Make Me Smart

Many TikTok users are joining apps such as RedNote and Lemon8 in anticipation of a TikTok ban in the United States. The problem? They’re also Chinese-owned. We’ll get into how this could turn into a headache for Congress. Then, we’ll unpack Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s climate change comments at his confirmation hearing and how people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles are being impacted by the current fires in a unique way. Plus, a farewell hallucinogenic mushroom story from outgoing Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Some of the possible alternatives to TikTok have their own problems” from Marketplace “Trump considers executive order hoping to ‘save TikTok’ from ban or sale in U.S. law” from The Washington Post “With TikTok ban looming, ByteDance has a backup plan” from Marketplace “Where Gaetz and Hegseth stand on climate change” from Politico “The Changing Threat” from Marketplace’s “How We Survive” “As thousands flee LA fires, disaster poses unique challenges for the unhoused” from Marketplace “How the LA fires could exacerbate California’s homelessness crisis” from CalMatters “‘It Was Ok” – Sec. Janet Yellen On Trying Marijuana For The First Time” from “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

President Biden today announced a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the war in Gaza. This comes as Biden is making a string of policy decisions to make it harder for the incoming administration to undo his legacy. We’ll explain. And, when the world feels like too much, how do we cope? Plus, a touching photo essay that zooms in on the work of hospice nurses makes us smile. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza ceasefire deal, senior U.S. official says: Live updates” from The Washington Post “Biden Races to Cement His Legacy Through a Series of Actions” from The New York Times “Introduction: ‘Those Who Have Made Death Their Life'” from The Daily Yonder “Justice Alito Asks If You Can Read Pornhub for the Articles” from The Cut “We Asked the Math Tutor Who Posts His Lessons on Pornhub: Why?” from Vice We love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The Los Angeles fires are a warning to all of us. Over the past week, lives, homes, businesses and entire communities have been lost in what’s expected to be among the nation’s costliest disasters ever. But with more than one-third of the U.S. population living in counties with high wildfire risk, this begs the question: Should lots of people relocate? Crystal Kolden, director of the Fire Resilience Center at the University of California at Merced and a former wildland firefighter, said abandoning these places isn’t the only option. On the show today, Kolden explains why the L.A. fires have been so tough to put out, why wildfires are different from other natural disasters like hurricanes and floods, and how devastated communities can rebuild in a way that makes them more resilient to future fires. Later, a listener shares a teamwork approach to cleaning up after a house party. And, Brad Stulberg, author of “Master of Change,” was wrong about how to find motivation. Here’s everything we talked about today: “L.A. Fires Show Limits of America’s Efforts to Cope With Climate Change” from The New York Times “Column: Recovery will be tempered by hard decisions and, if we aren’t careful, inequality” from The L.A. Times “Palisades and other Southern California fires could be most expensive in US history” from LAist “More People Are Living in the Riskiest Wildfire Zones” from Bloomberg “‘Zone Zero’ Mandates Near Completion for High Wildfire Risk Areas” from the Sierra Club “‘Conditions’ should be placed on California wildfire aid: House Speaker Mike Johnson” from USA Today We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at [email protected].

As wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles, some wealthy residents are shelling out thousands each day to hire private firefighters to protect their homes and businesses. But some argue that the market for these private crews diminishes public firefighting resources. We’ll get into it. And, renowned science fiction author Octavia Butler predicted many of our modern problems, including catastrophic wildfires. We’ll explain how looking to the past helped her write about the future. Plus, Kimberly gives us some advice for throwing better parties in 2025. Here’s everything we talked about today: “‘Will Pay Any Amount’: Private Firefighters Are in Demand in L.A.” from The New York Times “I Will Pay Any Amount to Not Pay My Taxes” from McSweeney’s Internet Tendency “N.K. Jemisin on the prescience and brilliance of Parable of the Sower” from New Scientist “A Few Rules For Predicting The Future by Octavia E. Butler” from Common Good Collective “The LA Fires Aren’t a Surprise If You Study History and Climate Change. So Now What?” from Teen Vogue “Americans Need to Party More” from The Atlantic “Here’s how single women are successfully navigating an otherwise brutal market for first-time homebuyers” from Business Insider We love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.