Make Me Smart

Make Me Smart

Each weekday, Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams make today make sense. Along with our supersmart listeners, we break down happenings in tech, the economy and culture. Every Tuesday we bring on a guest to dive deeper into one important topic. Because none of us is as smart as all of us.

  1. Watch the dollar!

    1D AGO

    Watch the dollar!

    Things aren’t looking so good for the U.S. dollar. Though it’s spent decades as the world’s reigning reserve currency, it’s been weakening lately thanks to tariffs and uncertainty in the U.S. economy. But its declining value, has been in the making for a while, according to Harvard economist and author of the new book, “Our Dollar, Your Problem,” Kenneth Rogoff. “The problem we’re facing is that, independent of this dollar phenomenon, interest rates are going up,” said Rogoff. “And if you’re the world’s biggest debtor, that’s tough.” Rogoff joins Kai and Kimberly to unpack how the greenback became the world’s go-to currency, what a reserve currency actually is, why it’s been losing some of its value lately and what might take its place. Plus, how does military power tie into all this?  We’ll also get into some potential cryptocurrency regulation coming down the pipeline and discuss the troubling parallel between Trumpism and Brexit.  Then, you tell us what books help you reset – from classic literary romances to an apocalyptic sci-fi tale. And, our intern, Zoha Malik (hi!) shares her answer to the Make Me Smart question.  Here’s everything we talked about today: “Our Dollar, Your Problem,” by Kenneth Rogoff from Yale University Press“How Trump Could Dethrone the Dollar” from Foreign Affairs“Why Is The US Dollar Weakening? Trump’s Tariffs Push Dollar Index To 3-Year Low.” from Forbes“Senate advances landmark crypto bill with Democrats divided” from Politico“Senate Advances Crypto Regulation Bill With Bipartisan Support” from The New York Times“Senate advances a major crypto regulation bill on a bipartisan vote” from NBC News“Brexit’s Failures Could Foreshadow Trump’s. Just Not in the Way You Might Think.” from The New York Times Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

    29 min
  2. K2-18b and the search for alien life

    MAY 13

    K2-18b and the search for alien life

    Today we’re ditching the drama on Earth and talking about K2-18b, an exoplanet 120 light-years away. K2-18b recently made headlines after researchers claimed to observe possible “signs of life” in the planet's atmosphere. So, did we find aliens? Michaela Musilova, an astrobiologist and analog astronaut, said it’s too early to tell. On the show today, Musilova breaks down the debate over K2-18b, why better telescopes are needed to find definitive proof of life on another planet, and why President Trump’s proposed funding cuts to NASA could disrupt this search. Plus, what’s it like to be an analog astronaut, and what do they actually do? Then, why a healthy reading diet contains both “broccoli” and “chocolate pie” books. And, Jessamine Chan, author of “The School for Good Mothers,” answers the Make Me Smart question. Here’s everything we talked about today: "Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet" from The New York Times"Does exoplanet K2-18b host alien life or not? Here's why the debate continues" from Space "Experts alarmed as White House proposes 'largest single-year cut to NASA in American history'" from Space "NASA’s Don Pettit Shot 220 Days of Amazing Photos From the I.S.S." from The New York Times "What’s in Trump and Republicans’ giant tax and immigration bill?" from The Washington Post"Republican Tax Plan Boosts SALT Deduction, Ends Green-Energy Breaks" from The Wall Street Journal  Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

    26 min
4.6
out of 5
5,373 Ratings

About

Each weekday, Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams make today make sense. Along with our supersmart listeners, we break down happenings in tech, the economy and culture. Every Tuesday we bring on a guest to dive deeper into one important topic. Because none of us is as smart as all of us.

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