Make Me Smart Marketplace

This week, senators grilled Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun about the aviation company’s safety culture and its retaliation against whistleblowers. But these problems are just the tip of the iceberg for Boeing. We’ll explain. Plus, why President Joe Biden’s new immigration plan is a big deal. And, who knew there were this many cricket fans in the U.S.?

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testifies before Senate committee on safety issues” from CNBC
“‘Why haven’t you resigned?’ Senators torch Boeing CEO as he apologizes for deadly failures” from Politico
“Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun Apologizes for Quality and Safety Issues at Senate Hearing” from The New York Times
“Boeing’s CEO Search Hits Some Snags” from The Wall Street Journal
“President Biden Announces Plan for Undocumented Spouses on DACA Anniversary” from C-SPAN
“Biden immigration program offers legal status to 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens. Here’s how it works.” from CBS News
“The economy is roaring. Immigration is a key reason.” from The Washington Post
“Supreme Court rejects challenge to tax on foreign corporate investments” from CNBC
“The Supreme Court upholds a tax on foreign income over a challenge backed by business interests” from The Associated Press
“The Supreme Court leaves a Trump-era offshore tax in place on investors” from NPR
“Supreme Court Upholds Trump-Era Tax Provision” from The New York Times
“ Rising Popularity of Cricket in US” from Bloomberg
“Uber Drivers, Techies Score Wins for Team USA at ICC T20 World Cup 2024” from Bloomberg 
“T20 World Cup: The USA cricket team is capturing hearts and minds with historic run” from CNN

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!

In honor of Juneteenth, we’re bringing you an episode of a new podcast from APM Studios that’s especially relevant on this holiday. In the podcast, “What Happened in Alabama?” host Lee Hawkins unpacks his family history, confronts cycles of trauma and grapples with an issue many Black families face: how to keep land in the family.



This episode is about Black land loss. In 1910, Black farmers collectively owned over 16 million acres of farmland. A century later, over 90% of that land is no longer owned by Black farmers. Lee explores that tumultuous history and what Black families can do to hold on to their property.



If you’d like to hear more episodes from the series, you can find “What Happened in Alabama?” wherever you get podcasts.

A recent survey found that almost 15% of Americans have co-bought a home with someone other than a romantic partner, and almost half said they’d consider it. This is part of a larger trend — many Americans are choosing to structure their lives around friends as opposed to a spouse or romantic partner. On the show today, Rhaina Cohen, author of “The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center,” explains what it really means to build your life around friends and the financial costs and benefits that come with it. Plus, how the LGBTQ+ community has shaped the conversation around the  issue.



Then, we’ll unpack what baby boomers’ retirement readiness says about the wealth gap in the United States. And, the endless possibilities for crab emojis and why our intern, Thalia, was wrong about her curly hair.



Here’s everything we talked about today:


“Why more people are buying houses with their friends” from Axios
“What If Friendship, Not Marriage, Was at the Center of Life?” from The Atlantic
“Inflation Widens Married Couples’ Money Lead Over Their Single Friends” from The Wall Street Journal
“Want financial security in America? Better get married.” from Vox
“Two Women Redefine What it Means to Marry Your Best Friend” from The New York Times
“If you can’t stay indoors during this US heat wave, here are a few ideas” from AP News
“Northeast Heat Wave 2024: This Is a Disaster. Treat It That Way” from Bloomberg
“US Retirement Accounts Are Flush for Millions of Older Americans” 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.

With the elections for president, the Senate and the House just 4½ months away, misinformation is on the rise. We’ll get into the kind of false narratives to look for on the campaign trail. Plus, how loopholes in medical billing underscore the importance of change at the state and local levels. And, the story of a remote-controlled robot that rescues swimmers in distress.

Here’s everything we talked about today:


Post about the Republican National Committee from Jay Nordlinger on X
“Even Doctors Like Me Are Falling Into This Medical Bill Trap” from The New York Times
“Watch a robot race over Lake Michigan waves to help a swimmer” from MLive
“Which sentence do you think is grammatically correct?” from YouGov

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 new pitch from former President Donald Trump calls for replacing income tax with tariffs. We’ll get into why the math doesn’t add up. Plus, chemical hair relaxers are making Black women sick, so why are they still being sold? And, we’ll weigh in on Apple entering the AI race, Hollywood studios buying movie theaters, and using speakerphone in public during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:


Post about Donald Trump’s “all tariffs policy” from Emily Wilkins on X
“The Disturbing Truth About Hair Relaxers” from The New York Times
“Alex Jones’ personal assets to be sold to pay $1.5B Sandy Hook debt. Company bankruptcy is dismissed” from The Associated Press
“Why decaf coffee is growing in popularity” from Marketplace
“Apple announces AI features” from Marketplace
“Games Are Proving Their Pull on News and Tech Sites” from The New York Times 
“Sony Pictures Acquires Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Landmark Deal That Puts Studios Back in Theater Game” from The Hollywood Reporter
“Living Out Loud, Headphones Nowhere to Be Found” from The New York Times

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.

About 15 million Americans collectively have $49 million in medical debt on their credit reports, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But a new proposed rule might remove these bills from their credit scores. We’ll explain. Plus, the domino effect of local elections being funded by national players. And, how Apple’s new AI features could change the language of emoji.

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“Vice President Kamala Harris On Sherri” from “Sherri”
“CFPB Proposes to Ban Medical Bills from Credit Reports” from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
“CFPB Finds 15 Million Americans Have Medical Bills on Their Credit Reports” from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
“Biden Proposes Dropping Medical Debt From Credit Reports” from The New York Times
“More parents are cosigning their kids’ mortgages” from Marketplace 
“Co-Borrowing Is on the Rise for First-Time Homebuyers” from Freddie Mac 
“Campaign donors hope money makes the difference in hotly contested states” from Marketplace
“Apple Intelligence in 5 minutes” from Apple
“Apple announces AI features” from Marketplace

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, a game and more.