Make Me Smart

Hey Smarties! We recorded today’s episode before the House passed a spending package that will end the partial government shutdown. We’re monitoring the situation as it develops.

President Trump has shown no signs of easing his pressure campaign on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. But this could spell trouble for Trump’s pick for Powell’s successor, Kevin Warsh. Marketplace’s Nancy Marshall-Genzer joins Kimberly to explain. Plus, we’ll get into what you should know about Warsh’s history at the Fed and more of the latest news from the central bank.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Trump’s Political Drama With Powell Overshadows Fed Rate Decision" from The New York Times 
"What would Kevin Warsh bring to the Federal Reserve?" from Marketplace
"Fed keeps interest rates unchanged, despite pressure from Trump" from Marketplace
"Trump Needs an Off-Ramp for Powell Feud to Speed Warsh Into Fed" from Bloomberg
"The economic headache that's coming for Kevin Warsh" from Politico

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

The Winter Olympics kick off next week in Milan, Italy. On today’s show, Kimberly is joined by Jackie Wong, self-described skate nerd and host of “The Rocker Skating Podcast” to break down the basics of Olympic figure skating and who to watch at the Milan Cortina Games. Despite the sport’s popularity, figure skaters frequently struggle financially off the ice. We’ll get into it. Plus, you pick: real hockey or “Heated Rivalry”?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Winter Olympics 2026 guide: All you need to know about the Milan Cortina Games" from AP News
"Milan Cortina Olympics: Figure skating could have multiple American golds" from Yahoo Sports
"What Should I Watch at the 2026 Winter Olympics?" from The Cut
"Around 5 billion people - 84 per cent of the potential global audience - followed the Olympic Games Paris 2024" from the International Olympic Committee 
"To Go for the Gold, These Olympians Went Into the Red" from The Wall Street Journal

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

In line with President Trump’s broader crackdown on immigration, the administration has moved to end the Temporary Protected Status program for certain countries including Venezuela and Haiti. TPS has allowed immigrants from countries with unsafe environments to temporarily live and work legally in the United States for decades. On today’s show, Marketplace’s Elizabeth Trovall joins Kimberly to share her recent reporting on Haitian care workers in Florida who will soon lose their legal status and the wider impact it could have on the U.S. economy.

The European Union is still reeling after President Trump’s Davos appearance, even after he walked back some of his Greenland threats. A big question remains: How should the EU deal with Trump going forward? Financial Times correspondent Paola Tamma joins Kimberly from Brussels to explain Europe’s shifting approach to Trump and why officials haven’t yet taken more drastic measures to respond to his economic threats. Could a push to seek alternative trade allies be an antidote?

Tech companies are pouring billions into developing the infrastructure necessary to meet the demand for artificial intelligence. But what does that infrastructure look like on the ground? Marketplace Tech’s Meghan McCarty Carino joins Kimberly to share her takeaways after visiting a variety of data centers and reporting on the surge in AI investment. Plus, we’ll weigh in on microdramas and AI slop during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Inside the relentless race for AI capacity" Financial Times
"Redwood Materials built record grid storage project using old EV batteries" Canary Media
"Just how big is the AI investment wave?" from Reuters
"YouTube says battling ‘AI slop’ is a top priority" from The L.A. Times
"TikTok-like microdramas are going to make billions this year, even though they kind of suck" from Tech Crunch
"Apple to Revamp Siri as a Built-In iPhone, Mac Chatbot to Fend Off OpenAI" from Bloomberg 
"Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT. Here’s How They’ll Work" from Wired

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].