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There were no fireworks for the Democratic Party during last night’s debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. While Trump made false claims throughout the night, Biden did little to assuage fears that he’s not up to the job. We’ll get into how the Biden campaign’s fundraising strategy is already shifting and what it might mean for downballot races. Then, we’ll weigh in on Fourth of July travel and drone light shows during a game of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“Debate takeaways: Trump confident, even when wrong, Biden halting, even with facts on his side” from AP News
“Biden-Trump presidential debate draws 48 million TV viewers” from Axios
“Politics and ‘a tale of different economies”’ from Marketplace
“Why taxpayers keep footing much of the bill for new sports stadiums” from Marketplace
“Google puts an end to continuous scroll” from Marketplace
“MTV News Website Goes Dark, Archives Pulled Offline” from Variety
“Fourth of July travel is set to break records. Here’s how to plan.” from The Washington Post
“Why drones are replacing fireworks shows” from National Geographic
“We RICK ROLLED The City of Austin, TX With 600 Drones” on YouTube

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The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a huge blow to the Securities and Exchange Commission today when it ruled against its use of in-house judges to enforce securities fraud laws. We’ll get into why the decision will make the SEC’s job harder and what it could mean for other federal agencies. Plus, we’ll bust a common myth about Social Security and explain why homeownership is key factor in how Americans are faring in this economy.

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“US Supreme Court faults SEC’s use of in-house judges in latest curbs on agency powers” from Reuters
“The Supreme Court’s chaotic SEC v. Jarkesy decision endangers ‘hundreds of statutes'” from Vox
“Social Security cuts are inevitable by 2035 unless lawmakers act” from Marketplace
“How the Inflation Reduction Act could change the future of one Native American reservation” from Marketplace
“Credit card delinquencies are climbing” from Marketplace
“Are we living in a K-shaped economy?” from Marketplace

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This year’s Supreme Court decision season has been a busy one, and it’s not over yet. We’ll get into the court’s leaked opinion on emergency abortions and two other expected decisions that have the business world watching. Plus, another round of Cybertruck recalls and why it’s fine to keep referring to X as Twitter (per one Supreme Court justice).

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“Supreme Court Poised to Allow Idaho Emergency Abortions: Exclusive” from Bloomberg
“Trump’s immunity, Jan. 6, abortion: The Supreme Court’s most controversial decisions are about to drop” from Politico
“What would Congress do without Chevron deference?” from Roll Call
“Tesla recalls every Cybertruck again” from Mashable
“Tesla is recalling the Cybertruck again, this time because a piece can fly off” from CNN
Tweet from John Shelton about the Supreme Court and the X/Twitter name debacle
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In the wake of the COVID-19 recession, many economists were describing the United States’ economic recovery as K-shaped. Basically, high-income Americans bounced back quicker than those at the lower end of the income scale. So, did we ever ditch that K shape? The person who coined the phrase “K-shaped recovery” back then, says no. On the show today, Peter Atwater, president of Financial Insyghts and adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary, explains why he believes economic inequality has grown since the pandemic recovery, why considerable wage gains for low-wage workers tell only part of the story and the risks of letting a K-shaped economy run wild.



Then, we’ll get into how the fragility of global shipping supply chains could be playing into Federal Reserve decisions on interest rates. And, happy wedding anniversary, Susanna!



Here’s everything we talked about today:


“The ‘K’ Is Not OK” from LinkedIn
“Inflation Is Bringing Back the K-Shaped Economy” from Bloomberg
“Behind America’s divided economy: Booming luxury travel and a jump in ‘relief’ loans” from CNBC
“A tight labor market and state minimum wage increases boosted low-end wage growth between 2019 and 2023” from the Economic Policy Institute
“U.S. Wealth Inequality: Gaps Remain Despite Widespread Wealth Gains” from the St. Louis Federal Reserve
“First publicly funded religious charter school in US ruled unconstitutional” from The Hill
“Fed’s Bowman Warns of Upside Risks to Inflation, Not Time to Cut” from Bloomberg
“Supply Chain Under Strain as Houthis Intensify Red Sea Strikes” from The New York Times
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Groups aligned with former President Trump are hunting through information to come up with a list of federal employees who might be resistant to a second Trump administration. We’ll discuss the push to reshape government. Plus, is the urban/rural divide a myth? And, a viral voicemail pep talk from a testing center worker makes us smile.

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“In This Debate, CNN Is the Decider” from The New York Times
“Growing rural-urban divide exists only among white Americans” from Cornell Chronicle
“The Number of People Primarily Working From Home Tripled Between 2019 and 2021” from the U.S. Census Bureau
“Conservative-backed group is creating a list of federal workers it suspects could resist Trump plans” from AP News
“A 3-year-old voicemail goes viral, leads to emotional reunion” from The Washington Post
“Why Men Are ‘Rawdogging’ Flights” from GQ

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.

Four years after the Internal Revenue Service created a tax credit to help struggling businesses get through the pandemic, the agency ultimately plans to reject the majority of claims filed under the program. We’ll explain how it became swamped with fraud. And, Major League Baseball legend Reggie Jackson opened up about the racism he and other Black players faced in the ’60s. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll play a round of Half Full / Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:


“IRS says it will deny most claims of pandemic tax credit for employers” from The Washington Post
“With pardons in Maryland, 2.5 million Americans will have marijuana convictions cleared or forgiven” from The Associated Press
MLB Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson remembers Willie Mays from Gary Parrish on X
“It’s Time to Stop Inviting Plus-Ones to Weddings” from The Atlantic
“First Came ‘Spam.’ Now, With A.I., We’ve Got ‘Slop’” from The New York Times
“Netflix House Will Let You Experience Your Favorite Shows, Movies in Real Life” from Netflix Tudum
“What’s to become of summer Fridays in the age of hybrid work?” from CNN
“Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms” 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.