On the show today, we check in with Kimberly to hear more about her adventures in Cuba, a country that’s back in the news thanks to President Donald Trump’s commitment to establish a massive migrant detention facility at Guantánamo Bay. We’ll explain how Trump’s promised crackdown on immigration could affect the Cuban economy. Plus, more on how Cubans have managed to make do under a strict U.S. trade embargo, from dealing with medicine shortages to navigating a pandemic without Zoom.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Trump Says U.S. Will Hold Migrants at Guantánamo Bay” from The New York Times
• ​​“Timeline: U.S.-Cuba Relations” from the Council on Foreign Relations
• “Trump moves to end refugee resettlement and parole for Cubans, Haitians and Venezuelans” from The Miami Herald

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

Elon Musk and the rest of the DOGE gang have been inside the guts of the federal government attempting to shut down agencies and gain access to the Treasury Department’s main payment system. We’ll discuss the constitutionality of it all and why some members of Congress may be reluctant to say it like it is. Plus, the toy business is paying attention to prices as Trump threatens trade war. And, AI is making a splash at the 2025 Super Bowl.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• Watch: “Rep. Khanna: If Elon Musk finds fraud or wasteful spending, come to Congress and force a vote on it” by CNBC Television

• “Is the way Trump and Musk are running the economy even legal?” by Marketplace

• “Trump admin agrees to limit DOGE access to Treasury payments system” from Axios

• “Musk DOGE agents access sensitive personnel data, alarming officials” by The Washington Post

• “U.S. nonprofits still reeling from federal funding freeze” from Marketplace

• 2024 Q4 Earnings Call from Alphabet Investor Relations

• “Mattel may hike prices for Barbie, Hot Wheels and other toys after Trump tariffs” by CBS News

• “Fast fashion, laptops and toys are likely to cost more due to US tariffs on Chinese imports” from AP News
• Watch: Act Like You Know :60 | GoDaddy Super Bowl Commercial 2025 on YouTube

• “Super Bowl to feature AI product ads from Big Tech” from Marketplace

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

Is Elon Musk’s control of government offices as an unelected official a coup? Lots of people seem to think so. We’ll explain why. Plus, another potential government shutdown is looming and it may work in Democrats’ favor. And, one surprisingly effective (and protein-rich) way food insecurity in Pennsylvania is being addressed.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “What the Black Hawk Pilots Could See, Just Before the Crash” by The New York Times

• “Shutdown fears grow as Trump battles multiply” by The Hill

• “‘We would call it a coup’: Watchdogs and Dems attack Elon Musk Treasury Department takeover” from USA Today

• “The ‘Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly’ of the United States Government” by The Atlantic

• “Elon Musk’s Power Grab Is Lawless, Dangerous, and—Yes—a Coup” from Slate

• “The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s power grab: a coup veiled by chaos” by The Guardian

• “Processing Deer to Eliminate Food Insecurity” by the Daily Yonder

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