Podcasts about whadda ya wanna know wednesday

Federal student loan forbearance is set to expire at the end of September. There was a lot of talk at the start of the year of the Biden administration forgiving some amount of student loan debt, and one listener wants to know: What happened with all that? We’ll attempt to figure out the answer on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, plus more of your questions about the doctor shortage and the longevity of phone and electric car batteries. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Broken iPhone? Stalled Tractor? FTC Wants to Make It Easier to Fix Them” from The Wall Street Journal “The Fix Is In” from United States Public Interest Research Group “Electric Car Battery Life: Everything You Need to Know” from Car and Driver “Tesla and the science behind the next-generation, lower-cost, ‘million-mile' electric-car battery” from CNBC “Millions of electric cars are coming. What happens to all the dead batteries?” from Science “Biden has canceled $1.5 billion in student loan debt so far. It doesn't mean broad forgiveness will come soon” from CNBC “Student loan borrowers may get more time without having to make payments” also from CNBC “Miguel Cardona's Education Priorities: Addressing Disparities, Student Loans, Pre-K and More” from the Education Writers Association And, of course, our episode on the student loan system “The Covid-19 relief bill created 1,000 more residency slots for new doctors. Wealthy hospitals should be last in line to get them” from Stat News “What would rural health care from a discount retailer look like?” from “Marketplace Morning Report” “Out here, it’s just me: In the medical desert of rural America, one doctor for 11,000 square miles” from The Washington Post Our show needs your voice! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for our hosts to answer! Send a voice memo or give us a call at 508-82-SMART (508-827-6278). Join us on YouTube Fridays at 3:30 p.m. Pacific/6:30 p.m. Eastern for our live happy hour episode! Subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don't miss it.

Federal student loan forbearance is set to expire at the end of September. There was a lot of talk at the start of the year of the Biden administration forgiving some amount of student loan debt, and one listener wants to know: What happened with all that? We’ll attempt to figure out the answer on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, plus more of your questions about the doctor shortage and the longevity of phone and electric car batteries. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Broken iPhone? Stalled Tractor? FTC Wants to Make It Easier to Fix Them” from The Wall Street Journal “The Fix Is In” from United States Public Interest Research Group “Electric Car Battery Life: Everything You Need to Know” from Car and Driver “Tesla and the science behind the next-generation, lower-cost, ‘million-mile' electric-car battery” from CNBC “Millions of electric cars are coming. What happens to all the dead batteries?” from Science “Biden has canceled $1.5 billion in student loan debt so far. It doesn't mean broad forgiveness will come soon” from CNBC “Student loan borrowers may get more time without having to make payments” also from CNBC “Miguel Cardona's Education Priorities: Addressing Disparities, Student Loans, Pre-K and More” from the Education Writers Association And, of course, our episode on the student loan system “The Covid-19 relief bill created 1,000 more residency slots for new doctors. Wealthy hospitals should be last in line to get them” from Stat News “What would rural health care from a discount retailer look like?” from “Marketplace Morning Report” “Out here, it’s just me: In the medical desert of rural America, one doctor for 11,000 square miles” from The Washington Post Our show needs your voice! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for our hosts to answer! Send a voice memo or give us a call at 508-82-SMART (508-827-6278). Join us on YouTube Fridays at 3:30 p.m. Pacific/6:30 p.m. Eastern for our live happy hour episode! Subscribe to our channel and sign up for notifications so you don't miss it.

One of our listeners noticed that the Coinstar machine at her local grocery store is dealing in bitcoins now, and she’s wondering how that works. We’ll talk about the how and the why of bitcoin ATMs on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, more listener questions and comments about the restaurant business, cicadas and good ol’ fashioned stocks. Here’s everything we talked about today: “As Diners Return, Restaurants Face a New Hurdle: Finding Workers” from The New York Times “A labor shortage is forcing chains like Subway and Dunkin’ to cut hours, close dining rooms, and push employees to work harder than ever” from Insider “Bitcoin ATMs are coming to a gas station near you” from Reuters “What Happens to the Stock of a Company That Goes Bankrupt?” from Investopedia “What Happens To My Stock When The Company Gets Acquired?” from Benzinga

