The Shifting Politics of Trade (0:30)

Guest: Sean Ehrlich, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, Florida State University, Author of “The Politics of Fair Trade”

President Trump hinted this week that the trade war with China may not be resolved until after the 2020 election next year. Meanwhile in Washington, Democrats in Congress are trying to decide if they’ll approve the new trade deal President Trump negotiated with Canada and Mexico. The thing is that the deal has a lot of stuff Democrats like. But do they want to give President Trump any victory heading into the 2020 election?

US Immigration Policy is Outdated. Here’s a New Perspective (19:30)

Guest: Justin Gest, PhD, Professor of Policy and Government, George Mason University, Author of “Crossroads: Comparative Immigration Regimes in a World of Demographic Change”

The US immigration system is unusual among developed countries. Since the 1950s, America has prioritized family connections in deciding who gets to immigrate here. By contrast, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and the UK all use a points system to determine who gets a visa. Immigrants get points based on things like skills, education or income level. President Trump has proposed something similar in the US. The question is just how points will be allotted to immigrants hoping for a US visa.

Slick Spray-On Coating Makes Toilets Streak-free, Low-Water (37:40)

Guest: Jing Wang, Postdoctoral Fellow, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan

How much water do you suppose it takes to flush a toilet? If it’s an old toilet from before 1994, it could be more than 3 gallons. Per flush. Newer toilets still use a gallon or more per flush. And let’s be honest, we sometimes flush more than once to get everything down the drain. What if the toilet bowl was so slick that nothing would stick? Imagine how much water we could save globally?

Why It’s Not all Doom and Gloom When it Comes to Climate Change (50:11)

Guest: Alejandro Frid, Ecologist and Science Coordinator, Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance, Author of “Changing Tides: An Ecologist's Journey to Make Peace with the Anthropocene”

Humans are ruining the planet. That’s the key message you might take away from the steady warnings about climate change and carbon emissions. The atmosphere and oceans are warming. Droughts, wildfires and storms are getting more intense. Species are going rapidly extinct. Pollution threatens our drinking water. And basically, it’s too late to reverse course. We’re headed for a climate apocalypse unless the whole planet ditches fossil fuels and stops eating meat right now. I wish I were exaggerating here, but honestly, that’s how dire and hopeless the situation feels. Still, marine ecologist Alejandro Frid thinks there is room for optimism.

You Know You’re a Standup Economist if...You’re Yoram Bauman (1:26:22)

Guest: Yoram Bauman, Standup Economist, Co-Author “Cartoon Introduction to Economics” and “Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change”

Yoram Bauman travels the country trying to make people laugh at college gatherings and corporate events. He introduces himself as the “world’s first and only standup economist.” Jokes about economics can be tricky, but if you get the right crowd, Bauman kills. And there’s enough demand for economist jokes that this has been Bauman’s full-time gig for a decade.