to Denver on Sept. 23 for a live Marketplace event all about the economics of being single! You can find details about it here.

For decades, private school vouchers, often referred to as school choice programs, were limited to low-income students. But recently, several states have passed universal voucher programs that any family, regardless of income, can use to pay their kids’ private school tuition. On the show today, Huriya Jabbar, professor of education policy at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, explains the history of private school vouchers, what makes the latest wave of these programs different from traditional school vouchers, and why some believe private school vouchers undermine the purpose of public education in the U.S. Plus, what does Milton Friedman have to do with all of this?

Then, Kai Ryssdal explains the ins and outs of how the Bureau of Labor Statistics revises its job data. And, we’ll hear from listeners about free garden seeds and American soccer in the ’70s.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• 
  
  
  

  1. “Millions of campaign dollars aimed at tilting school voucher battle are flowing into state races” from AP News

  
  
  
  
  

• “Arizona School Voucher Program Causes Budget Meltdown” from ProPublica
  
  

• “Public Funding, Private Education” from The New York Times
  
  

• “The new and radical school voucher push is quietly unwinding two centuries of U.S. education tradition” from the Brookings Institution
  
  

• “Which States Have Private School Choice?” from Education Week
  
  

• “Georgia election board approves another rule that could disrupt certification” from WABE
  
  

• “Election Deniers Secretly Pushed Rule That Would Make It Easier to Delay Certification of Georgia’s Election Results” from ProPublica
  
  

• “Fed Confronts Up to a Million US Jobs Vanishing in Revision” from Bloomberg
  
  

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at [email protected].

New survey data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that the percentage of Americans who expect to get laid off in the next four months has gone up. On the other hand, the share of Americans who expect to get a job offer in the next four months is also up. So what gives? We’ll get into the labor market unease and why the Federal Reserve will be paying close attention. Then, we’ll smile about a new tool that could help prevent death from life threatening injuries.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Expectation of Losing One’s Job at Record High in NY Fed Survey” from Bloomberg
• “More and more Americans are worried they will lose their job” from CNN Business
• “US FDA clears use of Cresilon’s gel to stop severe bleeding in seconds” from Reuters
• Tweet from Jesse Byrnes about errors in the Democratic Party’s 2024 platform

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, 70% of Gaza’s housing has been damaged, crucial infrastructure like schools and hospitals have been destroyed, and millions of Palestinians have been displaced. We’ll get into the logistical and economic challenge of reconstructing the Gaza Strip. And, we’ll explain why certain proposals coming out of the Harris campaign may be popular with voters but not so popular with economists. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Economically Dumb, Politically Smart” from The Atlantic
• “First-name basis: Harris is leaning into ‘Kamala'” from Politico
• “Gaza Reduced to 42 Million Tonnes of Rubble. What Will It Take to Rebuild?” from Bloomberg
• “Los Angeles wants a ‘no-car’ Olympics in 2028. Is it possible?” from The Guardian
• “Both Harris and Trump want to eliminate federal taxes on tips” from Marketplace
• “Indonesia prepares to change its capital city and challenges await” from Marketplace
• “On the train from LA to Portland, Amtrak’s ride-or-dies make the case for passenger rail” from Marketplace
• “Increasing use of AI in job resumes is a mixed blessing” from Marketplace

Our Oct. 25 live show in Boston is sold out, but livestream tickets are now available! Grab your ticket here.

At a campaign rally, former President Trump said he’s committed to slashing energy prices by at least half in a year (or at the latest 18 months). We’ll explain why it’s a pipe dream. And, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to propose the first-ever federal ban on corporate price-gouging in the food industry. But where’s the line between price-gouging and setting prices at market value? We’ll get into it. Plus, the latest data breach making headlines and a potential fix for the hassle of canceling unwanted subscriptions.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Trump wants to bring down energy prices — why that’s not easy” from Yahoo Finance
• “FTC to investigate high grocery prices” from Marketplace
• Margins by Sector (US) from the Stern School of Business at New York University
• “Harris to propose federal ban on ‘corporate price-gouging’ in food and groceries” from CNBC
• “Biden admin wants to make canceling subscriptions easier” from Axios
• Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Launches New Effort to Crack Down on Everyday Headaches and Hassles That Waste Americans’ Time and Money from The White House

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

A quick housing market announcement: the structure for real estate commissions is set to change this week following a legal settlement with the National Association of Realtors from earlier this year. We’ll get into what it could mean for homebuyers, sellers and real estate agents. And, to publish or not to publish internal Trump campaign documents allegedly leaked by Iranian hackers? That is the question several newsrooms are facing. We’ll explain the conundrum. Plus, Kai Ryssdal gets wistful about his daughter’s first day of school.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “So Much About Real-Estate Commissions Just Changed. Here’s What to Know.” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Why newsrooms haven’t published leaked Trump campaign documents” from The Washington Post
• “Biden admin to spend billions to blunt spike in Medicare drug premiums” from Politico
• “Seeds are gifts from nature, says a major organic producer. So now it’s going to give them away” from AP News
• “Rare display of northern lights and Perseid meteor shower delights skywatchers worldwide” from Space

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Hey Smarties! If you’ve ever wondered how you make your diet more climate friendly, this episode of “Burning Questions” has you covered. From our friends over at “How We Survive,” the series answers your questions about climate change. In this episode, host Amy Scott chats with Melissa Nelson, professor of Indigenous sustainability at Arizona State University, about how our day-to-day food choices affect the planet and steps you can take to make your diet a little greener, without getting overwhelmed.

On the show today: a story from the “this is terrifying” file. Cybersecurity researchers are bringing attention to a recent surge in GPS “spoofing” on commercial airlines. We’ll explain how these digital attacks work and why they pose a danger. And, former President Donald Trump made his return to the social media site X to promote an upcoming conversation with Elon Musk. We’ll get into it. Plus, Kai Ryssdal tells us all about his adventures in France to see the Paris Olympics.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Trump Returns to X With Several Posts Ahead of Musk Interview” from Bloomberg
• “GPS spoofers ‘hack time’ on commercial airlines, researchers say” from Reuters
• “Meta beats censorship lawsuit by RFK Jr’s anti-vaccine group” from Reuters

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Compared to the Games in Tokyo and Beijing, NBC’s Paris Olympics coverage has been pulling in significantly higher viewership and ad revenue. Guest host Meghan McCarty Carino explains why the company may have finally hit its stride with its streamer Peacock. And, candidate Donald Trump said the president should have more influence over the Federal Reserve. Guest host Nova Safo gets into how that scenario played out in the Richard Nixon era. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “NBC’s Olympics Broadcast Isn’t Just Addictive. It’s a New Era of Streaming” from Wired
• “NBC enjoys Paris Olympics success as Americans neglect work to watch the Games” from Reuters
• “The Snoop Olympics: Paris proving a boon to NBC after interest waned in Tokyo and Beijing Games” from AP News
• “Trump Calls for Three Debates Against Harris, More Influence Over the Fed” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Trump would face constraints in remaking the Federal Reserve if elected” from Axios
• “Do athletes who earn an Olympic gold medal get a cash prize?” from Marketplace
• “Costco is cracking down on membership moochers” from CNN
• “Amazon Deals Let Shoppers Buy Products on TikTok, Pinterest” from Bloomberg
• “Americans Are Skipping Theme Parks This Summer” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Celebrity book clubs are ‘extremely influential’ in the publishing world” from Marketplace

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.