
Like a lot of people, we’ve spent some time today watching this story about Sen. Ted Cruz’s scuttled trip to Cancún, Mexico, but don’t take your eye off the ball. Today, we’ll talk about the crisis brought on by cold weather and infrastructure failures in Texas. Plus, what it takes for a woman to be promoted to general and the Mars rover Perseverance.
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 
“Sen. Ted Cruz faces storm of controversy for flying to Cancun as Texas grapples with power outages caused by severe weather” from The Washington Post
“Texas blackouts during deep freeze highlight grid challenges” from Marketplace
“How Texas weather disruptions will ripple through oil supply chain” from Marketplace
“Running an online business … when the power goes out” from Marketplace
“Deep freeze has Texas ranchers concerned about food, water for cattle” from Marketplace
“Promotions for Female Generals Were Delayed Over Fears of Trump’s Reaction” from The New York Times
“A Grim Measure of Covid’s Toll: Life Expectancy Drops Sharply in U.S.” from The New York Times
Redditors want to know: Where is AOC?
“NASA Lands the Perseverance Rover on Mars” from Wired
“New Zealand to Roll Out Free Period Products to All Students” from The New York Times

Join us live on YouTube Friday at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern for our live happy hour episode! Subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss it.



What’s going on in Texas is a humanitarian crisis

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.

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

News

Today, we’re talking about two different kinds of bans. As expected, President Joe Biden signed the TikTok sell-or-ban bill. But first, guest host Meghan McCarty Carino breaks down the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to ban noncompete agreements and their impact on workers and innovation. Plus, we’ll smile about Emily Dickinson and her newfound love of exclamation points!!! And how “old” is “old”?
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Business Groups Race to Block FTC’s Ban on Noncompete Agreements” from The Wall Street Journal
“FTC Bans Noncompete Agreements That Restrict Job Switching” from The Wall Street Journal
“Did California’s Noncompete Ban Fuel Silicon Valley Innovation?” from Bloomberg Law
“Banning Noncompetes Is Good for Innovation” from Harvard Business Review
“TikTok may be banned in the US. Here’s what happened when India did it” from The Associated Press
“U.S. Approves Sale of Dating App Whose Owners Were Probed by National Security Officials” from The Wall Street Journal
“Grindr sold by Chinese owner after US raised national security concerns” from TechCrunch
“People think ‘old age’ starts later than it used to, study finds” from the American Psychological Association
“Eternity Only Will Answer” from Poetry Foundation

Want more Make Me Smart in your life? Sign up for our newsletter at marketplace.org/smarter.

To ban or not to ban



Several American dollar store chains have been down bad these days. Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and 99 Cents Only have all recently announced store closures. On the other hand, Dollar General is poised to expand. This has us wondering: What’s going on with the dollar store business model? Has today’s inflationary economy broken it? On the show today, Sandro Steinbach, professor of agribusiness and applied economics at North Dakota State University, explains the economics behind dollar stores, how they keep prices so low, and the impact they have on different communities.
 
Then, we’ll discuss privacy risks while using popular dating apps. And, what the Australian kids’ show “Bluey” can teach us about the economy.
 
Here’s everything we talked about:
 



Video: “How can dollar stores still sell things for a dollar?” from Marketplace



 



“Why are discounters like 99 Cents Only Stores in dire straits?” from Marketplace



 



“Here’s How Dollar General Keeps Its Prices at Rock-Bottom” from Business Insider



 



“The Dollar-Store Showdown Comes Down to Real Estate” from The Wall Street Journal



 



“Dollar store expansion and independent grocery retailer contraction” from Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy



 



“The American dollar store has fallen on hard times” from CNBC



 



“Dating apps are collecting more of your information than you think” from The Washington Post



 



“Justice Department Reaches Civil Settlement with Hundreds of Victims Abused by Lawrence Nassar” from the Department of Justice



 



“Justice Department settles with Larry Nassar victims for $138.7 million” from The Washington Post



 



“Historical U.S. Trade Deficits” from The St. Louis Fed




 
Want more Make Me Smart in your life? Sigh up for our newsletter at marketplace.org/smarter.