One of our listeners noticed that the Coinstar machine at her local grocery store is dealing in bitcoins now, and she’s wondering how that works. We’ll talk about the how and the why of bitcoin ATMs on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, more listener questions and comments about the restaurant business, cicadas and good ol’ fashioned stocks. Here’s everything we talked about today: “As Diners Return, Restaurants Face a New Hurdle: Finding Workers” from The New York Times “A labor shortage is forcing chains like Subway and Dunkin’ to cut hours, close dining rooms, and push employees to work harder than ever” from Insider “Bitcoin ATMs are coming to a gas station near you” from Reuters “What Happens to the Stock of a Company That Goes Bankrupt?” from Investopedia “What Happens To My Stock When The Company Gets Acquired?” from Benzinga

Texans are being hit with massive electric bills after last week’s winter storm knocked out much of the state’s grid, which is primarily powered by natural gas. You might not know that many of the data centers mining for cryptocurrency in this country also run on natural gas. On today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re digging into Texas’ unregulated energy market and Bitcoin’s carbon footprint. Plus your questions about stock trading and stonktails. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Can Texans protect themselves from their sky-high energy bills?” from Marketplace “Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation” from The Wall Street Journal “GameStop Mania Highlights Shift to Dark Trading” from The Wall Street Journal “Tesla’s $1.5 billion bitcoin purchase clashes with its environmental aspirations” from The Verge Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on her Bitcoin doubts A couple pieces on Bitcoin and natural gas “We try your “GameStonk”-inspired cocktails” from “Make Me Smart”

Texans are being hit with massive electric bills after last week’s winter storm knocked out much of the state’s grid, which is primarily powered by natural gas. You might not know that many of the data centers mining for cryptocurrency in this country also run on natural gas. On today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re digging into Texas’ unregulated energy market and Bitcoin’s carbon footprint. Plus your questions about stock trading and stonktails. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Can Texans protect themselves from their sky-high energy bills?” from Marketplace “Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation” from The Wall Street Journal “GameStop Mania Highlights Shift to Dark Trading” from The Wall Street Journal “Tesla’s $1.5 billion bitcoin purchase clashes with its environmental aspirations” from The Verge Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on her Bitcoin doubts A couple pieces on Bitcoin and natural gas “We try your “GameStonk”-inspired cocktails” from “Make Me Smart”

Speeches were made, the parade’s all done and President Joe Biden got to work this afternoon, signing 17 executive orders and other memos. But who pays for all the festivities on Inauguration Day, especially with the heightened security just two weeks after the pro-Trump siege at the Capitol? That’s just one of the questions we’re answering on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus: Clubhouse and Section 230. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Will Capitol attack hike security costs for Biden inauguration?” from Marketplace “How Much Will the Inauguration Cost, and Who’s Paying?” from the New York Times “Speech on the internet: The First Amendment and Section 230 are different” from Marketplace

Speeches were made, the parade’s all done and President Joe Biden got to work this afternoon, signing 17 executive orders and other memos. But who pays for all the festivities on Inauguration Day, especially with the heightened security just two weeks after the pro-Trump siege at the Capitol? That’s just one of the questions we’re answering on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus: Clubhouse and Section 230. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Will Capitol attack hike security costs for Biden inauguration?” from Marketplace “How Much Will the Inauguration Cost, and Who’s Paying?” from the New York Times “Speech on the internet: The First Amendment and Section 230 are different” from Marketplace

The right-wing social media app Parler has been banned by the major app stores and online hosting services over fears of more violence in the lead-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Still, it’s looking like the company is trying to restart itself, and we have a listener wondering what’s next. We’ll talk about it on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Also on the docket: savings rates, stagflation, and “Ted Lasso.” Here’s everything we talked about today: “Why Stagflation Is Back on Some Traders’ Radars” from the Washington Post “Consumer inflation surges in December on higher gas prices, CPI finds” from MarketWatch “Gasoline pushes U.S. consumer prices higher in December” from CNBC “Parler Registers Domain With Epik Hosting Service” from TheWrap “Parler Accuses Amazon of Breaking Antitrust Law in Suspending Hosting Services” from The New York Times More on Parler in this Twitter thread Kai’s interview with Fed President Jay Powell from 2018

