Make Me Smart Marketplace

We’re not in a government shutdown. Instead, we’re talking about consumers spending like it’s still hot girl summer. Concerts, travel and shopping sprees seem to remain a priority for many in this economy. We’ll discuss how this might be a sign of shifting attitudes around debt. Plus, there’s a market for everything — even candles for Washington, D.C., wonks!



Here’s everything we talked about:












“Trump’s understandable surprise at seeing his company in court” from The Washington Post


“Americans Are Still Spending Like There’s No Tomorrow” from The Wall Street Journal


Norwegian new car sales from @robbie_andrew on X


Introducing the Government Shutdown candle







If you’ve got a question for the hosts, send them our way. We’re at 508-UB-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

It’s going to be a tense weekend on Capitol Hill. Congress not only has the government shutdown deadline to deal with, it also has deadlines that affect the Federal Aviation Administration and the farm bill. We’ll explain what’s going on. Plus, the hosts weigh in on the Taylor Swift effect and “The Golden Bachelor” in a fresh round of our favorite game: Half Full / Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:







“Airline passengers could feel the bite as Congress nears two missed deadlines” from Politico








“Rare Senate spat threatens farm bill push with House in shutdown chaos” from Politico








“Biden offers dire warnings about Trump in democracy-focused address” from PBS Newshour








“Gen. Mark Milley Warns of Fealty to Dictators, in Exit Speech Aimed at Trump” from The Wall Street Journal








“‘The Golden Bachelor’ premiere may put some realness back in reality TV” from MSNBC








“Reality (TV) bites” from Marketplace








“Majority of national parks will close and annual Fat Bear Week canceled if government shuts down” from CNN








“Bringing back the lost art of office etiquette” from Marketplace








“Taylor Swift effect: Chiefs ticket sales increase, plus Travis Kelce sees huge spike in jersey sales” from CBS Sports








“Restaurant diners are eating earlier than ever” from Marketplace







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We’re in the final days before a potential government shutdown, and negotiations aren’t going well. At issue is the federal government’s $6 trillion budget. But with most of that money already spoken for, only a small sliver of spending is actually up for debate. We’ll explain. And have you heard of the paper ceiling? Plus, Kai and a famous Hollywood star share their dislike for pumpkin spice!



Here’s everything we talked about:







“Biden makes history by joining striking autoworkers on the picket line” from NBC News








“UAW threatens to expand strikes again at GM, Ford, Stellantis” from CNBC








About STARs from Tear the Paper Ceiling








“A few thoughts on Pumpkin Spice Season” from YouTube








“How pumpkin spice cemented itself in American culture” 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.

Elon Musk’s business relationship with the Pentagon is going strong. SpaceX just scored its first defense contract from the U.S. Space Force, giving Musk more control over on-off switches (see: Ukraine). We’ll get into the potential consequences of having a single private citizen like Musk so entangled in geopolitics. Plus, welcome home, astronaut Frank Rubio, and bye-bye panda cams?



Here’s everything we talked about today:







“Elon Musk Wins US Space Force Contract for Starshield” from Bloomberg








“Elon Musk’s Shadow Rule” from The New Yorker








“Retail theft isn’t actually increasing much, major industry study finds” from CNBC








“Target says it will close nine stores in major cities, citing violence and theft” from CNBC








“NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is home after a year in space” from Ars Technica








“US Won’t Have Any Pandas for the First Time in 50 Years” from Bloomberg


















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We’re on the brink of yet another government shutdown. If Congress fails to pass legislation to keep the federal government fully up and running past Oct. 1, it would be the country’s fourth shutdown in the last decade.



This has us wondering: Why does passing the federal budget often get so messy?



On the show today, Molly Reynolds, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, explains how the federal budget process is supposed to work, why it often breaks down and why other countries don’t seem to have the same problem. Plus, how we can make the process smoother, given the Congress we’ve got.



Then, we’ll get into why the FTC is suing Amazon and how it might shape what “monopoly” means in this day and age. Plus, is President Joe Biden’s footwear really worth a headline?



Later, how one listener is thinking about the kind of change our democracy needs. And, a Jekyll and Hyde-style mix-up involving a popular California university.



Here’s everything we talked about today:







“What is a government shutdown? And why are we likely to have another one?” from Brookings








“Biden’s budget kicks off a long and likely painful process on Capitol Hill.” from The New York Times








“Congress has long struggled to pass spending bills on time” from Pew Research








“Why Don’t Other Countries Have Government Shutdowns?” from Foreign Policy








Opinion | “The Democratic Party Has an Old Problem and Won’t Admit It” from The New York Times








“Biden campaign’s secret mission for reelection: Don’t let him trip” from Axios








“U.S., 17 states sue Amazon alleging monopolistic practices led to higher prices” from The Washington Post








“FTC Sues Amazon for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power” from The Federal Trade Commission







We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Some big Republican donors are in a bind. They’ve been hoping for an alternative presidential nominee to Donald Trump to write their checks to, but now they seem to be giving up on that idea and are keeping their money on the sidelines. We’ll discuss what that means for spending in the 2024 election. Plus, what’s happened to Greece since its debt crisis? And what Kimberly discovered about cocktails and ChatGPT when she walked into a bar.



Here’s everything we talked about:







“Big GOP donors hoped for an alternative to Trump. Now some are giving up” from Politico








“Greece, Battered a Decade Ago, Is Booming” from The New York Times








“OpenAI’s ChatGPT offers new multimodal support for images and voice search” from Axios








“Fetterman Plans to Give Back Menendez Donation In Cash-Filled Envelopes” The Messenger








“Mammals’ Time on Earth Is Half Over, Scientists Predict” from The New York Times







Got a question for the hosts? Send them our way. We’re at 508-UB-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.