Make Me Smart Marketplace

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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Inflation isn’t going anywhere, and listeners wanna know what’s up with two of the government’s inflation measures. Today, we’re answering some nerdy econ questions about the consumer price index and personal consumption expenditures price index. We’ll also answer questions about how the Supreme Court gets funded and the ins and outs of joint fundraising committees.

Got a question you’d like us to answer? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voice mail at 508-U-B-SMART!

Here’s everything we talked about today:














“How does the government measure inflation?” from Brookings








“Why the PCE is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation” from Marketplace








“What is the Core PCE price index?” from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis








“Courts, Programs, and Other Items Funded by Congressional Appropriations for the Federal Judiciary” from the Congressional Research Service








“US judiciary set to receive modest spending boost from Congress” from Reuters








“Judicial Compensation” from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts








“Inside the Rent Inflation Measure That Economics Nerds Love to Hate” from The New York Times








 “A guide to political money: campaigns, PACs, super PACs” from Associated Press








“Joint fundraising: A campaign strategy to increase contributions” from Marketplace








“Fundraising for Super PACs by federal candidates” from the Federal Election Commission











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.

Today, we’re diving into Bumble’s controversial anti-celibacy ad campaign, what it says about the state of dating apps and why some women are joining the anti-patriarchy movement. It’s time for a Kimberly rant. Plus, more updates on the Baltimore bridge collapse. Later, we’ll get queasy about cicadas and smiley about puppies!

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“Bumble’s billboard ads sneered at celibacy as an alternative to dating — and the company got stung” from The Associated Press
“The Controversy Around Bumble’s Anti-Celibacy Billboards” from The Cut
“Singles done with dating apps opt for speed-dating, matchmaking” from Marketplace
Apology from Bumble on Instagram
“What the 4B movement and boycotting men tells American women about where we are” from USA Today
Preliminary Report on Baltimore Bridge Collapse from The National Transportation Safety Board
“It’s on (for now): Biden and Trump agree to 2 debates” from Politico
“Cicadas Are Here in St. Louis, and Here’s What You Need to Know” from The Riverfront Times
“We tried to pet all 200 breeds at the Westminster dog show” from The Washington Post

We want to hear your cicada stories! Share them with us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

With the big push to unionize auto workers in the South, it looks like it might be another hot labor summer. And if you and your little ones have questions, this episode is for you! Today, we’re bringing you a special episode from Marketplace’s kids podcast, “Million Bazillion,” all about the history of labor unions, collective bargaining and how unions changed the way we work. Plus, how many hours a day should a person work? Kids have thoughts!

The next $50,000 in donations to Marketplace will be matched, thanks to a generous gift from Joe Rush in Florida. Give now and double your impact: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

A “third place” is where people hang out when they’re not at home or work, and they’re becoming increasingly important for building community and connection. Guest host Reema Khrais explains why we’re hearing a lot more about them these days and shares the story behind her own third place. But first, we’ll discuss the knock-on effects of falling birth rates across the globe, why some cities are lowering speed limits, and why we don’t recommend throwing darts at stock listings.

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“Suddenly There Aren’t Enough Babies. The Whole World Is Alarmed.” from The Wall Street Journal
“Why New York City is lowering its speed limit” from Vox
“Why accidents aren’t accidental” from The Gray Area with Sean Illing 
“The Random Path to Stock-Market Riches” from The Wall Street Journal
“If you want to belong, find a third place” from Vox

We want to hear about your third place! Tell us about it at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The next $50,000 in donations to Marketplace will be matched, thanks to a generous gift from Joe Rush in Florida. Give now and double your impact: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

The latest survey data from the University of Michigan shows consumer sentiment in the U.S. is at a six-month low. We’ll unpack the numbers and get into what they can and can’t tell us about what’s really going on in the economy. And, a plan to split up U.S. Cellular between T-Mobile and Verizon is in the works. It’s part of a larger fiasco brewing at the Federal Communications Commission. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full / Half Empty!



Here’s everything we talked about today:


Consumer Sentiment Index from the University of Michigan




“T-Mobile, Verizon in Talks to Carve Up U.S. Cellular” from The Wall Street Journal




“A solar storm could produce northern lights in US” from AP News




“Apple is revamping Siri with generative AI to catch up with chatbot competitors, report says” from Business Insider




“Millions more Americans travel to bird-watch. Texas businesses are cashing in.” from Marketplace




“McDonald’s Will Offer a $5 Meal Deal to Lure Customers Back Into Stores” from Yahoo Finance




“Bluey Is Back! Disney Announces Collection of New ‘Minisodes’ Are Coming Soon” from People





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.

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