Make Me Smart

President Donald Trump drew scrutiny after he and First Lady Melania Trump launched namesake meme coins ahead of his inauguration, triggering a speculative boom and bust. But one exchange-traded fund firm wants to take the meme coins mainstream. We’ll get into the potential risks of incorporating volatile crypto tokens like these into traditional financial markets. And, a public service announcement: It’s OK to take a break from the news. Plus, guest host Matt Levin tells us about a new potential water source for the thirsty American West. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Trump Memecoin Frenzy Spawns ETF Bid in Test of SEC Boundaries” from Bloomberg “Sign up for The Logoff newsletter” from Vox “Scientists just found 21 trillion gallons of water north of the Calif. border” from SF Gate “Musk undercuts Trump on Stargate AI investment announcement” from CNBC We love to hear from you. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump said he wanted to end chronic illnesses. The promise is part of the Make America Healthy Again campaign pushed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. It’s a powerful slogan. But experts warn that some of RFK Jr.’s proposals are based on conspiracy theories and false information instead of actions that could actually improve Americans’ health, like backing targeted reforms in the food industry. On the show today, Jessica Knurick, a registered dietitian who decodes nutrition and public health misinformation, joins the show to discuss the business of food, what processed foods actually are, how our food supply became full of them, and why chronic disease disproportionately impacts low-income communities. Plus, the policy solutions she would propose to improve Americans’ health. Later, as the LA fires continue to burn, listeners share how they’re thinking about climate risk in their neck of the woods. Plus, a sober health journalist changes her mind about Dry January. Here’s everything we talked about today: “RFK Jr. faces battles in quest to change America’s food” from The Washington Post “What Is MAHA?” from New York magazine “How RFK Jr.’s Pledge To Make America Eat Healthier Clashes With Trump” from Forbes “A Dietitian’s Guide to the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Movement” from Public Health Dad “Junk food turns public villain as power shifts in Washington” from CBS News We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Republicans in Congress want to extend several provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, that are set to expire at the end of this year. But they’re expected to be costly — very costly. We’ll unpack the spending cuts the House GOP is eyeing to offset the impact on federal deficits. And, we’ll get into why Paramount is considering settling Trump’s lawsuit over CBS’ interview with Kamala Harris. Plus, we’ll weigh in on the business trends that are in and out for 2025. Here’s everything we talked about today: “CBS Owner Discusses Settling Trump Suit, With Merger Review on Tap” from The Wall Street Journal “House Budget Republicans eye more than 200 spending cuts, tax changes for major bill” from The Hill Ways and Means memo from the House Budget Committee Bluesky thread from Sen. Ron Wyden “Will 2025 Be the Watershed Year for Return-to-Office Mandates? That Depends.” from The Wall Street Journal “TikTok Influencers React to a Potential Ban” from The New York Times “Every Movie Sequel Releasing In 2024” from Screen Rant “Beyoncé’s Whisky, Kylie Jenner’s Canned Vodka Soda, Plus More Stars in the Alcohol Business” from People “Tesla stock jumps amid speculation Musk could buy TikTok” from Yahoo Finance We love to hear from you. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Many TikTok users are joining apps such as RedNote and Lemon8 in anticipation of a TikTok ban in the United States. The problem? They’re also Chinese-owned. We’ll get into how this could turn into a headache for Congress. Then, we’ll unpack Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s climate change comments at his confirmation hearing and how people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles are being impacted by the current fires in a unique way. Plus, a farewell hallucinogenic mushroom story from outgoing Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Some of the possible alternatives to TikTok have their own problems” from Marketplace “Trump considers executive order hoping to ‘save TikTok’ from ban or sale in U.S. law” from The Washington Post “With TikTok ban looming, ByteDance has a backup plan” from Marketplace “Where Gaetz and Hegseth stand on climate change” from Politico “The Changing Threat” from Marketplace’s “How We Survive” “As thousands flee LA fires, disaster poses unique challenges for the unhoused” from Marketplace “How the LA fires could exacerbate California’s homelessness crisis” from CalMatters “‘It Was Ok” – Sec. Janet Yellen On Trying Marijuana For The First Time” from “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

