The Supreme Court on Friday chose not to intervene in a case involving President Donald Trump’s firing of an independent agency head. As the case is passed back to the lower courts, it tees up a legal battle that will test the president’s power to dismiss officials. We’ll get into what this could all mean for the Federal Reserve. And, U.S. national parks are being hit by the administration’s purge of the federal workforce. Plus, we’ll weigh in on Birkenstocks, prebiotic sodas and the “White Lotus effect” during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Supreme Court Declines for Now to Let Trump Fire Agency Head” from Bloomberg
•  Post on Bluesky about national park closures
• “Trump administration backtracks on eliminating thousands of national parks employees” from The L.A. Times
• “Firings Squeeze National Parks: ‘You Won’t Have the Full Experience’” from The New York Times
• “Can sandals be art? Birkenstock says yes, but a German court says no” from AP News
• “‘Gut Pop’ Is Injecting New Fizz Into the Beverage Aisle” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Politics are changing how and where consumers spend” from Marketplace
• “The ‘White Lotus effect’ on tourism” from Marketplace
• “Amazon Gains Creative Control Over the James Bond Franchise” from The New York Times

Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Things are getting tense at the Internal Revenue Service. Layoffs are looming smack in the middle of tax season as part of DOGE’s mission to cut the federal workforce. Meanwhile, the commerce secretary says President Donald Trump wants to abolish the agency altogether. Get ready for a Kai rant! Plus, Trump wants to know if there’s still gold at Ft. Knox. No, really! And, finally, we’ll smile about all the good things that have happened to you lately.

Here’s everything we talked about:

• “Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown on list to be possibly removed by Hegseth” by ABC News
• “Commerce Secretary Lutnick: Trump’s goal is to abolish the IRS” from Axios
• “I.R.S. to Begin Laying Off Roughly 6,000 Employees on Thursday” from The New York Times
• Watch: “Trump wants to know if there’s gold in Fort Knox” by AP News
• Watch: “Fmr. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on U.S. gold reserves at Fort Knox” from CNBC Television
• “What to know about Fort Knox’s gold depository that Musk wants audited” from Axios
• “A campus sign said, ‘Tell us something good.’ Students delivered.” by The Washington Post

Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

A growing number of young American consumers say they’re opting out of the economy entirely or pulling back from spending at certain stores over their political views. We’ll explain how this trend could collide with other economic shifts, creating the perfect recipe for a recession. Plus, by popular demand, we unpack a recent feat of nature: beavers successfully taking on civil engineering!

Here’s everything we talked about:

• “Kremlin Message to Trump: There’s Money to Be Made in Russia” from The New York Times

• “A quarter of US shoppers have dumped favorite stores over political stances” by The Guardian

• “NAACP calls for consumers to leverage their purchasing power as some companies pull back from DEI policies” from Marketplace

• “Black faith leaders call for Target boycott over DEI rollback” from The Hill

• “Czech Dam Project Was Stalled by Bureaucracy. Beavers Built Their Own.” from The New York Times

Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Today we’re talking about bird flu. It’s infecting flocks of chickens, causing egg prices to rise across the country, plus herds of dairy cattle and people are getting sick too. And all of this is happening amid sweeping changes at U.S. federal health agencies. The Trump administration has ordered mass firings and limits on public communications at agencies including the Centers for Disease Control, hindering its ability to keep the public informed. On the show today,  Jessica Malaty Rivera, an epidemiologist and science communicator explains the scale of the current bird flu outbreak, how the response in the United States has been disrupted by chaos in the federal government, and why state health systems may struggle to fill the gaps after years of underfunding.