The right-wing social media app Parler has been banned by the major app stores and online hosting services over fears of more violence in the lead-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Still, it’s looking like the company is trying to restart itself, and we have a listener wondering what’s next. We’ll talk about it on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Also on the docket: savings rates, stagflation, and “Ted Lasso.” Here’s everything we talked about today: “Why Stagflation Is Back on Some Traders’ Radars” from the Washington Post “Consumer inflation surges in December on higher gas prices, CPI finds” from MarketWatch “Gasoline pushes U.S. consumer prices higher in December” from CNBC “Parler Registers Domain With Epik Hosting Service” from TheWrap “Parler Accuses Amazon of Breaking Antitrust Law in Suspending Hosting Services” from The New York Times More on Parler in this Twitter thread Kai’s interview with Fed President Jay Powell from 2018

We’ve got some really memorable calls from listeners today, y’all. There’s the guy who’s staring down a huge milestone in his life, but can’t stop thinking about eggnog. There’s the listener who asked us to stop and reflect on this crazy year. And, of course, there’s a question about vaccines. We’ll talk about it all on this, our last Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday of the year. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Hospitals Discover a Surprise in Their Vaccine Deliveries: Extra Doses” from The New York Times “What if the US just pays everyone $1,000 to take the Covid-19 vaccine?” from Vox “Why Paying People to Be Vaccinated Could Backfire” from The New York Times Make Me Smart is powered by listeners like you — become a Marketplace Investor today!

We’ve got some really memorable calls from listeners today, y’all. There’s the guy who’s staring down a huge milestone in his life, but can’t stop thinking about eggnog. There’s the listener who asked us to stop and reflect on this crazy year. And, of course, there’s a question about vaccines. We’ll talk about it all on this, our last Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday of the year. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Hospitals Discover a Surprise in Their Vaccine Deliveries: Extra Doses” from The New York Times “What if the US just pays everyone $1,000 to take the Covid-19 vaccine?” from Vox “Why Paying People to Be Vaccinated Could Backfire” from The New York Times Make Me Smart is powered by listeners like you — become a Marketplace Investor today!

We’ve been talking a lot about coronavirus vaccines on the show lately, and for good reason. But it’s also the holiday season, so for this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re tackling a perennial question: What’s better for the environment, real or fake Christmas trees? Plus we’ll talk about solar power and bring in a ringer to talk about a certain logo Kai can’t stand. But first, yes, a little more about vaccines. Here’s everything we talked about today: “A Vaccine Is Coming: Can Employers Require Employees to Take it?” from The National Law Review “Yes, your boss can fire you if you refuse to get a Covid vaccine” from CNBC “Pandemic Is Ray of Light for Solar Industry” from The Wall Street Journal “What’s greener: a real Christmas tree or a fake one?” from Marketplace “Christmas tree sales are booming as pandemic-weary Americans seek solace.” from The New York Times Make Me Smart is powered by listeners like you — become a Marketplace Investor today!

We’ve been talking a lot about coronavirus vaccines on the show lately, and for good reason. But it’s also the holiday season, so for this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re tackling a perennial question: What’s better for the environment, real or fake Christmas trees? Plus we’ll talk about solar power and bring in a ringer to talk about a certain logo Kai can’t stand. But first, yes, a little more about vaccines. Here’s everything we talked about today: “A Vaccine Is Coming: Can Employers Require Employees to Take it?” from The National Law Review “Yes, your boss can fire you if you refuse to get a Covid vaccine” from CNBC “Pandemic Is Ray of Light for Solar Industry” from The Wall Street Journal “What’s greener: a real Christmas tree or a fake one?” from Marketplace “Christmas tree sales are booming as pandemic-weary Americans seek solace.” from The New York Times Make Me Smart is powered by listeners like you — become a Marketplace Investor today!

We say it again and again: The stock market is not the economy. Well right now, the economy is trying to limp out of a coronavirus recession, and the Dow just hit 30,000. Our listener wants to know: What does that even mean? For this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll give you a quick refresher. Plus, we’ll answer your questions about tax season and the difference between Janet Yellen’s old job and her (potential) new job. We gotta make it quick, because guest host Marielle Segarra hasn’t done her Thanksgiving grocery shopping yet. Here’s a list of everything we talked about today: “The pandemic-resistant Dow Jones Industrial Average” from Marketplace Morning Report “Here’s what you need to know about paying taxes on unemployment benefits” from CNBC “The K-shaped recovery is getting worse” from the Washington Post “Mnuchin Plans to Put $455 Billion Beyond Yellen’s Easy Reach” from Bloomberg Revisit Kai’s interview with Janet Yellen from last year. >We’re off tomorrow and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. See you next week! Stay safe out there.