President Biden today announced a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the war in Gaza. This comes as Biden is making a string of policy decisions to make it harder for the incoming administration to undo his legacy. We’ll explain. And, when the world feels like too much, how do we cope? Plus, a touching photo essay that zooms in on the work of hospice nurses makes us smile. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza ceasefire deal, senior U.S. official says: Live updates” from The Washington Post “Biden Races to Cement His Legacy Through a Series of Actions” from The New York Times “Introduction: ‘Those Who Have Made Death Their Life'” from The Daily Yonder “Justice Alito Asks If You Can Read Pornhub for the Articles” from The Cut “We Asked the Math Tutor Who Posts His Lessons on Pornhub: Why?” from Vice We love to hear from you. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The Los Angeles fires are a warning to all of us. Over the past week, lives, homes, businesses and entire communities have been lost in what’s expected to be among the nation’s costliest disasters ever. But with more than one-third of the U.S. population living in counties with high wildfire risk, this begs the question: Should lots of people relocate? Crystal Kolden, director of the Fire Resilience Center at the University of California at Merced and a former wildland firefighter, said abandoning these places isn’t the only option. On the show today, Kolden explains why the L.A. fires have been so tough to put out, why wildfires are different from other natural disasters like hurricanes and floods, and how devastated communities can rebuild in a way that makes them more resilient to future fires. Later, a listener shares a teamwork approach to cleaning up after a house party. And, Brad Stulberg, author of “Master of Change,” was wrong about how to find motivation. Here’s everything we talked about today: “L.A. Fires Show Limits of America’s Efforts to Cope With Climate Change” from The New York Times “Column: Recovery will be tempered by hard decisions and, if we aren’t careful, inequality” from The L.A. Times “Palisades and other Southern California fires could be most expensive in US history” from LAist “More People Are Living in the Riskiest Wildfire Zones” from Bloomberg “‘Zone Zero’ Mandates Near Completion for High Wildfire Risk Areas” from the Sierra Club “‘Conditions’ should be placed on California wildfire aid: House Speaker Mike Johnson” from USA Today We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

As wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles, some wealthy residents are shelling out thousands each day to hire private firefighters to protect their homes and businesses. But some argue that the market for these private crews diminishes public firefighting resources. We’ll get into it. And, renowned science fiction author Octavia Butler predicted many of our modern problems, including catastrophic wildfires. We’ll explain how looking to the past helped her write about the future. Plus, Kimberly gives us some advice for throwing better parties in 2025. Here’s everything we talked about today: “‘Will Pay Any Amount’: Private Firefighters Are in Demand in L.A.” from The New York Times “I Will Pay Any Amount to Not Pay My Taxes” from McSweeney’s Internet Tendency “N.K. Jemisin on the prescience and brilliance of Parable of the Sower” from New Scientist “A Few Rules For Predicting The Future by Octavia E. Butler” from Common Good Collective “The LA Fires Aren’t a Surprise If You Study History and Climate Change. So Now What?” from Teen Vogue “Americans Need to Party More” from The Atlantic “Here’s how single women are successfully navigating an otherwise brutal market for first-time homebuyers” from Business Insider We love to hear from you. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2024. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2025 and beyond. Give now to support “Make Me Smart.” Thank you so much for your generosity, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year. Anime seems to be just about everywhere these days: film, music videos, the NFL and big streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. “Anime is colossal. In terms of raw revenue, anime and the NLF are tied at about $20 billion in [annual global] revenue,” said Chris Plante, editor in chief and co-founder of Polygon at Vox Media. “When you think of anime, it can be seen as niche, but the reality is that couldn’t be further from the truth.” On the show today, Plante explains anime economics, what’s behind the rise of anime in the United States and some of the problematic aspects of the medium. Later, we’ll discuss how climate change is impacting cherry blossom season and why the commercial real estate crisis could be a big problem for regional banks. Later, one listener calls in on a landline about landlines. And, this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from a digital illustrator based in Long Beach, California. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Who watches anime? Polygon surveyed more than 4,000 people to find out” from Polygon “Anime Market to Reach USD 62.7 Billion by 2032” from Yahoo Finance “Anime Is Booming. So Why Are Animators Living in Poverty?” from The New York Times “Sony Jacks Up Prices for Crunchyroll and Kills Funimation” from Gizmodo “From Niche To Mainstream: The Unstoppable Global Popularity Of Anime And How It Happened” from BuzzFeed “Streaming and covid-19 have entrenched anime’s global popularity” from The Economist “Naruto Movie in the Works With Destin Daniel Cretton” from The Hollywood Reporter “Cherry blossom forecast: We predict peak bloom in D.C. around March 21” from The Washington Post “Early jacaranda bloom sparks debate about climate change in Mexico” from Reuters “Commercial Real Estate Market Plunge Has Lenders Facing a Brutal Reality” from Bloomberg “Comic: Tienes economic anxiety? Artist Julio Salgado reflects on changes in creative industries” from the Los Angeles Times Are you a fan of anime? Tell us about your favorite anime series! Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2024. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2025 and beyond. Give now to support “Make Me Smart.” Thank you so much for your generosity, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year. In case you haven’t heard, the Summer Olympics aren’t over! This year’s Paralympics kick off in Paris on Aug. 28. It’s the first time all 22 Paralympic events will be aired live, and total broadcast revenues are up by more than 20% from the delayed 2020 Paralympics. Chuck Aoki, an American Paralympic wheelchair rugby player, said content creators like himself are also bringing eyes to the event. On the show today, Aoki breaks down the basics of wheelchair rugby (aka “murderball”), the system that classifies para athletes based on their disability, and why this year’s Paralympics are getting more buzz than ever. Then, we’ll get into how pharmaceutical companies’ new direct-to-consumer programs could impact drug prices. And, listeners tell us about the trafficless 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and a lesson in credit cards learned the hard, heartbreaking way. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Passion And Guts: Chuck Aoki’s World of Wheelchair Rugby” from Team USA “Paralympic Games in Paris set to reach largest audience after broadcast deals” from The Guardian “What sports are in the Paralympics and how does the classification system work?” from AP News “How to Watch the 2024 Summer Paralympics: Streaming Schedule, Free Options” from Wired “Pfizer Follows Lilly With Website Selling Directly to Patients” from Bloomberg “Eli Lilly lowering weight loss drug prices” from The Hill “Health Insurance Costs Will Rise Steeply if Premium Tax Credit Improvements Expire” from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities “How Much and Why ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Going Up in 2025” from KFF “Pfizer launches new website for migraine, respiratory offerings” from Reuters “Panama Canal Eases Limits That Caused Global Shipping Bottleneck” from Bloomberg We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2024. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2025 and beyond. Give now to support “Make Me Smart.” Thank you so much for your generosity, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year. Today we’re talking about food. Specifically, Big Food. In his book, “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry,” Austin Frerick, agricultural and antitrust policy fellow at Yale, argues the food system is the most consolidated sector in the United States. On the show today, Frerick explains how the American food system became so concentrated, how that’s inflated prices and eroded quality, and what we should do about it. Plus, Walmart’s role as king of grocery kings. Then, we’ll get into why Boeing can’t keep up with SpaceX. And, an expert on youth mental health (and former guest on “Make Me Smart”) was wrong about how teens curate their social media feeds. Here’s everything else we talked about today: “Lax Antitrust Enforcement Imperils The Nation’s Supply Chains” from Forbes “What Is “Big Ag,” and Why Should You Be Worried About Them?” from Union of Concerned Scientists “The problem with growing corporate concentration and power in the global food system” from Nature Food “Major retailers are offering summer deals to entice inflation-weary shoppers” from AP News “US Consumer Confidence Rises for First Time in Four Months” from Bloomberg “Inflation now means high prices, not just rising costs” from Axios “What do Americans think about inflation?” from The Brookings Institution “Boeing Prepared to Fly Crewed Space Taxi With Helium Leak” from Bloomberg 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.

