Make Me Smart

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war with Iran is having all sorts of effects on energy markets and the flow of other commodities—like fertilizer. Roughly one third of the world’s fertilizer passes through the narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf. On today’s show, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Michael Werz joins Kimberly to make the case that the ongoing disruption to the fertilizer trade is causing a chain reaction that could raise food prices and intensify humanitarian crises across the globe.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"The Iran War’s Hidden Front: Food, Water, and Fertilizer" from the Council on Foreign Relations
"The Iran War’s Other Energy Shortage—Food" from The Wall Street Journal
"Energy shock talk grabs headlines but the Iran war is also driving the world towards a food crisis" from The Guardian
"Russia reaps fertiliser windfall from Iran war" from The Financial Times

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Primary season for the 2026 midterm elections is underway. And the money from super PACs is already flowing. But how well is it working? On today’s show, Kimberly talks with democratic strategist Tim Lim about how spending from outside groups is shaping this year’s races so far and why strategists are waiting on the outcome of an under-the-radar Supreme Court case that could loosen the rules on how parties can coordinate with candidates.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"MAGA Inc.’s $300 Million War Chest Waits for Go-Ahead From Trump" from Bloomberg
"Super PAC spending passes $200M, with some groups hiding their cause" from The Washington Post
"Big-spending Democratic PACs see mixed results in Illinois" from Semafor
"This Supreme Court decision could upend millions in political spending ahead of the midterms. Here’s how the parties are preparing." from Politico
"Pivotal U.S. Supreme Court Case Could Further Reshape Federal Campaign Finance Law" from Bernstein Shur

Got a question about the Iran war and its impact on the global economy? Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

From the success of “K-pop Demon Hunters” to the return of BTS, K-pop is having a moment. But the rise of Korean culture was no accident—it has a decades-long backstory of investment by the South Korean government. On “Economics on Tap,” Kimberly talks with Michelle Cho, researcher of East Asian pop cultures at the University of Toronto, about the history behind the spread of Korean culture and how it’s shaped industries from entertainment to beauty. Speaking of K-beauty: sunscreen or sheet masks?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Leads the Wave Back to Korea from Foreign Policy
BTS Is Back With ‘Arirang,’ but the K-Pop Landscape Has Changed from The New York Times
K-everything: the rise and rise of Korean culture from The Guardian 
"Americans Are Learning Korean Because of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’" from The New York Times
"What’s So Special About Korean Sunscreens?" from Vogue
"How K-pop Stars Are Leading Mental Health Conversations for AAPI People and Beyond" from Teen Vogue

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email [email protected].

In line with the Pentagon’s ambitions to build an “AI-first warfighting force,” earlier this year, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded unrestricted use of Anthropic’s Claude model. Anthropic had concerns. Now the two parties are engaged in a legal battle that could shape the future of AI safety. Kimberly talks with Justin Hendrix, CEO and editor of Tech Policy Press, to explain Anthropic’s lawsuit and why this could signal a turning point in the tech industry’s chummy relationship with the Trump administration.

Farm bills are huge, sprawling pieces of legislation that affect all Americans — not just farmers. But as they’ve gotten more expensive, they’ve gotten tougher to pass. And due to the SNAP cuts in Congress’s big budget bill passed last summer, the coalitions that have historically gotten this legislation over the finish line may be fractured beyond repair. Kimberly talks with Chris Neubert, agriculture policy expert at Arizona State University, about what this could mean for this year’s farm bill prospects.