We say it again and again: The stock market is not the economy. Well right now, the economy is trying to limp out of a coronavirus recession, and the Dow just hit 30,000. Our listener wants to know: What does that even mean? For this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll give you a quick refresher. Plus, we’ll answer your questions about tax season and the difference between Janet Yellen’s old job and her (potential) new job. We gotta make it quick, because guest host Marielle Segarra hasn’t done her Thanksgiving grocery shopping yet. Here’s a list of everything we talked about today: “The pandemic-resistant Dow Jones Industrial Average” from Marketplace Morning Report “Here’s what you need to know about paying taxes on unemployment benefits” from CNBC “The K-shaped recovery is getting worse” from the Washington Post “Mnuchin Plans to Put $455 Billion Beyond Yellen’s Easy Reach” from Bloomberg Revisit Kai’s interview with Janet Yellen from last year. >We’re off tomorrow and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. See you next week! Stay safe out there.

The 2000 election isn’t a particularly great analogue to the Trump campaign’s legal challenges here in 2020, but it can help us better understand presidential transitions — because George W. Bush had the shortest one ever. We discussed the transfer of power on yesterday’s show, and a listener asked about it, so today we’re going to get into some presidential history. Plus: your questions about campaign finance, conservative social media and California’s new rules for gig workers, all on this super-sized Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Here’s a list of everything we talked about today (if these links don’t work, try our episode page at makemesmart.org): “Campaign spending could continue long after Election Day” from “Marketplace Morning Report” “2020 election to cost $14 billion, blowing away spending records” from Open Secrets, the Center for Responsive Politics website “A Twitter for conservatives? Parler surges amid election misinformation crackdown” from NBC News “Foreign election interference is finding plenty of places online to spread” from “Marketplace Tech” “Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps” from The New York Times “Why it’s ‘critical’ for presidential transition to move forward” from PBS NewsHour “What’s ascertainment? The green light to launch transition” from the Associated Press “What Uber, Lyft Prop 22 win could mean for the future of all freelance work” from NBC News

The 2000 election isn’t a particularly great analogue to the Trump campaign’s legal challenges here in 2020, but it can help us better understand presidential transitions — because George W. Bush had the shortest one ever. We discussed the transfer of power on yesterday’s show, and a listener asked about it, so today we’re going to get into some presidential history. Plus: your questions about campaign finance, conservative social media and California’s new rules for gig workers, all on this super-sized Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Here’s a list of everything we talked about today (if these links don’t work, try our episode page at makemesmart.org): “Campaign spending could continue long after Election Day” from “Marketplace Morning Report” “2020 election to cost $14 billion, blowing away spending records” from Open Secrets, the Center for Responsive Politics website “A Twitter for conservatives? Parler surges amid election misinformation crackdown” from NBC News “Foreign election interference is finding plenty of places online to spread” from “Marketplace Tech” “Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps” from The New York Times “Why it’s ‘critical’ for presidential transition to move forward” from PBS NewsHour “What’s ascertainment? The green light to launch transition” from the Associated Press “What Uber, Lyft Prop 22 win could mean for the future of all freelance work” from NBC News

Making Election Day a holiday would surely benefit democracy, but what about the economy? A listener wants to know, so for this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re looking at the cost to businesses when Election Day stretches to Election Week and beyond. Plus: questions about jobs data, tax filing in the pandemic and all the money thrown away on Senate races this year. Here’s a list of everything we talked about today (if you can’t click the links, check out our episode page at makemesmart.org): “The case for making Election Day an official holiday” from the Marketplace Morning Report Pew data on Election Day as a holiday “Election Day likely cost billions in lost productivity” from Marketplace “GOP retains Senate seats despite record-breaking Democratic fundraising” from Axios “GOP House candidates overcome fundraising deficits in toss-up races” from Open Secrets “Working from home? You might owe income tax to two states” from CNN