Hey Smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2024. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2025 and beyond. Give now to support “Make Me Smart.” Thank you so much for your generosity, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year. If you’ve been feeling hopeless about the news, the election, the economy, the climate crisis and everything else that’s going on, today’s episode is for you. Emily Amick, lawyer and co-author of “Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives,” argues we can all become better participants in our democracy. And we don’t need to have a gazillion dollars to do it. On the show today, Amick explains why we should treat civic engagement as self-care, how to find your civic personality and ways to cultivate a news diet that doesn’t put you in a doom loop. Plus, the moment she realized our democracy was headed in the wrong direction. Then, we’ll get into how voters in Utah fought to protect the power of citizen-led ballot initiatives and why shoppers hide purchases from their romantic partners. Plus, an anime cosplayer was wrong about what it would take to create her own costume. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Despite Recent Setbacks, There Is Still Hope For Democracy” from Forbes “In ‘Democracy in Retrograde,’ Emily Amick Talks About Political Engagement and Her Cancer Diagnosis” from Teen Vogue “What does Utah’s redistricting ruling do to voters’ ability to change laws?” from The Salt Lake Tribune “Utah Supreme Court: Lawmakers must heed voter-passed gerrymandering reforms “ from Axios Salt Lake City “Amazon’s Prime Day a ‘major’ cause of worker injuries, Senate probe finds” from CNBC “US Retail Sales Excluding Autos Rise by Most in Three Months” from Bloomberg “Gym Bags, Trunks, Back Doors: How Stealth Shoppers Hide Purchases” from The Wall Street Journal “Financial Infidelity Report 2023: Why People Hide Purchases From Partners” from Circuit “Inside a UPS warehouse that prioritizes super-fast shipping” from Marketplace How are you getting involved in civic life? What helps you fend off feelings of hopelessness? Let us know at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

For our final episode of 2024, we’re throwing a holiday party with music, festive hats, drinks and a game. But we can’t forget about the news. The incoming Donald Trump administration is looking into the feasibility of eliminating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll unpack the public rage over the United States healthcare system that dominated the news this week. Plus, how much do our hosts remember about the biggest business headlines of the year? Here’s everything we talked about today: “Trump Advisers Seek to Shrink or Eliminate Bank Regulators” from The Wall Street Journal Opinion | “UnitedHealth Group C.E.O.: Brian Thompson Was Never Content With the Status Quo” from The New York Times “UnitedHealth Limits Access to Key Treatment for Kids With Autism” from ProPublica “Boeing’s year of turbulence in five charts” from Reuters “Why TikTok Faces a U.S. Ban, and What’s Next?” from The New York Times “CrowdStrike outage: We finally know what caused it – and how much it cost” from CNN Business “SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronauts perform historic 1st private spacewalk in orbit” from Space “US ties China in Paris Olympics gold medal count after Americans’ women’s hoops win” from AP News We’ll be back with new episodes in 2025! In the meantime, you can email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