Plus, for one listener, doing something is better than nothing. And, another listener shares how they changed their mind about the value of government work.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Urgent CDC Data and Analyses on Influenza and Bird Flu Go Missing as Outbreaks Escalate” from KFF Health News
• “Mass firings at HHS: Thousands impacted across federal health agencies including CMS, FDA” from Fierce Healthcare
• “RFK Jr. confirmed, elevating anti-vaccine activist to nation’s top health post” from The Washington Post
• “How Trump’s Medical Research Cuts Would Hit Colleges and Hospitals in Every State” from The New York Times
• “The U.S. and the WHO: An Imperfect but Essential Relationship” from Johns Hopkins

What’s something you thought you knew but later found out you were wrong about? Email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Associated Press journalists have been blocked from accessing spaces like the Oval Office after the organization opted not to use the term “Gulf of America.” We’ll unpack the conundrum this creates for other news outlets covering the White House. And, while the GOP eyes spending cuts to key social safety net programs, some Republican representatives are feeling pressure from their constituents. We’ll get into it. Plus, a penny for your thoughts on getting rid of the penny. We’ll weigh in during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Hagan Scotten, Adams’s Lead Prosecutor, Quits Defiantly” from The New York Times
• “Republicans rush to soften Trump’s cuts” from Politico
• “Vulnerable Republican fires warning shot on House budget” from Politico
• “Seeking a Mar-a-Lago Vibe, Trump Considers Paving Over Grass in Rose Garden” from The New York Times
• “White House Will Continue to Bar Associated Press in Gulf of Mexico Fight” from The New York Times
• “Opinion | ‘Gulf of America’ leads to AP removal from Trump White House events” from The Washington Post
• “This Is How Much the Average Couple Spends on Valentine’s Day” from U.S. News
• “Apple and Google Restore TikTok to App Stores in the U.S.” from The New York Times
• “Americans are turning to social media for financial advice” from Marketplace
• “So, This 2000s Denim Trend Is About to Blow Up for Spring 2025” from InStyle
• “What Trump’s Plan to Stop Minting Pennies Means for Consumers” from The Wall Street Journal

Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Elon Musk and his DOGE team have been inside the pipes of the federal government on a mission to cut government spending and root out waste. We know government waste exists. But today, we’ll explain the problem with the way DOGE is going about it. Plus, blue state Republicans and their newfound power! And, stick around for your daily dose of positive news: We’ll hear about some of the good things that have been happening to “Make Me Smart” listeners. (Keep ‘em coming!)

Here’s everything we talked about:

• Watch: Watch live: House DOGE subcommittee holds first hearing on federal spending on YouTube
• “DOGE fight: New subcommittee holds its first House hearing” by Roll Call
• “The Government Waste DOGE Should Be Cutting” from The Atlantic
• Improper Payments and Fraud: How They Are Related but Different from the Government Accountability Office
• Watch: Happening Now: Powell Testifies Before Senate Banking Committee on YouTube
• “What does having the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on hold mean for consumers?” from AP News
• “How blue state Republicans could shape Congressional legislation this year” by Marketplace

Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Throughout the 2024 election campaign, voters kept saying the economy felt bad, even though it looked good on paper. A new report blames that disconnect on the way the government measures the economy — sending economic circles abuzz! We’ll explain what the tizzy is all about. Plus, is the Senate confirmation process for federal officials still useful? And, we’ll smile about the adorableness that is the 149th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Voters Were Right About the Economy. The Data Was Wrong.” from Politico
• Article 2 Section 2 Clause 2 | Constitution Annotated from the Library of Congress
• “Tulsi Gabbard confirmed by Senate as director of national intelligence” from The Washington Post
• “Best of 2025 Masters Agility Championships from Westminster Kennel Club” from Fox Sports
• “In pictures: The 149th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show” from CNN
• “A Spa Day for Louis Before the Westminster Dog Show” from The New York Times
• “Westminster 2025 Preview: Why Can’t Golden Retrievers Win Best in Show?” from The New York Times

Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

If President Donald Trump goes through with his plan to levy sweeping tariffs on foreign imports, it wouldn’t be the first time the U.S. has done such a thing. Ever heard of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930? Anyone? Those tariffs are widely credited with sinking the United States deeper into the Great Depression. And although global trade looks different nowadays, they can teach us a lot about how Trump’s protectionist approach to global trade could play out. On the show today, Inu Manak, a fellow for trade policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, explains how the Smoot-Hawley tariff debacle can shed light on the current moment, why the president has the power to wield tariffs in the first place, and how punishing trading partners could leave the U.S. economy at a disadvantage. Plus, what this fight has to do with the 1980s film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and Roomba vacuum cleaners!