Making Election Day a holiday would surely benefit democracy, but what about the economy? A listener wants to know, so for this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re looking at the cost to businesses when Election Day stretches to Election Week and beyond. Plus: questions about jobs data, tax filing in the pandemic and all the money thrown away on Senate races this year. Here’s a list of everything we talked about today (if you can’t click the links, check out our episode page at makemesmart.org): “The case for making Election Day an official holiday” from the Marketplace Morning Report Pew data on Election Day as a holiday “Election Day likely cost billions in lost productivity” from Marketplace “GOP retains Senate seats despite record-breaking Democratic fundraising” from Axios “GOP House candidates overcome fundraising deficits in toss-up races” from Open Secrets “Working from home? You might owe income tax to two states” from CNN

Tell us if this sounds familiar: The endless string of controversies around user data, disinformation, anticompetitive practices, QAnon and more have soured you on Facebook, big time. But where else are you going to keep up with your family, your neighborhood or your kids’ school? That’s the conundrum facing one of our listeners, and we give the best advice we can on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, your questions about airline bailouts, conference swag and interest rates. As always, find a list of everything we talked about today at makemesmart.org!

Tell us if this sounds familiar: The endless string of controversies around user data, disinformation, anticompetitive practices, QAnon and more have soured you on Facebook, big time. But where else are you going to keep up with your family, your neighborhood or your kids’ school? That’s the conundrum facing one of our listeners, and we give the best advice we can on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, your questions about airline bailouts, conference swag and interest rates. As always, find a list of everything we talked about today at makemesmart.org!

The coronavirus is spreading in the White House. It’s flu season, and experts are bracing for a new wave of COVID-19 cases with a vaccine still months away. So are people going to start stocking up at the grocery store again? We’ll talk it over on this week’s edition of Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus: market reaction to the president’s diagnosis and the military’s role in the peaceful transition of power. As always, find a list of everything we talked about today on our episode page at makemesmart.org!

The coronavirus is spreading in the White House. It’s flu season, and experts are bracing for a new wave of COVID-19 cases with a vaccine still months away. So are people going to start stocking up at the grocery store again? We’ll talk it over on this week’s edition of Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus: market reaction to the president’s diagnosis and the military’s role in the peaceful transition of power. As always, find a list of everything we talked about today on our episode page at makemesmart.org!

Make a plan. Do your research. Make sure your voice is heard this year. We’re talking, of course, about the National Park Service’s Fat Bear Week, which opened up its polls today. We’ll also kick off Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday with a listener question about using blockchain technology for voting. Plus: How much would American GDP grow if we included household labor? We’ll pull in an expert for that one. As always, you can find a list of everything we talked about today on the episode page on our site, makemesmart.org. Finally, donate to our fall pledge drive at marketplace.org/givesmart!

Make a plan. Do your research. Make sure your voice is heard this year. We’re talking, of course, about the National Park Service’s Fat Bear Week, which opened up its polls today. We’ll also kick off Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday with a listener question about using blockchain technology for voting. Plus: How much would American GDP grow if we included household labor? We’ll pull in an expert for that one. As always, you can find a list of everything we talked about today on the episode page on our site, makemesmart.org. Finally, donate to our fall pledge drive at marketplace.org/givesmart!

That’s the short answer. We’ll have some longer answers, too, on this week’s installment of Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. We’re answering listener questions about campaign finance, data privacy and Europe’s ban on American travelers. But first, guest host Kimberly Adams reacts to what’s going on in Louisville, Kentucky, tonight after no police officers were charged for killing Breonna Taylor.

That’s the short answer. We’ll have some longer answers, too, on this week’s installment of Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. We’re answering listener questions about campaign finance, data privacy and Europe’s ban on American travelers. But first, guest host Kimberly Adams reacts to what’s going on in Louisville, Kentucky, tonight after no police officers were charged for killing Breonna Taylor.

Last week we talked about the settled science of preventing forest fires. Today we hear from one listener, a lung doctor in smoky Seattle, who wants to know how to start that process. We’ll answer as best we can on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Later, we’ll take a look back in history to see what might drive the federal government to some kind of action. As always, you can find a list of everything we talked about on our episode page at makemesmart.org.

