"Make Me Smart” Newsletter
We start your Friday right by explaining the news, rounding up the best stories of the week and even sharing a cocktail recipe or two. Check out past issues and sign up below.
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From This Collection
What's a $1,000 fine to a billionaire?
by
Ellen Rolfes
and Catherine Orihuela
May 10, 2024
The News Fix Fines don’t deter Donald Trump. A New York judge held the former president in criminal contempt this week, levying another $1,000 fine for violating his gag order. This is the 10th time that Judge Juan Merchan has fined Trump during the “hush money” trial, in which Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records […]
Can a treaty undo the world's plastic problem?
by
Ellen Rolfes
May 3, 2024
Also in this week's newsletter: ALICE households and "product as protagonist" movies.
Why the bill to force a TikTok sale came alongside foreign aid
by
Ellen Rolfes
Apr 26, 2024
Plus: Do bad reviews kill good companies? We'll talk about it, and do the numbers on noncompetes in this week's newsletter.
The U.K. is seeking to "offshore asylum"
by
Ellen Rolfes
Apr 19, 2024
Plus, we do the numbers on smartphones and sleep in this week's Make Me Smart newsletter.
What you need to know about Biden's student loan forgiveness plan B
by
Tony Wagner
and Kimberly Adams
Apr 12, 2024
Plus, we do the numbers on how people watch TV in this week's Make Me Smart newsletter.
Donald Trump's a meme stock now
by
Tony Wagner
Apr 5, 2024
Plus, we do the numbers on California's new minimum wage law in this week's newsletter.
Boeing's union wants a seat at the table
by
Ellen Rolfes
Mar 29, 2024
Plus: There's an eclipse coming up! In this week's issue we do the numbers.
For public good, not for profit.
The Bank of Japan is having a normal one
by
Ellen Rolfes
and Tony Wagner
Mar 22, 2024
Normal monetary policy, that is. Plus: How heist movies influenced real-life bank security.
Hey TikTok, beware the Ides of March
by
Ellen Rolfes
and Catherine Orihuela
Mar 15, 2024
Plus: A bid to recruit cops from gamers backfires in Peoria, plus more in this week's Make Me Smart newsletter.
The EU puts new limits on "digital gatekeepers"
by
Ellen Rolfes
and Catherine Orihuela
Mar 8, 2024
Plus, we to the numbers on America's voting machines and Hollywood's pandemic recovery in this week's newsletter.