Branding is big in contemporary political campaigns. But some candidates are going to odd lengths to appeal to women in 2024. We’ll explain. Plus, the wave of new state voting laws since 2020 has the potential to dramatically reshape ballot access in the 2024 election. And we’ll weigh in on the doomsday prepping economy and “fridgescaping” during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “G.O.P. Candidates, Looking to Soften Their Image, Turn to Their Wives” from The New York Times
• “In the tightest states, new voting laws could tip the outcome in November” from Stateline
• “Battleground State Removes Nearly 10 Percent of Voters for Being Ineligible” from Newsweek
• “VoteFlare’s mission to upgrade voter communication” from Marketplace
• “In uncertain times, the prepper supply business is booming” from Marketplace
• “Spurned by Social Media, Publishers Chase Readers on WhatsApp” from The New York Times
• “Southwest may need to change the perks that made customers loyal” from Marketplace
• “Earth will capture ‘second moon’ this weekend, scientists say” from Space
• “The pros and cons of fridgescaping your refrigerator” from The Washington Post

New artist-designed Marketplace sweatshirts are half off this weekend! Invest in Marketplace and get yours: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

In a speech outlining her economic vision this week, Vice President Kamala Harris said she’d boost manufacturing in the United States by supporting trade school programs and getting rid of unnecessary college-degree requirements for federal jobs. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll explain why the DOJ is suing Visa. Plus, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde’s wild search for butter prices.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Harris pledges ‘pragmatic’ approach to the economy in Pittsburgh speech” from Politico
• “Kamala Harris says she will cut degree requirements for certain federal jobs” from Reuters
• “Justice Department Sues Visa for Monopolizing Debit Markets” from the Department of Justice
• “Justice Department accuses Visa of stifling competition in the debit card business” from NPR
• “Cruz gets heated after Booker blocks deepfake revenge porn bill” from The Hill
• “Christine Lagarde – Stabilizing Inflation & Regulating AI for the Global Economy” from the Daily Show

Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Congress has agreed on a temporary spending bill to fund the federal government through Dec. 20. The House GOP’s hotly debated SAVE Act didn’t make the final cut. We’ll get into what did make it into the bill beyond bare-bones funding measures. And, a wave of homeowners are looking to refinance their mortgages as borrowing costs ease. Plus, we’ll cry happy tears over a “Homeward Bound” story come to life.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Kushner’s Fund Has Reaped Millions in Fees, but So Far Returned No Profits” from The New York Times
• “US Mortgage Rates Fall Again, Triggering Big Wave of Refinancing” from Bloomberg
• “The final countdown” from Punchbowl News
• “Shippers scramble for workarounds ahead of looming US East Coast port strike” from Reuters
• “Cat Missing in Yellowstone Returns Home to California After an 800-Mile Trek” from The New York Times
• Tweet from Jacqui Heinrich about President Biden’s hot mic moment on “The View”

Got any questions about inflation or interest rates? Send ’em to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.