Hey Smarties! Today we’re sharing an episode from “Million Bazillion,” a Marketplace podcast that answers kids’ questions about money. This episode tackles a question many of you might have too: What’s a recession? To get to the bottom of it, hosts Bridget and Ryan take an adventure-filled trip to the Federal Reserve, where they bump into Fed Chair Jerome Powell (who might sound a bit like Kai Ryssdal).

We’ll be back with new episodes next week. Until then, if you’ve got a question, comment or submission for a state drink, send them our way. We’re at 508-UB-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2023. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2024 and beyond. Give now to support Make Me Smart. Thank you so much for your generosity, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year.

Today, we’re talking about two topics near and dear to our hearts: space and economics.

Over the last several years, NASA’s Artemis program and the commercialization of space have given rise to a large and growing space economy. How large?

“It’s about $400 billion. By 2030 it is estimated to become about $1 trillion,” said Namrata Goswami, a scholar on space policy and co-author of the book “Scramble for the Skies: The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space.” “We also include a space economy to come in the next 20 to 30 years which includes the ‘in-space economy,’ so the economy that would be developed in space itself, which would result in a trillion-dollar economy by 2040.”

On the show, Goswami explains the state of the space economy, how the space industry has evolved, and the need for updated international space regulations if we’re really serious about going to Mars. Plus, why retiring on the moon in Kimberly’s lifetime might not be such a far-fetched idea.

In the News Fix: In the first few months of the year, the largest U.S. banks wrote off billions of dollars in bad consumer loans. While not unusual, it could it be a sign of a slowing economy. And could we be nearing the end of the barcode as we know it?

Later, listeners share the many ways they use ChatGPT. And this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question got us thinking about the images (or lack thereof) in our heads.

Note: Fox News reached a settlement in the defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems after this show was recorded.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Among the goals of Artemis I: launching the lunar economy” from Marketplace

• • “The Commercial Space Age Is Here” from Harvard Business Review

• • “QR-style ‘2D barcodes’ will revolutionize retail as we know it” from Axios

• • “Fox News, Dominion reach settlement” from The Washington Post

• • “Fox News and Dominion reach a settlement” from NBC News

• • “Biggest US banks write off $3.4 billion in bad consumer loans” from Bloomberg

• • “More US consumers are falling behind on payments” from Reuters

Got a question for our hosts? Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org. Or leave us a voice message at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.

Hey Smarties! Today we’re handing things over to the team at “The Uncertain Hour,” a podcast all about the obscure policies and forgotten histories that explain who gets left behind in this economy. In the episode, host Krissy Clark explains the origins of welfare work requirements and gets into the experience of a mother who sought help from a for-profit welfare company when she came upon hard times.

Give now to support Make Me Smart in the new year and beyond!

Hey Smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2023. We can’t do this show without you, and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2024 and beyond. Give now to support “Make Me Smart.”

Thank you so much for your generosity. Happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year!

What can Jell-O tell us about the United States during the Gilded Age? What about Spam during World War II?

According to Anna Zeide, food historian and author of the new book “US History in 15 Foods,” they can tell us a lot about the evolution of American values, government — and of course, the American economy.

“We all have to eat every day, and nothing else we do can really happen without food. And yet, at the same time, I think because of how mundane it becomes in its dailiness, it recedes to the back of our, kind of, concentrated thought. And we don’t spend all that much time thinking about how central it is both to our daily lives as well as to historical events,” Zeide said.

On the show today, Zeide walks us through the history baked into food items from all-American whiskey to Korean tacos. And, why food is often much more than something we simply eat.

In the News Fix, we remember Judy Heumann, an activist who championed crucial pieces of disability rights legislation. Also, eyes are on Walgreens after the company said it would stop dispensing abortion pills in some Republican-led states where abortion is still legal. Plus, we’ll get into why some women in high-level positions are too burned out to stay in the workforce.