Last week we talked about the settled science of preventing forest fires. Today we hear from one listener, a lung doctor in smoky Seattle, who wants to know how to start that process. We’ll answer as best we can on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Later, we’ll take a look back in history to see what might drive the federal government to some kind of action. As always, you can find a list of everything we talked about on our episode page at makemesmart.org.

President Donald Trump is allowing companies to defer payroll tax deductions through the end of the year. But those taxes come due Jan. 1, so who’s actually benefiting? We’ll try and puzzle that one out on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, how secure are Zoom doctor’s appointments? Which economic numbers should we be watching besides jobs? And the most burning question of all: What’s Kai’s favorite fruit? As always, you can find links to everything we talked about today on our episode page at makemesmart.org

President Donald Trump is allowing companies to defer payroll tax deductions through the end of the year. But those taxes come due Jan. 1, so who’s actually benefiting? We’ll try and puzzle that one out on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, how secure are Zoom doctor’s appointments? Which economic numbers should we be watching besides jobs? And the most burning question of all: What’s Kai’s favorite fruit? As always, you can find links to everything we talked about today on our episode page at makemesmart.org

One of our listeners asked, and the answer is no. Not even if you’re Captain America. We’re talking about Mark Zuckerberg and the Avengers on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Of course, it wasn’t always this way. We’ll look at the role of cheap Facebook ads in elections and how Mark Zuckerberg sees it. Plus, the appliance shortage, the Phillips curve and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

One of our listeners asked, and the answer is no. Not even if you’re Captain America. We’re talking about Mark Zuckerberg and the Avengers on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Of course, it wasn’t always this way. We’ll look at the role of cheap Facebook ads in elections and how Mark Zuckerberg sees it. Plus, the appliance shortage, the Phillips curve and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It’s been more than a week since President Donald Trump took executive action to extend unemployment benefits. One of our listeners wants to know: Has anyone actually received a check yet? The answer is … complicated. But we’ll do what we can. Plus, questions about COVID-19 testing, the Dow and Trump’s proposal to eliminate payroll taxes on today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. But first, there are some bigger stories we need to talk about.

It’s been more than a week since President Donald Trump took executive action to extend unemployment benefits. One of our listeners wants to know: Has anyone actually received a check yet? The answer is … complicated. But we’ll do what we can. Plus, questions about COVID-19 testing, the Dow and Trump’s proposal to eliminate payroll taxes on today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. But first, there are some bigger stories we need to talk about.

It’s wildfire season in California. That means face masks are not only an essential accessory in fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but now they’re also filtering out smoke and ash particles. That led one Bay Area listener to ask: How is the N95 supply chain doing these days? Are we … good? We’ll talk about it on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, online privacy, shareholder voting and a few TV recommendations.

It’s wildfire season in California. That means face masks are not only an essential accessory in fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but now they’re also filtering out smoke and ash particles. That led one Bay Area listener to ask: How is the N95 supply chain doing these days? Are we … good? We’ll talk about it on this Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus, online privacy, shareholder voting and a few TV recommendations.

Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok — owned by Beijing-based ByteDance — amid much handwringing over the data the app collects. And while TikTok’s fate may ultimately be decided by the obscure Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, it seemed worth asking: Why is it so important to keep data collection domestic? There are certainly plenty of American apps collecting information on their users, too. We’ll talk about that and more on this week’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Plus: contact tracing, supply shockwaves and alpacas.

Just in time for Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, one of our listeners is making us smart. We talked a bit last week about eviction moratoriums happening around the country. Today we have a lawyer listener who wrote in on the issue. Plus: the coin shortage and diversity in public media. As always, you can find a list of everything we talked about today on our episode page on our site. And by the way, please help us improve this podcast by taking a quick anonymous survey at americanpublicmedia.org/survey.

On our recent episode on higher education, Scott Galloway discussed the “Rolexification” of public education. For today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll dig a bit into how we got here. Plus, a listener’s heartbreaking housing dilemma, why Molly is canceling “cable” again and a “Hamilton” close read. As always, you can find links to everything we talked about today at makemesmart.org.

On our recent episode on higher education, Scott Galloway discussed the “Rolexification” of public education. For today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll dig a bit into how we got here. Plus, a listener’s heartbreaking housing dilemma, why Molly is canceling “cable” again and a “Hamilton” close read. As always, you can find links to everything we talked about today at makemesmart.org.