Later, one listener’s call to visit your local butcher. And, dating coach Damona Hoffman, host of the “Dates and Mates” podcast, answers the “Make Me Smart” question just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Tariffs on Trading Partners: Can the President Actually Do That?” from Council on Foreign Relations
• “One Response to Trump’s Tariffs: Trade That Excludes the U.S.” from The New York Times
• “The United States has been disengaging from the global economy” from the Peterson Institute for International Economics
• “Protectionism 100 years ago helped ignite a world war. Could it happen again?” from The Washington Post
• “The US is one of the least trade-oriented countries in the world – despite laying the groundwork for today’s globalized system” from The Conversation

Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

President Donald Trump’s recent steps to remove federal employees is drawing comparisons to government purges during the Red Scare of the 1950s. What’s at stake when government workers are pushed out? We’ll break it down. Plus, we’ll explain why a ruling in one of the lawsuits over Trump’s funding freeze is a biggie. Finally, tell us something good that happened to you lately!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Judge Rules That Trump Administration Defied Order to Unfreeze Billions in Federal Grants” from The New York Times

• “Trump Eases Enforcement of Law Banning Overseas Bribes” by Bloomberg

• “What Happened the Last Time a President Purged the Bureaucracy” from Politico

• “CBS News poll — Trump has positive approval amid ‘energetic’ opening weeks; seen as doing what he promised” by CBS News

• “Second pig kidney transplant successfully completed at Massachusetts General Hospital” from WCVB Channel 5

• “Experimental transplants with organs from gene-edited pigs see major steps forward” from CNN

• “A campus sign said ‘Tell us something good.’ Students delivered.” by The Washington Post

Tell us something good that happened to you recently! Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

President Donald Trump has fired dozens of government officials since he took office. The latest is the chair of the Federal Election Commission. But is any of this legal? We’ll get into it. Plus: A “Make Me Smart” alum shares the trauma of losing his home in the Los Angeles fires. Finally, we’ll wrap with a dose of uplifting news (thanks to you!) and a round of our favorite game, Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Democratic FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub says Trump fired her. She says it’s not  legal.” from CBS News

• “Trump Illegally Attempts to Fire Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub” from Campaign Legal Center

• “How to Watch All the 2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films” by Town & Country magazine

• “2025 Trans Girl Scouts To Order Cookies From!” by Erin in the Morning

• “The Trauma of Losing Your Home in the Eaton Fire” from The New York Times

• “A Los Angeles-area developer gives advice on rebuilding after the fires” from Marketplace

Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Elon Musk and the rest of the DOGE gang have been inside the guts of the federal government attempting to shut down agencies and gain access to the Treasury Department’s main payment system. We’ll discuss the constitutionality of it all and why some members of Congress may be reluctant to say it like it is. Plus, the toy business is paying attention to prices as Trump threatens trade war. And, AI is making a splash at the 2025 Super Bowl.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• Watch: “Rep. Khanna: If Elon Musk finds fraud or wasteful spending, come to Congress and force a vote on it” by CNBC Television

• “Is the way Trump and Musk are running the economy even legal?” by Marketplace

• “Trump admin agrees to limit DOGE access to Treasury payments system” from Axios

• “Musk DOGE agents access sensitive personnel data, alarming officials” by The Washington Post

• “U.S. nonprofits still reeling from federal funding freeze” from Marketplace

• 2024 Q4 Earnings Call from Alphabet Investor Relations

• “Mattel may hike prices for Barbie, Hot Wheels and other toys after Trump tariffs” by CBS News

• “Fast fashion, laptops and toys are likely to cost more due to US tariffs on Chinese imports” from AP News
• Watch: Act Like You Know :60 | GoDaddy Super Bowl Commercial 2025 on YouTube

• “Super Bowl to feature AI product ads from Big Tech” 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.