Later, a listener sings us a song inspired by Marketplace’s Nova Safo. And this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from a listener who was wrong about dancing.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • Anna Zeide’s “US History in 15 Foods”

• • “Remembering Judy Heumann’s lasting contributions to disability rights” from PBS Newshour

• • “Walgreens in the hot seat” from Politico

• • “California to not do business with Walgreens over abortion pills issue, Governor says” from Reuters

• • default-economy.html">“Debt Default Would Cripple U.S. Economy, New Analysis Warns” from The New York Times

• • “Female Execs Are Exhausted, Frustrated and Heading for the Exits” from Bloomberg

What have you been wrong about lately? We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question! Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART, and your submission may be featured in a future episode.

The Golden Bachelor reality dating series has been a big hit this Fall. These kinds of reality TV shows are relatively cheap to produce, but at what cost? Today we’re bringing you an episode of Marketplace’s “This Is Uncomfortable” that gets into the economics of the reality TV industry for contestants and creators alike, and the real life financial and emotional consequences for the stars of the show.

Give now to support Make Me Smart in the new year and beyond!

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2023. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2024 and beyond. Give now to support Make Me Smart. Thank you so much for your generosity, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year.

Americans love to eat meat. Last year alone, the average American ate 227 pounds poultry, pork and beef. But meat production comes with its own set of ethical and environmental consequences. So how do we get around these concerns? Dozens of startups say they’ve got the answer: lab-grown meat.

Growing beef or chicken in a lab out of a few tiny animal cells may sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, something that will happen far off in the future, but with nearly $3 billion invested in the lab-grown meat industry, that future may already be near.

“I think that that the supermarket, like tackling a Safeway or Kroger, I think that is easily five to 10 years away. The FDA has already given it a green light. They said it is safe to eat, which means that it is one step closer to being in a restaurant,” says Larissa Zimberoff, a journalist and author of “Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat.”

On the show today, Zimberoff explains how meat is grown in a lab, why companies are banking on it as a solution to our omnivore’s dilemma, and the challenges that lie ahead for the growing industry. Plus, is lab-grown food here to stay?

In the News Fix: We have a deal on the debt ceiling. After weeks of back and forth, President Joe Biden and House Republicans have struck a tentative deal to raise the debt limit. We get into what it all means, and why the negotiating might not be over.

Later, a listener weighs in on retailer return policies, and our beloved intern gets creative with his answer to the Make Me Smart question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Will I See Lab-Grown Meat in Supermarkets Any Time Soon?” from Bon Appétit

• • “Lab-Grown Meat’s Carbon Footprint Potentially Worse Than Retail Beef” from the University of California, Davis

• • “Silicon Valley Is Coming for Your Chocolate” from The Atlantic

• • “Inside the Battle Between Big Ag and Lab-Grown Meat” from The New Republic

• • “Here’s what’s in the debt ceiling deal” from CNN

• • “What’s in the Debt-Ceiling Deal” from The Wall Street Journal

• • “Defiant House Rejects Huge Bailout; Next Step Is Uncertain” from The New York Times

• • “House Passes Bailout Bill in 263-171 Vote” from The New York Times

We love to hear from you. Send us your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Today we’re bringing you an episode from the latest season of “How We Survive,” Marketplace’s climate solutions podcast. In the episode, host Amy Scott and the “How We Survive” crew explore how communities in the Southwest are using technology to reimagine how the region manages its drought-stricken water supply. It turns out that water is everywhere. And it can be sourced in unexpected ways.

We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2024 and beyond. Give now to support “Make Me Smart.” 

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2023. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2024 and beyond. Give now to support Make Me Smart. Thank you so much for your generosity, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year.

It’s time to air out some of fast fashion’s dirty laundry. Recently, fast-fashion retailer Shein was in the headlines over a paid influencer trip to one of its factories in China. It’s also facing allegations that range from labor rights abuses to high levels of carbon emissions.

Sustainable-fashion writer Alden Wicker’s new book, “To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick” documents another gritty side of the industry: the toxic chemicals used to make the clothing many companies sell.

As it turns out, there aren’t many laws in the U.S. to prevent those chemicals from ending up in our clothes.

