Make Me Smart

Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica and author on SpaceX and reusable rockets, shares frontline perspective from the Artemis II launch. He discusses why Artemis II won’t mirror Apollo’s cultural impact. He explains the growing role of commercial space, how an IPO could reshape SpaceX, and what future missions like Dragonfly and lunar probes might mean.

Will Sissel, co-owner of Sissel & Daughters, a Maine cheesemonger navigating import shifts; Justine Kahn, founder of Botnia Skincare, who makes organic products and supplies spas nationwide. They discuss how tariffs pushed up costs for packaging and ingredients. They talk sourcing alternatives, pricing and promotions, supplier relationships, and the lingering uncertainty after legal rulings.

Elizabeth Trovall, Marketplace reporter on energy and immigration, shares on-the-ground reporting from CERAWeek. Conversations cover tense geopolitics around the Iran war, how oil firms navigate price swings and messaging, Venezuela’s investor pitches, AI’s growing electricity appetite, and new lithium extraction tech for batteries.

Reiko Hirai, founder of DC Sake Co. and sake educator/retailer, curates Japanese alcoholic beverages and leads tastings to promote sake in the U.S. She talks hanami and sake’s cultural ties. She leads a ginjo tasting and contrasts American craft sake. She explains serving temperatures, ingredients, why U.S. breweries are growing, and how tariffs and demographics shape the industry.

Michael Werz, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who studies food security and climate, explains how disruptions in Gulf shipping are shaking fertilizer supplies. He outlines which regions are most at risk, describes how energy shocks cascade into food-price crises, and argues for diversification, regional coordination, and investment in resilient food systems.

Tim Lim, Democratic strategist and president of Lim Consulting Services, breaks down the flood of super PAC cash shaping 2026 primaries. He explains how outside groups are outspending campaigns, why new bespoke super PACs are emerging, and what a looming Supreme Court decision could mean for party coordination and future spending dynamics.

Michelle Cho, a researcher of East Asian pop cultures at the University of Toronto, explains how decades of strategy and investment turned K-pop and K-culture into global engines. She traces government cultural policy, the trainee system’s hybrid roots, streaming’s role in spreading K-dramas, and how music success reshaped tourism, beauty trends, and global perceptions of Korea.

Justin Hendrix, CEO and editor of Tech Policy Press, a tech policy and AI governance analyst. He breaks down the Anthropic–Pentagon legal clash. Short takes cover how the dispute began, red lines around military use, supply chain risk labeling, industry backlash, and why this fight could reshape public-private AI relations.

Chris Newbert, agriculture policy expert and deputy director at the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, explains how the farm bill became a sprawling, everything law. He walks through what the bill actually covers and how the farm-nutrition coalition expanded it. He discusses why reauthorization is stalled, how SNAP changes complicate tracking hunger, and what current proposals leave out.

Ben Fritz, Wall Street Journal entertainment reporter and author, breaks down box-office winners and why family franchises and nostalgia dominate. He explains studio consolidation worries around the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal and what economic and cultural shifts could spark a theatrical comeback. Short takes on Gen Z movie habits and the subtitles divide add color.