
Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to approve the first exchange-traded funds holding bitcoin. But regulators still have concerns, and a recent hack of an SEC social media account have only heightened fears. Plus, the pandemic relief funds that’ve been keeping state budgets afloat are gone. We’ll unpack why state budgets can be trickier beasts than the federal budget. And: This is normally a zombie-free zone, but “The Last of Us” TV series has us reconsidering.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 



“SEC Hack Adds to Unease Over Bitcoin ETF Approval” from The Wall Street Journal



 



“State Budget Problems Spread” from The Pew Charitable Trusts



 



“‘It was a mirage’: States face budget woes as huge infusions of federal cash run out” from Politico



 



“The Last Of Us Show Casts Beef Actor As Key Character” from Kotaku




 
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 risky business of bitcoin ETFs

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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News


After Israel threatened to cut ties between Israeli and Palestinian banks, Treasury Secretary Yellen warned it could worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and create economic instability in the West Bank. We’ll also explain one reason why U.S. military spending is so high, get updates on the AI economy’s hot shot, Nvidia, and the U.S. government’s battle against Big Ticket.
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 



“Yellen Warns Israel Against Cutting off Palestinian Banks” from The New York Times
“Yellen concerned about Israel’s threats to cut off Palestinian banks” from Reuters
VIDEO: “VIRAL MOMENT: Michael Waltz Confronts Air Force Officials With Staggeringly Expensive Components” from Forbes Breaking News
“Pentagon falling victim to price gouging by military contractors” from CBS News
“New Bipartisan Bill Allows Military Contractors To Fleece Taxpayers” from The Lever
“Nvidia dominates in AI, but others are trying to chip away” from Marketplace
“US sues to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation in a groundbreaking monopoly lawsuit” from CNN Business




 
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/Ha


How the Palestinian financial system is tied up in Israel

Red Lobster, the popular seafood chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week after closing dozens of locations. We’ll get into the company’s yearslong troubles and why its unlimited shrimp deal isn’t entirely responsible for the chain’s downfall. Then, we’ll discuss the challenges of battling misinformation in today’s fractured media landscape. Plus, WNBA players are slaying designer looks and defying stereotypes of women in sports.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Tales From the Trenches of Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp.” from Slate
“Why Red Lobster Filed for Bankruptcy: It Wasn’t the Endless Shrimp” from Eater
“As Red Lobster files for bankruptcy, changing tastes take a toll on its casual-dining competitors” from Marketplace
“Majority of Americans wrongly believe US is in recession – and most blame Biden” from The Guardian
“How Arizona is preparing for AI-powered election misinformation” from Marketplace
“The WNBA Has Teamed Up With High Fashion. It’s a Slam Dunk” from The Daily Beast
“General election latest: Rishi Sunak announces 4 July vote in Downing Street statement” from BBC
Video of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announcing general election from Oz Katerji on X









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, endless shrimp and Red Lobster’s decline


Over the last 50 years, an ideology known as neoliberalism has transformed the American economy — for better or worse. The concept is often associated with Ronald Reagan, free markets and deregulation. But legal scholar Mehrsa Baradaran says there’s a lot we get wrong about the origins of neoliberalism and its true impact on society. On the show today, Baradaran, author of the new book “The Quiet Coup: Neoliberalism and the Looting of America,” explains what neoliberal ideology promised to do for the American economy, what it actually did and why she believes that looking to the free market might, ironically, be the only way forward.
 
Then, why actress Scarlett Johansson isn’t cool with OpenAI’s new chatbot. And we’ll hear the sounds of cicadas!
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Opinion | The Neoliberal Looting of America” from The New York Times
“What is neoliberalism? A political scientist explains the use and evolution of the term” from The Conversation
“Opinion | Time is up for neoliberals” from The Washington Post
“Learning how to use AI could boost your pay by 25%, study finds” from CNN Business
“Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI chatbot voice ‘eerily similar’ to hers” from Reuters

 
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.


Neoliberalism’s sleight of hand

Today, we’re talking about the different efforts to invest in artificial intelligence. First up, guest host Lily Jamali breaks down Argentina’s endeavor to turn the country into an AI hub. Then, we’ll discuss the use of AI and deepfakes in India’s election in an attempt to reach voters. Later, we’ll smile about America’s first Black astronaut candidate finally taking a trip to space.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Argentina’s Milei Plans to Meet With Zuckerberg at End of May” from Bloomberg
 “Indian Voters Are Being Bombarded With Millions of Deepfakes. Political Candidates Approve” from Wired
 Marketplace’s Decoding Democracy election series
“Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future and E.T. Voted Best 80s Films: Poll Reveals Top 40 Movies From Big-Hair Days” from Good News Network
“Ed Dwight Goes to Space 63 Years After Training as 1st Black Astronaut” from The New York Times
“Can life exist on Europa, Jupiter’s moon?” from Marketplace

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.

Getting deep about deepfakes


Prices have been rising for pretty much everything these days. And for some, it’s raising the cost of making friends as more folks turn to paid activities like art classes and happy hours to socialize. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll explain the latest scandal that’s left the Supreme Court in a bind. Plus, we’ll weigh in on Chuck E. Cheese animatronics and bridesmaid debt during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:
 









“Supreme Court Justice Alito’s House Displayed a ‘Stop the Steal’ Flag After Jan. 6” from The New York Times



 



“Want to Make a New Friend? How Much Money Have You Got?” from The Wall Street Journal



 



“Watching the NFL This Season? You’ll Need at Least 5 Streaming Services” from How-To Geek



 



“Chuck E. Cheese saying goodbye to animatronic band” from CBS News



 



“The Bridesmaids Going Into Debt for Their Friends’ Weddings” from The Cut



 



“Mindy Kaling Shares Her Simple but Important Advice for The Office Spinoff’s New Cast: ‘I Was Not Professional'” from People



 



“The days of free refills may be over” from Marketplace



 



“It was a classic rap beef. Then Drake revived Tupac with AI and Congress got involved” from NPR









 
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The risky business of bitcoin ETFs

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