Month: July 2025

The Senate is expected to vote on President Donald Trump’s rescissions package this week, which proposes rescinding $9.4 billion in previously approved spending to several programs, including public media and foreign aid spending. We discuss how this could undermine the bipartisan process. Then, we take a look at Bitcoin trading at new record highs, as U.S. lawmakers prepare to pass new regulations on cryptocurrency. We explain the bills being proposed in what’s been dubbed “Crypto Week.” Plus, we hear listeners’ wins about a resurgence of monarch butterflies and a lifelong dream of clubbing in Berlin.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “GOP leader faces showdown with Republicans on Trump-backed funding cuts” from The Hill
• “Schumer warns package to claw back funding would ‘poison’ annual spending talks” from The Hill
• “A Senate vote this week will test the popularity of DOGE spending cuts” from The Associated Press
• “Bitcoin Soars Past $120,000 as House Takes Up Crypto Bills” from The New York Times
• “‘Crypto Week’ on Capitol Hill” from Marketplace
• “Trump Rescission Proposal Builds on Illegal Impoundments, Would Undermine Future Funding Deals” from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Heat is the most hazardous weather event in the world. The UN estimates that mortality for people over 65 years old increased by 85% between 2017 and 2021. As climate change brings more extreme temperatures, we examine the short- and long-term effects of heat exposure. Plus, what we need to do to address health inequities and disparities to prevent a repeat of the 1995 heat wave that killed 739 Chicagoans. Reset learns more from Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility and Dr. Kiran Joshi, Chief Operating Officer for Cook County Department of Public Health.

Bitcoin hit a record $122,000 this morning as the House of Representatives ramps up for what's being called "Crypto Week," where lawmakers will be taking up three bills that could lay the foundation for how digital assets are regulated. We'll hear more about what to expect. And later, we'll unpack market reactions to daily swings in tariff policy and learn how China's rare earth metal dominance comes at a significant environmental cost.