Make Me Smart

Meta’s new Threads became the most quickly downloaded app on Wednesday, its opening day. Twitter’s not thrilled about it. We’ll get into why folks may or may not gravitate toward the app and whether any of the “new Twitters” can become a true social media hub. And, could a scandal involving a celebrated behavioral science researcher impact the way we engage with pop science? Plus, guest host Reema Khrais leads us in a new game.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Twitter is threatening to sue Meta over Threads” from Semafor
• • “All the red flags in the Threads privacy policy” from Quartz
• • “Meta’s Threads Proves That Social Media Cannot Die” from The Atlantic
• • “The Harvard Expert on Dishonesty Who Is Accused of Lying” from The Atlantic
• • This week’s newsletter from Marketplace’s “This Is Uncomfortable”

Got a question about the economy, business or technology for the hosts? Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at [email protected].

This year alone, lawmakers in more than two dozen states have introduced or passed legislation in favor of ranked choice voting systems, where voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballot.

Advocates sing the praises of ranked-choice elections, claiming it could be an antidote to the United States’ extreme political polarization. Others say switching to a new voting system would be too complicated for voters.

On the show today, Maresa Strano, deputy director of political reform at New America, unpacks ranked choice voting: what it does well, where it falls short, and what our voting systems have to do with the broader economy.

Then, a new strategy for wiping out medical debt is catching the attention of some local governments. And we’ll get into why mixed signals about the U.S. economy are complicating things for the Biden campaign.

Later, a listener shares how they learned the difficulty of farm work firsthand. Plus, this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart Question comes from sci-fi writer Andy Weir, author of “The Martian.”

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “How Ranked-Choice Voting Works” from The New York Times
• • “What We Know About Ranked-Choice Voting” from New America
• • “The Hottest Political Reform of the Moment Gains Ground” from Politico
• • “RCV is Neither Panacea nor Catastrophe for Minority Representation” from New America
• • “Oregon becomes the latest state to put ranked choice voting on the ballot” from NBC News
• • “U.S. Incomes Fall for Third Straight Year” from The Wall Street Journal
• • “A new way to tackle medical debt gains traction.” from The Washington Post

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makem[email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Despite a long period of relative stagnation, nuclear power has remained the quiet backbone of the United States’ clean energy supply for decades. Now, the Joe Biden administration wants more from the sector as the country hustles to meet ambitious emissions goals.

Jigar Shah, the director of the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office, said nuclear energy will only become more critical as demand for electricity surges over the next 20 years.

On the show today, Shah makes us smart about how much the country relies on nuclear energy. We’ll also discuss lessons learned from building the first nuclear reactor from scratch in decades, and how the industry plans to win over Americans who are concerned about safety and toxic waste.

Then, we’ll get into the high stakes of today’s vote for speaker of the House of Representatives. And Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink is part of geopolitical conversation yet again, this time in Israel.

Later, we’ll hear from a teacher about the expectations that educators pay for classroom supplies themselves. And this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from Kai Bird, co-author of “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.”

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Nuclear power is having a resurgence” from Axios
• • “Utilities Want to Convert Coal Plants to Nuclear; Skeptics Abound” from The Wall Street Journal
• • “New Georgia reactor shows benefits and costs of nuclear power” from Marketplace
• • “Study identifies reasons for soaring nuclear plant cost overruns in the U.S.” from MIT News
• • “Advanced Nuclear – Pathways to Commercial Liftoff” from The Department of Energy
• • “NRC Certifies First U.S. Small Modular Reactor Design” from The Department of Energy
• • “Playbook: Jim Jordan’s day of reckoning” from Politico
• • “Google, Amazon, Apple could see antitrust bills put on hold if Jim Jordan is House speaker” from CNBC
• • “Israel Latest: Musk’s Starlink Approached as Biden Readies Trip” from Bloomberg

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makem[email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

It’s college football season, and if you’re having a hard time keeping up with all the changes, you’re not alone. This week, the Atlantic Coast Conference decided to go bicoastal by adding schools really far from, well, the Atlantic Coast. We’ll explain what this is all about (spoiler: money). Plus, why a new Biden administration proposal to increase staffing at nursing homes could make a big difference. Then we’ll play a game of Half Full/Half Empty and discuss why finding love might be coming with a bigger price tag.

Here’s everything we talked about:

• • “Nursing Homes Must Boost Staffing Under First-Ever National Standards” from The Wall Street Journal
• • “ACC adds Stanford, Cal, SMU as new members beginning 2024-25” from ESPN
• • “Return to office means the return of the business meal” from Marketplace
• • “Beyoncé and Taylor Swift fans turn to fast fashion for concert attire” from Marketplace
• • “Dating apps flirt with premium subscriptions” from Marketplace
• • “The U.S. is no longer world’s leading exporter of corn” from Marketplace
• • “Here’s when Labor Day weekend travel is expected to hit its peak” from AP News

Next Friday is our 1,000th episode! We want to hear about your favorite moments, episodes or guests in Make Me Smart history. Call us at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

The Spanish women’s national team won it’s first World Cup! But the celebration has been bittersweet after Spain’s soccer chief kissed a player on the lips and is refusing to step down. We’ll discuss the fallout and what the team is doing to oust Luis Rubiales. Plus, we’ll play a game of Half Full / Half Empty with guest host Amy Scott weighing in on how LinkedIn is actually cool? But pumpkin spice lattes in August — maybe not so much.

Here’s everything we talked about:

• • “Facebook settlement claims are due Aug. 25. How to apply for a payout” from The Washington Post
• • “What’s the point of class-action lawsuits?” from Marketplace
• • “Spanish Soccer Chief Rubiales Refuses to Resign Over World Cup Kiss” from The New York Times
• • “Are American malls back from the brink?” from Marketplace
• • “Will New York City’s Airbnb crackdown make housing more affordable?” from Marketplace
• • “Subway sale could lead to closures and international expansion” from Marketplace
• • “Instagram, Twitter and TikTok Upheavals Are Helping LinkedIn” from Bloomberg
• • “Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte Returns Thursday—A Week After Dunkin’ And A Full Month Before Fall” from Forbes

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].