A group of lawmakers have introduced legislation that would break up health care conglomerates, aiming to rein in the power of pharmacy benefit managers. We’ll explain what PBMs do and why all sides of the health care industry are pointing fingers at one another over high costs. And, we’ll get into how the future of the Trump-era tax cuts could impact the federal deficit and why General Motors is ditching its robotaxi business. Plus, now’s your chance to talk with an AI Santa Claus. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Yellen Talks Russia Sanctions, Tariffs and Deficit” from Bloomberg via YouTube “Yellen says Trump’s tariffs could derail US inflation progress, raise costs” from Reuters “Senators Warren and Hawley introduce a bipartisan bill to break up pharmacy-benefit managers” from CNBC via YouTube “Elizabeth Warren, Josh Hawley Co-Sponsor Bill to Break Up Giant Health Care Conglomerates” from The New York Times “What is a pharmacy benefit manager, anyway?” from Marketplace “GM to stop funding troubled Cruise autonomous vehicle unit, abandoning robotaxis” from CBS San Francisco “GM to Shut Down Its Cruise Robotaxi Project” from The New York Times “OpenAI introduces ‘Santa Mode’ to ChatGPT for ho-ho-ho voice chats” from Ars Technica Tomorrow is our last episode of the year! Join us for our annual holiday party on “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Some states are trying to lure companies seeking to move their headquarters by offering a slew of financial perks. We’ll explain how these big relocations can impact local economies and the businesses themselves. And, the House of Representatives passed a defense bill that would restrict transgender medical care for children covered by the military’s health program. We’ll unpack how federal funding for health care can be used as a powerful political tool. Plus, do you dread winter? We’ll get into some tips for embracing the season. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Transgender Provision Injects Tension Into Defense Vote” from The Wall Street Journal “Will Democrats Let the GOP Gut Trans Health Care?” from Rolling Stone “Brace for a Nationwide Shuffle of Corporate Headquarters” from Bloomberg “9 Ways to Embrace Winter — Even if You Think You Hate It” from Time “New Jersey Politician Fakes Spotify Wrapped to Show All Springsteen Songs” from The New York Times We love to hear from you. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Before this year’s election, Heather Cox Richardson, a historian at Boston College, joined “Make Me Smart” live in Boston to unpack the high stakes for our economy and democracy. Now that the election is over and the transition to a second Donald Trump administration is underway, we’re following up. On the show today, Richardson weighs in on the election aftermath. She explains how the current media environment in the United States played into the election, how economic narratives have influenced American politics throughout history, and what the past can tell us about how President-elect Trump might brand his economic agenda while in office. Then, we’ll get into the bipartisan effort to add federal judges that’s suddenly falling apart. And, author Evan Schwartz was wrong about the inspiration behind L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Here’s everything we talked about today: “December 9, 2024” from “Letters from an American” “What Donald Trump’s Win Means for the Economy” from Time Opinion: “Voters prefer Harris’s agenda to Trump’s — they just don’t realize it. Take our quiz.” from The Washington Post “On Issue After Issue, Trump Promises the Moon. No Word on the Rocket.” from The New York Times “Biden special envoy for hostages is in Beirut in search of Austin Tice” from The Washington Post “House sets up vote on bill to add dozens of new federal judgeships” from Roll Call “Ernst, Under MAGA Pressure, Signals Backing for Hegseth’s Pentagon Bid” from The New York Times Power the show with a donation today and don’t forget to pick up one of our thank you gifts at a discount. Head to marketplace.org/givesmart.

A person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson was arrested today. We’ll get into the public’s reaction to the killing and what it says about our for-profit health system. Plus, we discuss the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in U.S. history, which is projected to take place over the next 25 years. And, Dick Van Dyke has us smiling as he waltzes into his 99th birthday. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Live Updates: Police Identify ‘Strong Person of Interest’ in C.E.O.’s Killing” from The New York Times “Suspect in fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ID’d as Luigi Mangione, an ex-Ivy League student” from New York Post “Manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO Killer Meets Unexpected Obstacle: Sympathy for the Gunman” from The Wall Street Journal “A $105 Trillion Inheritance Windfall Is On the Way for US Heirs” from Bloomberg “Dick Van Dyke, Approaching 99, Dances in Coldplay’s Latest Video” from The New York Times “Biden says U.S. government believes Austin Tice is alive in Syria” from Axios We love to hear from you. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

