A growing list of U.S. cities are set to see National Guard troops in their communities as President Trump explores ways to deploy the military on American soil. But legal challenges are piling up. On today’s show, Kimberly talks with Patrick Eddington, senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute, about the changing role of the National Guard and why Trump’s use of the Guard defies precedent.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "The President’s List of Subversive Organizations" from the Cato Institute
• "Trump’s use of Guard may have lasting impact on cities and troops" from The Washington Post
• "Trump's use of the National Guard sets up a legal clash testing presidential power" from AP News
• "Troops and marines deeply troubled by LA deployment: ‘Morale is not great’" from The Guardian
• "What We Lose by Distorting the Mission of the National Guard" from The Atlantic

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On today’s show, Kimberly is joined by Marketplace’s very own Henry Epp to chat about his reporting on the “maturing” of the craft beer industry, and just who's sipping all those IPAs and sours. They'll also get into how the Trump administration is using the government shutdown to consolidate power. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “For years, craft beer was booming. Now, it’s ‘maturing’” from Marketplace
• “Trump charts path to total control amid government shutdown” from Axios
• “AOL’s dial up internet takes its last bow, marking the end of an era” from the Associated Press
• “Colleges turn to video essays to counter AI-written submissions” from Marketplace Tech
• “Robots are learning to make human babies. Twenty have already been born.” from The Washington Post
• “Buy it in ChatGPT: Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol” from OpenAI
• “The future of loyalty” from Business Insider

Messy fights over funding the federal government have become all too familiar in American politics. Why are we like this? On the show today, The Brookings Institution’s Molly Reynolds joins Kimberly to explain how shutdowns became Congress’ political weapon of choice and why the federal budget process has gotten even more complicated under the Trump administration. Plus, we hear from you, our dear listeners.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Congress has long struggled to pass spending bills on time" from Pew Research Center
• "Government shutdown continues as Senate Democrats hold firm on health care demands" from AP News
• "How John Thune sees the shutdown ending" from Politico

• "What are Democrats' demands in the government shutdown fight?" from Marketplace

  
  

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Las Vegas is facing a months long decline in tourism, partly due fewer international visitors to the United States overall. So is Las Vegas dead? “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio went to find out. He joins Kimberly on the show today to share what he’s hearing from business owners and tourists about the city’s economic slump.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Sin City tourism slump signals wider economic slowdown" from Axios
• "An Empty Strip And Fewer Tips: Is Las Vegas In Trouble?" from Time

• "Las Vegas is hurting as tourism drops. Are Canadians behind the Sin City slump?" from CBC News

  
  

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Hey Smarties! Today we’re sharing a special bonus episode from “How We Survive.” It’s a conversation between host Amy Scott, “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal and Pulitzer Prize winning science writer Elizabeth Kolbert. Together, they dig into how the climate crisis is triggering economic disruption. Plus, some solutions to be hopeful about.

And, we get a peek into Kolbert’s forthcoming book, ”Life on a Little-Known Planet: Dispatches from a Changing World.” In this collection of her most influential essays, Kolbert takes readers around the globe, telling stories about caterpillars, whale conversations and the people trying to preserve our planet.

This conversation was recorded live, over Zoom, in front of an audience. You can watch the webinar here. The event is presented by Odoo with additional underwriting support from The Economist. 