We’ve gotten a lot of questions about the housing market during the COVID-19 recession. For today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re going to dive into that, plus scary tech, reserve currency and a little “M*A*S*H” trivia. You can find a list of everything we talked about today on our episode page at makemesmart.org, along with a link to subscribe to our YouTube page, where we’ll be live Thursday!

We’ve gotten a lot of questions about the housing market during the COVID-19 recession. For today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re going to dive into that, plus scary tech, reserve currency and a little “M*A*S*H” trivia. You can find a list of everything we talked about today on our episode page at makemesmart.org, along with a link to subscribe to our YouTube page, where we’ll be live Thursday!

There’s an accreditation process… and there’s an app. For this week’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’ll talk about both. Plus: If you’re not attending college in person this fall, should you get a discount? As always, you can find a list of some of the stuff we talked about today at makemesmart.org.

On this week’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, Kai and Kimberly tackle a listener’s ethical dilemma: Should you blow the whistle on a company that’s knowingly accelerating the spread of coronavirus? Plus, voting machines, stress tests and Champagne problems. As always, you can find links to everything we talked about today at makemesmart.org.

On this week’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, Kai and Kimberly tackle a listener’s ethical dilemma: Should you blow the whistle on a company that’s knowingly accelerating the spread of coronavirus? Plus, voting machines, stress tests and Champagne problems. As always, you can find links to everything we talked about today at makemesmart.org.

IBM’s stock price slumped this week after the company announced it would get out of the facial recognition business for fear that it could lead to racist, abusive surveillance. So what do we make of that? We’ll talk about this disconnect between our national moment and Wall Street on today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday.

IBM’s stock price slumped this week after the company announced it would get out of the facial recognition business for fear that it could lead to racist, abusive surveillance. So what do we make of that? We’ll talk about this disconnect between our national moment and Wall Street on today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday.

Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday isn’t just about answering your questions.  Sometimes our hosts have questions too. Today, Kai is trying to figure out the latest entrant in the streaming wars. Plus: how oil prices bounced back and the future of higher ed. For a full list of the stories we talked about today, check out the episode page at makemesmart.org.

Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday isn’t just about answering your questions.  Sometimes our hosts have questions too. Today, Kai is trying to figure out the latest entrant in the streaming wars. Plus: how oil prices bounced back and the future of higher ed. For a full list of the stories we talked about today, check out the episode page at makemesmart.org.

Or will your employer pay for some WFH remodeling? Eh, don’t get your hopes up. We’re fielding a couple of personal finance questions on today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. We’ll also answer your mail about the confusing surge in the stock market and the future of retail (which we’ll talk about more on our Tuesday episode next week). For a full list of the stories we talked about today, check out the episode page at makemesmart.org. And if you can, consider supporting Marketplace with a donation at marketplace.org/givesmart.

Or will your employer pay for some WFH remodeling? Eh, don’t get your hopes up. We’re fielding a couple of personal finance questions on today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. We’ll also answer your mail about the confusing surge in the stock market and the future of retail (which we’ll talk about more on our Tuesday episode next week). For a full list of the stories we talked about today, check out the episode page at makemesmart.org. And if you can, consider supporting Marketplace with a donation at marketplace.org/givesmart.

You guys had a lot of questions after our episode about Modern Monetary Theory, and today we’re going to answer one on Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. We’ll also talk about the Fed, Airbnb and the history of unemployment in this country. For a full list of all the stories we talked about today, check out the episode page at makemesmart.org. And if you can, consider supporting Marketplace with a donation at marketplace.org/givesmart.

Will the memories of this COVID-19 outbreak and economy fade away for most of us, or change society forever? That’s one of the big questions for this edition of “Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday.” Plus: Is this 2008 for commercial real estate? And how is unemployment counted anyway? Send your questions for WYWKW to makemesmart@marketplace.org. Your donations make this show possible. If you can, give today at Marketplace.org/givesmart, and thanks!

And can they go bankrupt? That’s just two of the questions we’re tackling in today’s “Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday.” Plus: Should we be concerned Google is in so many schools? Why do big companies get small business money? And maybe the most important of all: How are we staying sane right now?