NASA is pushing back its highly anticipated Artemis 2 mission from September 2025 to April 2026. It will be the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972. We’ll unpack NASA’s setbacks. Plus, momentum is building for a TikTok ban. And the hosts share their thoughts on the word of the year in a round of Half Full / Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today: “NASA delays Artemis 2 moon mission to 2026, Artemis 3 astronaut landing to mid-2027” from Space “Trump Defends His Imperiled Pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth” from The New York Times “Appeals court upholds nationwide TikTok ban-or-sale law” from The Washington Post “TikTok advertisers stay put after US appeals court upholds law forcing sale” from Reuters “Bitcoin mining surge strains energy grids as miners make a fortune” from Marketplace “OpenAI is charging $200 a month for an exclusive version of its o1 ‘reasoning’ model” from The Verge “50% off! Cyber Monday deal today only! (Kidding!)” from Marketplace “Dolly Parton launches search for actors to play her in a new Broadway musical” from USA Today “‘Brain rot’ is the Oxford University Press word of the year” from AP News We love to hear from you. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

This year, Spotify’s popular Wrapped feature includes a podcast generated by artificial intelligence that tells users all about their individual listening habits from 2024. But it’s not perfect — at least not yet. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll explain how Amazon is getting into the AI chip game and what Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell anticipates from a second Trump administration. Plus, why talks for a global treaty to manage plastic pollution were a bust. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Nvidia Rules A.I. Chips, but Amazon and AMD Emerge as Contenders” from The New York Times “Amazon Announces Supercomputer, New Server Powered by Homegrown AI Chips” from The Wall Street Journal “Powell: Fed’s independence from politics is vital to its interest rate decisions” from AP News “In a 2nd Trump term, Fed independence would go “out the window,” economist says” from Marketplace “Climate activist calls for plastic treaty after UN summit failure” from Reuters “Nations Fail to Reach an Agreement on Plastic Pollution” from The New York Times “Spotify Wrapped 2024 adds an AI podcast powered by Google’s NotebookLM” from TechCrunch Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

President Joe Biden today announced an additional $600 million investment in a rail project that will connect multiple African countries. It will expand U.S. access to important minerals like cobalt and copper. But will it be enough to counter China’s dominance over the critical minerals supply chain? We’ll get into it. Plus, why President-elect Donald Trump’s trade adviser pick is giving us serious deja vu. And, Dylan Bachelet, the “Jack Sparrow” of “The Great British Baking Show,” is making us smile. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Biden in Africa pledges millions more for a rail project the US hopes will boost its influence there” from AP News “Biden Hopes Train Project in Angola Defines Africa Legacy” from The New York Times “Trump picks Peter Navarro as top trade advisor” from CNBC “Q&A With Dylan Bachelet of ‘Great British Baking Show’” from The New York Times If you haven’t made your gift to “Make Me Smart” yet, there’s still time! Make your donation here.

Billionaire families contributed roughly 18% of all money raised during the 2024 election cycle. And many of those mega donors are being tapped for high-level positions in the incoming Donald Trump administration. This begs the question: Is the U.S. government controlled by the ultra rich? David Sirota, founder and editor in chief of The Lever, said he believes the U.S. resembles an oligarchy. On the show today, Sirota explains how the erosion of campaign finance regulations has created a culture in which big money in politics is normalized. Then, we’ll get into China’s latest move in the ongoing chip trade war with the United States. Plus, what’s the correct way to pronounce “pecan”? Here’s everything we talked about today: “Election 2024: How Billionaire Avengers Destroyed Democracy” from The Lever “What’s different about billionaire donor Elon Musk’s relationship with Trump” from Vox “How billionaires are influencing the 2024 U.S. election” from Axios “Battle of the billionaires: the mega rich spending to swing the US election” from Financial Times “Remember that study saying America is an oligarchy? 3 rebuttals say it’s wrong.” from Vox “China bans export of critical minerals to US as trade tensions escalate” from Reuters “SpaceX Weighs Tender Offer Raising Valuation to $350 Billion” from Bloomberg “​​Yes We Pecan, with Martha Stewart” from NPR It’s Giving Tuesday! Your donation will be matched today when you support Marketplace.