“It’s a pretty untenable situation that we’re putting this all on consumers who largely do not have a degree in chemistry to protect themselves from what we know are hazardous chemicals,” Wicker said.

On the show today, Wicker explains why harmful chemicals are in our clothing, how flight attendants became a breakthrough case for toxic clothing and how more regulation could help ensure safer practices in the fashion industry. Plus, what consumers can do to reduce their exposure.

Then, more on harmful chemicals: A recent study found a type of “forever chemical” is uncomfortably common in the U.S. water supply. And, the pending merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard got a big push forward from a federal judge this week. We’ll get into why the decision is a major blow to the Federal Trade Commission.

Later, a listener shares an adorable cartoon that has Kimberly Adams written all over it. Plus, this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question is a lesson on the power of language.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Shein, the fast-fashion giant, hits roadblocks” from The Washington Post

• • “Are your clothes making you sick? The opaque world of chemicals in fashion” from The Guardian

• • “The incredible story of how hatmakers really did ‘go mad’ 300 years ago” from Business Insider

• • “Influencers are under fire for praising working conditions in Shein’s clothing factory despite abuse allegations” from NBC News

• • “Toxic Chemicals in Shein and Other Fast Fashion Clothing” from Insider

• • “What Is Prop 65? And Why Is There a Warning Label on This Thing I Bought?” from The New York Times

• • “How to remove PFAS — aka forever chemicals — from drinking water” from Vox

• • “Tap water study detects PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ across the US” from U.S. Geological Survey

• • “Microsoft Can Close Its $75 Billion Buy of Activision Blizzard, Judge Rules” from The Wall Street Journal

• • ‘“USA Geography” Features Humorous Illustrations Of Each State” from Bored Panda

• • “The Slowdown” podcast from APM

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.

For our final episode of 2023, we’re throwing a holiday party with music, festive fascinator hats and drinks. We’ll also get to some big medical news: For the first time, the FDA approved gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease, which affects mostly Black people in the United States. And, the head of OPEC is meddling in climate talks at COP28. Plus, we’ll play a holiday-themed round of our favorite game, Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • cop28-climate-oil.html?smid=url-share">“OPEC Leader Tells Members to Block Any Climate Summit Deal to Curb Fossil Fuels” from The New York Times

• • “FDA Approves Breakthrough Sickle Cell Disease Gene Therapies” from HuffPost

• • “US FDA approves two gene therapies for sickle cell disease” from Reuters

• • “After living with sickle cell disease for 39 years, I’m both excited and skeptical about the newly approved gene therapies” from Stat News

• • “Buy now, pay later hit an all-time high on Cyber Monday” from Marketplace

• • elephant-gift-party.html">“A Brief History of the White Elephant Party” from The New York Times

• • “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Wore Squirrel Sweaters, Maybe” from Marie Claire

• • “Amazon Is Packed with Festive Outdoor Christmas Decorations” from People

• • “How to get through a holiday party at work without embarrassing yourself” from NPR

We’ll be back with new episodes on Jan. 8. Until then, if you’ve got a question, comment or submission for a state drink, send them our way. We’re at 508-UB-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

President Biden has asked Congress to pass a hefty aid package for the war in Ukraine and other defense initiatives, but the funding can’t seem to get through the Senate. We’ll hear the president implore lawmakers to act swiftly and get into why the package is being held up. Plus, the ballet of federal regulators and Wall Street banks continues. And, Google introduced its new AI model called Gemini. Among other capabilities, it can see!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “As Ukraine aid falters in the Senate, Biden signals he’s willing to make a deal on border security” from AP News

• • “Is a recession on the horizon? More bank CEOs think so” from CNN Business

• • “Introducing Gemini: Google’s most capable AI model yet” from Google

• • Video: “Hands-on with Gemini: Interacting with multimodal AI” on YouTube

• • “Tommy Tuberville ends blockade of 400 military promotions” from The Guardian

Join us tomorrow for our last Economics on Tap of 2023! 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.