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Tuesday, China’s government will start enforcing regulations on companies that use algorithms to do things like control search results, recommend videos or set prices. It’s part of China’s broader efforts to crack down on its tech sector. Among other things, these new rules would prohibit companies from using someone’s personal information to show them a different price for a product than someone else.

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This What’d We Miss Monday, we catch up on the conflict in Ukraine, including the ugly reality that economic sanctions against Russia hurt its individual citizens. And that’s the point. The West is betting economic collapse will turn those citizens against Vladimir Putin. Also today: what’s next from the Federal Reserve, and a new report that warns humanity and nature are running out of time to adapt to climate change. Ready for a Make Me Smile? We’ve got one that’s appropriately banana pants.

Here’s everything we talked about on the show:

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The invasion of Ukraine and economic sanctions on Russia caused the ruble to tank on Monday, and everyday Russians are already starting to feel the pinch. The Russian Central Bank had already grown a rainy day fund of more than $600 billion in securities and reserves in foreign countries as a hedge against future sanctions. But the U.S. and its allies have frozen Russian assets and made them near-impossible to access. Also on today’s program, a look at why Russia’s valuable energy sector is evading sanctions, zooming in on Ukraine’s role in the global economy and explaining SWIFT, the global interbank messaging service.

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The importance and growing awareness of oral health has led to the possibilities of expanded dental benefits under Medicaid. However, many rural areas of the U.S. are short on dentists. The U.S. is tightening the sanction screws on Russia even more, cutting off Russia’s central bank from the financial system. Julia Coronado discusses the markets with us.

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From the BBC World Service: The Russian currency has plunged as Western sanctions take hold and fighting continues in Ukraine. The stock market in Moscow will remain closed Monday. Plus, long lines have formed at ATMs in the Russian capital as people worry about being able to access their cash.

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Russia’s currency – the ruble – hit a record low this morning. It’s now worth about 1 cent. The country’s central bank hiked interest rates to 20% percent to try to combat the depreciation. This comes after nations around the world hit Russia with new sanctions over the weekend to punish it for the ongoing invasion of its neighbor Ukraine. Among those sanctions is some Russian banks being cut off from the SWIFT interbank messaging system, a move that nullifies those banks’ abilities to execute transactions. We spoke to Emily Kilcrease, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security about the toll that will take on Russia as a whole.

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The IRS offers some taxpayers the option to file their taxes online for free using commercial software. But this year, fewer companies will be participating. Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, is out, and it has been in a fight with many of its customers since a 2019 ProPublica investigation found that the company allegedly misled consumers into paying for supposedly free services. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with Justin Elliott, one of the reporters who broke the story, He says TurboTax has tried to shield itself from traditional class-action suits.

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Today, there’s still really only one story, and that’s Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For a hint about American attitudes toward the conflict, we look to a fresh Washington Post-ABC poll that found that two-thirds of Americans support imposing economic sanctions on Russia for its actions. About half say they would support sanctions even if they result in higher energy prices in the United States. Plus, Kimberly shares some of her thoughts on the future of American jurisprudence following the historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. And, of course, it wouldn’t be Economics on Tap without a round of our favorite game, Half Full/Half Empty! We discuss the end of 3G, the return of “Law & Order,” Kai not getting “The Office” and pandemic updates.

If you haven’t signed up for the Make Me Smart newsletter, now is the time! Sign up for that excellent missive (or any other from Marketplace) by Monday, and you’ll be entered to win a Vintage Kai T-shirt, signed by Kai himself!

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine came a new fleet of American sanctions against the oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin. Cutting these barons of industry off from their billions involves untangling the web of shell companies and legal tricks they use to hide their wealth. Today, we look at the forensic accountants on the frontlines of U.S. sanctions. Plus, a look at Putin’s vast currency reserves and the quiet dread gripping New York City’s Little Ukraine.

Western countries are imposing more sanctions on Russia, such as freezing assets of major Russian banks and limiting their ability to conduct international transactions. But there’s one powerful sanction the U.S and its allies in Europe have not been able to agree on: kicking Russia out of the SWIFT interbank messaging system. We look into what’s stopping them. Inflation jumped 6.1% in January, according to data from the Commerce Department. Amazon workers attempting to unionize have targeted the company’s use of “captive audience” anti-union presentations in a complaint.

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