College campus protests and the value of a degree

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 [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Joint fundraising committees allow aligned political campaigns to raise more money faster. We’ll break down how these operations work and how they’re affecting the cost of elections. Then, guest host Sabri Ben-Achour explains why China’s electric vehicle industry may not be at “overcapacity,” as U.S. and European officials have argued. Plus, artists’ fears summed up in one controversial iPad Pro commercial. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Joint fundraising: A campaign strategy to increase contributions” from Marketplace “U.S., Europe vexed by China’s ‘overcapacity’ of clean-energy goods” from Marketplace “OpenAI’s Brad Lightcap on new content tool, copyright claims and AI outlook” from CNBC “OpenAI says it’s building a tool to let content creators ‘opt out’ of AI training” from TechCrunch “Watch Apple Trash-Compact Human Culture” from The Atlantic “Apple’s new iPad ad has struck a nerve online. Here’s why” from AP News Shrinkflation tote bags, mini pencils, maybe even some KaiPA glasses — check out our May fundraiser thank-you gifts and make your donation to support our newsroom today: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

Increasingly popular buy now, pay later services allow shoppers to split their purchases into smaller, recurring payments. We’ll get into why these loans are blurring economists’ understanding of today’s consumer debt landscape. We’ll also discuss President Joe Biden’s climate and infrastructure spending spree, and the knock-on effects of parents dying from drug overdoses. Plus, singer Tyla’s sandy Met Gala look, and forgotten 100-year-old love letters make us smile. Here’s everything we talked about today: “More than 320000 U.S. children lost a parent to drug overdose from 2011-2021” from Axios “Playbook: Biden’s race to Trump-proof his legacy” from Politico “Biden’s biggest challenge: How do you even spend $1.6 trillion?” from Politico “‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Has Americans Racking Up Phantom Debt” from Bloomberg “Video: See moment Tyla is carried up Met Gala steps” from CNN “Tyla’s sand-covered Met Gala 2024 gown was chopped in half after the red carpet” from Page Six “When to use buy now, pay later services” from Marketplace “Hidden love letters spark historical mystery in Baltimore” from The Baltimore Banner We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

College endowment funds are at the center of student protester’s calls for their schools to divest from Israel. Charlie Eaton, a sociology professor at the University of California, Merced, and author of “Bankers in the Ivory Tower,” said the size of these funds have created a moral dilemma for the wealthiest universities. On the show today, Eaton explains how college endowments work, why most universities don’t disclose how those funds are invested, and how colleges could manage their endowments to better align with their values. Then, we’ll check-in on the youths. And, Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop, the puppet, answer the Make Me Smart question. Plus, a tribute to Jasper. Here’s everything we talked about today: “University endowments show few signs of direct Israel, defense holdings” from The Washington Post “If the divestment movement succeeds, will it have an economic impact?” from Marketplace “Gaza protests: Divestment from Israel becomes focus of student demands” from The Washington Post “Students protest Gaza war: The history of divestment protests” from Marketplace “Top companies are on students’ divest list. But does it really work?” from NPR “Gen Z Sinks Deeper Into Debt” from The Wall Street Journal “Abortion bans drive away up to half of young talent, new CNBC/Generation Lab youth survey finds” from CNBC “Businesses are speaking out against anti-LGBTQ laws” from Marketplace Want more “Make Me Smart” in your life? Sign up for our newsletter at marketplace.org/smarter.

Private equity plays a major role in lots of sectors across the U.S. economy, and now it’s getting into the veterinary business. Today, Kimberly discusses the rise of these big outside investors in pet care and the financial and emotional decisions we make in caring for our beloved pets. Plus, we bid Jasper goodbye. But first, Amy breaks down a pair of cases involving the popular housing site Redfin and what they mean for how homes are bought and sold. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Redfin to pay $9.25M to settle commission lawsuits” from Inman “Redfin settles commission lawsuits for $9.25 million” from HousingWire “When Buying a Home Is Treated as a National Security Threat” from The New York Times “Vets fret as private equity snaps up clinics, pet care companies” from Stateline “Why Your Vet Bill Is So High” from The Atlantic “Workday Has Become the Most-Hated Workplace, Business Software” from Business Insider We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Southern European economies, including Greece, are growing faster than some of Europe’s longtime powerhouses, like Germany. We’ll get into how Greece pulled off an economic turnaround after the devastating 2012 financial crisis. And, Halle Berry’s shouts from the steps of the Capitol are calling attention to the need for more menopause research. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full / Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today: “Europe’s Economic Laggards Have Become Its Leaders” from The New York Times “Halle Berry shouts from the Capitol, ‘I’m in menopause’ as she seeks to end a stigma and win funding” from AP News “Dave & Buster’s to let adult customers bet on arcade games” from Marketplace “As work communication migrates to mobile devices, desk phones hang up for good” from Marketplace “Pop-up coworking events are uniting lonely workers” from Marketplace “The conspiracy theory behind Florida’s lab-grown meat ban” from The Verge “Unfrosted Review: Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tarts Comedy Is Painfully Stale” from IndieWire Want more “Make Me Smart” in your life? Sign up for our newsletter at marketplace.org/smarter.