On today’s show, Alaska Public Media reporter Ava White joins Kimberly to make us smarter about Fat Bear Week and the issues that are top of mind for Alaskans right now. Alaska residents receive an annual check funded by the state’s oil royalties. But its purchasing power is lower than ever. We’ll get into it. Plus, we’ll weigh in on AI live translations and a rise in Hamburger Helper sales during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Meet the superfans going wild for Alaska’s fattest bears" from Alaska Public Media
• "Alaska ignored warning signs of a budget crisis. Now it doesn’t have money to fix crumbling schools" from KYUK
• ”The 2025 Alaska Permanent Fund dividend will be $1,000” from Alaska Public Media
• "North Slope leaders applaud tax breaks for whalers in the GOP megabill” from KNBA
• "Why are restaurant chains opening beverage-focused spinoffs?" from Marketplace
• "AI is taking on live translations. But jobs and meaning are getting lost." from The Washington Post
• "Touchscreens in cars are finally on their way out. Good riddance" from Fast Company
• "Hamburger Helper Sales Rise as Americans Try to Stretch Their Food Dollars" from The New York Times

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Today we’re diving into the business of music. Trapital founder Dan Runcie joins Kimberly to explain what Anthropic’s recent copyright settlement with authors could mean for record labels who’ve sued AI companies, the “fair use” debates dominating the music industry, and why even the biggest stars are struggling to create chart-toppers these days. Plus, we’ll celebrate a win from one of our listeners.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "The Generative AI Music Sweepstakes" from Trapital 
• "Anthropic Agrees to Pay Authors at Least $1.5 Billion in AI Copyright Settlement" from Wired
• "Labels Claim Suno Pirated Songs From YouTube in Bulked-Up AI Copyright Lawsuit" from Billboard
• "YouTube copyright fight: Rick Beato warns UMG claims over short music clips could end his channel" from TechSpot 
• TikTok from Lizzo

• "Kneecap, Faye Webster & 400 Other Artists Remove Their Catalogs From Israel: ‘No Music for Genocide’" from Billboard 

  
  

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

President Trump is not a fan of the United Nations—he made that clear in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly today. Under Trump, the United States has pulled back from several efforts, including U.N. organizations, that have contributed to the country’s so-called soft power goals. On the show today, Joshua Eisenman, professor of politics in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, joins Kimberly to discuss the changing role of the U.S. in global politics and how China is seizing this moment to gain more influence.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Trump tells UN in speech that it is 'not even coming close to living up' to its potential" from AP News
• "Geopolitics of Trump Tariffs: How U.S. Trade Policy Has Shaken Allies" from Council on Foreign Relations
• "How China Stands to Gain as the U.S. Steps Away From the U.N." from The New York Times

• "The Global South Won't Give Up on China" from Foreign Relations

  
  

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On today’s show, Kimberly is joined by Marlon Hyde, business and economics reporter for WABE in Atlanta, to unpack the fallout of the massive ICE raid at a Hyundai facility in Georgia in which hundreds of South Korean nationals were arrested. And, we’ll get into what Atlanta small business owners are worried about these days. (Spoiler: it’s tariffs.) Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Immigration raid at Georgia Hyundai factory tests state’s longstanding relationship with South Korea" from WABE
• "Hyundai says it will spend $2.7 billion expanding part of the Georgia complex raided by ICE" from AP News
• "Atlanta develops human rights action plan for 2026 FIFA World Cup" from WABE
• "After another subpar summer of going to the movies, what's next?" from Marketplace
• "Finally, the era of free in-flight WiFi is near" from The Washington Post
• "Costco's New Shopping Hours Are a Sign of Tierification of US Economy" from Business Insider 

• "People are boycotting Disney, Hulu, and ESPN after ABC yanked Jimmy Kimmel off the air. Will it work?" from Fast Company

  
  

  We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

This week, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates and made it clear that its attention is turning to the labor market. It’s showing cracks, particularly for Black workers. On the show today, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley joins Kimberly to discuss rising Black women’s unemployment in the United States and why she’s calling on the Fed to do something about it. Plus, Kimberly digs through your anime recs. Which ones have you seen?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Pressley urges Fed chair to address Black women's unemployment as the figure rises" from NBC News
• "There are worrying signs buried in the August jobs report" from Marketplace 
• "Rising Unemployment Among Black Women Is a Bad Economic Sign" from Time

• "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle slays the U.S. box office with record-breaking debut" from Polygon

  
  

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