Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

Illinois has joined a multi-state federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to limit gender affirming care for young people. This comes as the fourth major hospital in Chicago rolls back the kind of care offered to patients under 19 years of age. To fill in these gaps, a rapid response team of volunteers is working to connect families to alternate providers. Reset learns more from Asher McMaher, executive director Trans Up Front Illinois who is coordinating this team, Dr. Jessica Lapinski, a physician at Outpatient Family Medicine Transformed who provides gender affirming care, Michelle Vallet, parent of a trans teen who works to foster understanding among allies, and Kristen Schorsch, WBEZ health care reporter. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The S&P 500 — a key guide to many savings plans — is up 22% in a year, more than twice the return it averages over time. There's a conviction all of this AI means profits, profits and more profits. Add to that a surge in speculation driven by internet chatter, and it raises the question: Should we worry the stock market is about to bubble over? We ask veteran investor Barry Ritholtz, chairman and chief investment officer at Ritholtz Wealth Management in New York. Plus, hundreds of thousands of refugees are returning to Syria after the fall of the country's dictator last year. And many of those returning are bringing their businesses back with them.

The Trump administration has vowed to roll back all sorts of federal regulations, from workplace safety standards to environmental protections. State and local governments have faced pressure from the White House to comply with this agenda. And it’s turned them into even more important battlegrounds in the regulatory wars. On the show today, Liane Jollon, executive director of Western Leaders Network, explains how local officials grapple with threats of funding cuts coming from the White House, and how you can get more involved in your state and local politics.

Later, listeners share some love for public libraries. And, Steve Pierson, co-host of “The Practivist Pod,” answers the Make Me Smart question. 

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "States Ramping Up Regulations Amid Federal Pullback" from Forbes 
• "Trump administration moves to repeal climate ‘holy grail’" from Politico
• "Texas House issues arrest warrants for Democrats who left state to block congressional redistricting" from The Texas Tribune
• "Donald Trump wants states and cities to do as they are told" from The Economist
• "The Documenters Network" from City Bureau 

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

Last week, the new trade agreement was painted with a broad brush. But we're now getting some finer details, including a 15% cap on taxes for most European imports. Also on the program: Amazon is putting more money into AI and its cloud computing business, and major oil companies report mixed results in their latest earnings.

Need to let off some steam and yell into the void? Well, you’re not alone. In fact, you can head to North Avenue Beach on Sunday evenings and meet up with Scream Club Chicago, where the one thing everyone has in common is that they really need to indulge in a good scream. If screaming is not for you, and you’re looking for something a bit more melodic, there is always the Chicago Circle Singing. They meet once a month, and anyone – no matter the skill or talent level – can join and belt one out. Reset sits down with the founders and members of Chicago Circle Singing and the Scream Club about finding catharsis – and community – in screaming and singing. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

From the BBC World Service: Farmers in India are gearing up for protests over the country's trade relationship with the U.S. They're worried about the threat of higher tariffs, and the prospect of their market opening up to U.S. producers. Plus, as delegates from more than 170 countries meet in Geneva to agree to a legally binding agreement to curb plastics pollution, we hear from one social entrepreneur who is cleaning plastic from rivers and oceans.

A new national study from groups including Gallup and the non-profit Jobs for the Future found that relatively few employees have any influence over how new technology is adopted in the workplace.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Molly Blankenship, director of strategy and impact at Jobs for the Future, about what that means for employers and employees as technology like generative AI becomes more common in the office.

In our news wrap Monday, at least 40 Gazans were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes, over 3,000 Boeing workers who build fighter jets and weapons went on strike, a suspected killer is still at large days after police said he gunned down four people in Montana and wildfires in California, Arizona, Colorado and Utah are fueled by dry conditions and high temperatures. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Five years ago, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history ripped apart Beirut's waterfront with a terrifying power. The blast, which many still refer to as "the bomb," was not terrorism, nor was it war. It was caused by issues that have plagued Lebanon for years, and still do: municipal incompetence and government corruption. Leila Molana-Allen reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

With the first day of classes just weeks away, we’re asking: How did Chicago teens spend their summer vacation? Turns out, some got to work, gaining new skills and experiences in preparation for the start of school. Reset hears from teens about how hard it was to land a job, where they ended up, and what lessons they’re taking away from the summer season. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.