“Spotting tech-driven disinformation isn’t getting easier” 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 and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty. It’s time to rewind and revisit some of the big business stories of the week. First up, stagflation. Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell isn’t seeing signs of it, and neither is Kai Ryssdal. We’ll explain why. Plus, what Walmart’s decision to shut down all of its health clinics says about the U.S. health care system. Also, we’ll break down the latest efforts to restructure the American economy through the CHIPS Act. And, a singer’s plea to protect artists from AI-generated deepfakes. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Fed Holds Rates Steady, Noting Lack of Progress on Inflation” from The New York Times “GDP growth slowed to a 1.6% rate in the first quarter, well below expectations” from CNBC “Walmart to close its 51 health centers and virtual care service” from Associated Press “Walmart shuttering health units, including telehealth and 51 clinics” from Yahoo Finance “Walmart Health Is Closing” from Walmart “Breaking Ground: A visit to the “Silicon Desert” from Marketplace ”Senate Hearing on Digital Replicas and Artificial Intelligence Concerns” from C-SPAN “FKA Twigs Reveals She Developed Her Own Deepfake in Congressional Testimony on AI Regulation With Warner Music CEO” from Variety “Spotting tech-driven disinformation isn’t getting easier” 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 and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty.

With the presidential election less than six months away, election workers are raising concerns about their safety. We’ll get into the rising threats to election offices and how that might affect staffing ahead of November. Also, how Tesla’s disbanding of its Supercharger team could impact the Biden’s administration push to expand electric vehicle use. Plus, how a pest control professional saved a baseball game from a swarm of bees. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Nearly Two-Thirds Of Election Officials Worry Politicians Will Interfere With Their Work: Poll” from HuffPost “Local Election Officials Survey” from the Brennan Center for Justice “They staffed the Jan. 6 committee. Threats still follow them” from Roll Call “Musk Undercuts Tesla Chargers That Biden Lauded as ‘a Big Deal’” from Bloomberg “Pest control ace clears Dodgers-Diamondbacks bee swarm, throws first pitch” from United Press International We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Today we’re talking about the trade deficit at the request of some of our curious listeners. Since the mid-’70s, the U.S. has persistently been importing more goods than it exports. Is that such a bad thing? We’ll hear from Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about why the U.S. has a trade deficit, whether it’s a good or bad thing, and why a country’s overall trade deficit matters more than deficits with specific countries. Then, we’ll get into how online political donations are fueling election campaigns this year. Plus, the malleable idea of “old age” and the wonders of happy sheep in a solar field. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Trade deficits aren’t good or bad, just weird” from Marketplace “The U.S. Trade Deficit: How Much Does It Matter?” from the Council on Foreign Relations Historical U.S. Trade Deficits from the St. Louis Fed “Chinese Exports Are Threatening Biden’s Industrial Agenda” from The New York Times “Trump promised to rebalance trade in North America. The US trade deficit keeps climbing.” from Politico “How online donations are fueling the election” from Politico Polling in 2024 from Reuters Opinion | “What Departing Lawmakers Think About Congress” from The New York Times “Young US adults reach key milestones later in life than in the past like marriage, full-time job, financial independence” from Pew Research Center Want more “Make Me Smart” in your life? Sigh up for our newsletter at marketplace.org/smarter.

Nope. It’s not just your imagination. The Biden administration has been on a roll to finalize several regulations — from changes at nursing homes and updates to Title IX to health care protections for transgender people. Kimberly explains what’s really behind the mad dash. Also, Kai is back with a reminder: Don’t sleep on the foreign exchange market, folks! And we’ll smile about the tales of two cats. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Biden administration strengthens health care protections for LGBTQ+ Americans” from The 19th News “Congressional Review Act Threat Looms Over Biden Administration Rulemakings” from Inside Privacy “A Strong U.S. Dollar Weighs on the World”from The New York Times “Japan Intervenes After Yen Slides Against the Dollar” from The Wall Street Journal “Nebraska’s “Capitol Cat” brings paw-sitivity to politics” from USA Today “Stowaway Cat Gets From Utah to California in Amazon Returns Package” from The New York Times We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.