The dollar store dilemma

Today, the Biden administration announced plans to implement strict staffing requirements at nursing homes. Kimberly Adams unpacks what this rule may mean for care and the nursing home business model. Plus, guest host Nova Safo returns to discuss the United Auto Workers’ historic victory in the South and the latest troubles at Tesla. And, high-speed rail is finally coming to the U.S.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“UAW wins big in historic union vote at Volkswagen Tennessee factory” from Reuters
“Tesla shares tumble on price cuts in run-up to earnings” from Reuters
“Biden administration finalizes controversial minimum staffing mandate at nursing homes” from CNN
“Nursing homes must hit minimum staffing levels under new federal rule” from The Hill
“Long Term Care Insurance Costs by State and Region” from New York Life
“How much does long-term care insurance cost?” from CBS News
“I’m 68 and My Long-Term Care Insurance Now Costs $600 Per Month. Is This Too Much?” from Yahoo Finance
“Nine practices from Native American culture that could help the environment” from The Washington Post
“From Sin City to the City of Angels, building starts on high-speed rail line” from The Associated Press


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.

Big change coming to nursing homes


The Joe Biden administration announced highly anticipated updates to Title IX. The new rule expands protections for LGBTQ+ students and sexual assault survivors. But it stops short of addressing the rights of trans athletes. Then, we’ll get into the outrageous hoops rich people jump through to get out of paying state taxes. Plus, we’ll weigh in on swapping seats on airplanes and more in a round of Half Full/Half Empty!
 
Here’s everything we talked about today:
 



“How to Avoid State Taxes? New York Rich Use Private Jets” from Bloomberg



 



“New Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students, avoids trans athletes” from AP News



 



“New Title IX rules offer ‘comprehensive coverage’ for LGBTQ+ students and sexual violence survivors” from The 19th



 



“As drive-thrus get bigger, some cities aren’t lovin’ it” from Marketplace



 



“Make robots like Boston Dynamics’ new Atlas hairy” from The Verge



 



“Washington, D.C., is a test case for phasing out the tipped minimum wage” from Marketplace



 



“Pringles Crocs: New shoes, ankle holster and crisp flavor unveiled” from Axios



 



“The Four Most Divisive Words on a Flight: Will You Swap Seats?” from from The Wall Street Journal




 
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.


A revamp for Title IX

The Biden administration is aiming to triple tariffs on Chinese steel to protect U.S. manufacturers. Sound familiar? We’ll explain who is actually paying the price and what raising tariffs would mean for U.S. workers. We’ll also get into why economic data doesn’t always translate into how voters view the economy, especially in an election year. And, what the buzz over the popular animated series “Bluey” is all about.
Here’s everything we talked about today:

“President Biden Gives Remarks on Labor Unions and Manufacturing Jobs in Pittsburgh” from C-SPAN
“Biden vows to shield US steel industry by blocking Japanese merger and seeking new Chinese tariffs” from The Associated Press
“Once again: Who pays for tariffs on Chinese steel?” from Marketplace
“Fed Chair Powell delivers remarks at the Washington Forum on the Canadian economy” from CNBC
“Fed Chair Jerome Powell Dials Back Expectations on Interest-Rate Cuts” from The Wall Street Journal
“It’s getting harder to predict the economy’s effect on presidential elections” from Marketplace
“Caitlin Clark Selected No. 1 Overall by the Indiana Fever” from ESPN
“Wait, Caitlin Clark Is Only Getting Paid $76,000?” from The Wall Street Journal
“Hall of Fame college coach Dawn Staley Reflects on the state of women’s basketball.” from NPR
“Political advertisers worry about reaching sports fans streaming their games” from Marketplace
Bluey “The Sign” Official Trailer
“The Non-Parents’ Guide to Bluey” from Vulture
“Is “Bluey” ending? “The Sign” explained — and the show’s future.” from Vox

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!

What’s going on in Texas is a humanitarian crisis

Download our free app to listen on your phone