No mainline American politician would touch socialism a decade ago. Now, a Gallup poll shows young people are more positive about that term than they are about capitalism. President Donald Trump will likely make socialism a villain in his 2020 campaign, while democratic socialists have gained a popular figurehead in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in addition to Sen. Bernie Sanders, who plans another presidential run. This week, we zoom out to discuss the many faces of socialism and how they might show up in the election. Joining us is Sam Sanders, host of NPR’s podcast “It’s Been a Minute.” He spent much of 2015 and 2016 embedded in the Bernie Sanders campaign.
This episode is brought to you by Mailchimp and Bill.com. Here’s a link to the teacher pay study Molly Wood mentioned and the study on millennials and climate change.

The 2020 election will be all about socialism

Each weekday, Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams make today make sense. Along with our supersmart listeners, we break down happenings in tech, the economy and culture. Every Tuesday we bring on a guest to dive deeper into one important topic. Because none of us is as smart as all of us.

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Private equity plays a major role in lots of sectors across the U.S. economy, and now it’s getting into the veterinary business. Today, Kimberly discusses the rise of these big outside investors in pet care and the financial and emotional decisions we make in caring for our beloved pets. Plus, we bid Jasper goodbye. But first, Amy breaks down a pair of cases involving the popular housing site Redfin and what they mean for how homes are bought and sold.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Redfin to pay $9.25M to settle commission lawsuits” from Inman
“Redfin settles commission lawsuits for $9.25 million” from HousingWire
“When Buying a Home Is Treated as a National Security Threat” from The New York Times
“Vets fret as private equity snaps up clinics, pet care companies” from Stateline
“Why Your Vet Bill Is So High” from The Atlantic
“Workday Has Become the Most-Hated Workplace, Business Software” from Business Insider

We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Private equity is coming for pet care


Southern European economies, including Greece, are growing faster than some of Europe’s longtime powerhouses, like Germany. We’ll get into how Greece pulled off an economic turnaround after the devastating 2012 financial crisis. And, Halle Berry’s shouts from the steps of the Capitol are calling attention to the need for more menopause research. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full / Half Empty!
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 



“Europe’s Economic Laggards Have Become Its Leaders” from The New York Times



 



“Halle Berry shouts from the Capitol, ‘I’m in menopause’ as she seeks to end a stigma and win funding” from AP News



 



“Dave & Buster’s to let adult customers bet on arcade games” from Marketplace



 



“As work communication migrates to mobile devices, desk phones hang up for good” from Marketplace



 



“Pop-up coworking events are uniting lonely workers” from Marketplace



 



“The conspiracy theory behind Florida’s lab-grown meat ban” from The Verge



 



“Unfrosted Review: Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tarts Comedy Is Painfully Stale” from IndieWire




 
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Europe’s new economic engines



“Spotting tech-driven disinformation isn’t getting easier” from Marketplace

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap! The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern. We’ll have news, drinks and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty.
It’s time to rewind and revisit some of the big business stories of the week. First up, stagflation. Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell isn’t seeing signs of it, and neither is Kai Ryssdal. We’ll explain why. Plus, what Walmart’s decision to shut down all of its health clinics says about the U.S. health care system. Also, we’ll break down the latest efforts to restructure the American economy through the CHIPS Act. And, a singer’s plea to protect artists from AI-generated deepfakes.
Here’s everything we talked about today:




“Fed Holds Rates Steady, Noting Lack of Progress on Inflation” from The New York Times



 



“GDP growth slowed to a 1.6% rate in the first quarter, well below expectations” from CNBC



 



“Walmart to close its 51 health centers and virtual care service” from Associated Press



 



“Walmart shuttering health units, including telehealth and 51 clinics” from Yahoo Finance



 



“Walmart Health Is Closing” from Walmart



 



“Breaking Ground: A visit to the “Silicon Desert” from Marketplace



 



”Senate Hearing on Digital Replicas and Artificial Intelligence Concerns” from C-SPAN



 



“FKA Twigs Reveals She Developed Her Own Deepfake in Congressional Testimony on AI Regulation With Warner Music CEO” from Variety



 

“Spotting tech-driven disinformation isn’t getting easier” from Marketplace

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap! The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern. We’ll have news, drinks and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty.


No “stag” no “flation”

With the presidential election less than six months away, election workers are raising concerns about their safety. We’ll get into the rising threats to election offices and how that might affect staffing ahead of November. Also, how Tesla’s disbanding of its Supercharger team could impact the Biden’s administration push to expand electric vehicle use. Plus, how a pest control professional saved a baseball game from a swarm of bees.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Nearly Two-Thirds Of Election Officials Worry Politicians Will Interfere With Their Work: Poll” from HuffPost
“Local Election Officials Survey” from the Brennan Center for Justice
“They staffed the Jan. 6 committee. Threats still follow them” from Roll Call
“Musk Undercuts Tesla Chargers That Biden Lauded as ‘a Big Deal’” from Bloomberg
“Pest control ace clears Dodgers-Diamondbacks bee swarm, throws first pitch” from United Press International

We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The rising pressure on poll workers


Today we’re talking about the trade deficit at the request of some of our curious listeners. Since the mid-’70s, the U.S. has persistently been importing more goods than it exports. Is that such a bad thing? We’ll hear from Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about why the U.S. has a trade deficit, whether it’s a good or bad thing, and why a country’s overall trade deficit matters more than deficits with specific countries.
 
Then, we’ll get into how online political donations are fueling election campaigns this year. Plus, the malleable idea of “old age” and the wonders of happy sheep in a solar field.
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 



“Trade deficits aren’t good or bad, just weird” from Marketplace



 



“The U.S. Trade Deficit: How Much Does It Matter?” from the Council on Foreign Relations



 



Historical U.S. Trade Deficits from the St. Louis Fed



 



“Chinese Exports Are Threatening Biden’s Industrial Agenda” from The New York Times



 



“Trump promised to rebalance trade in North America. The US trade deficit keeps climbing.” from Politico



 



“How online donations are fueling the election” from Politico



 



Polling in 2024 from Reuters



 



Opinion | “What Departing Lawmakers Think About Congress” from The New York Times



 



“Young US adults reach key milestones later in life than in the past like marriage, full-time job, financial independence” from Pew Research Center




 
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The 2020 election will be all about socialism

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