Challenging Conventional Wisdom on Tariffs

You may be wondering whether the prices of your go-to products, from avocados to smartphones, will be raised by tariffs in the coming weeks. We hear you! On the show today, Martha Gimbel, executive director of the Budget Lab at Yale, gives us a broad view of the tariff landscape, how the prices of certain consumer goods could change, and how Trump’s trade agenda could impact the American economy in the long run. Plus, why a trade deficit isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Then, we’ll smile about the joy of listening to kids learn to talk. And, Carrie Lane, author of “More Than Pretty Boxes: How the Rise of Professional Organizing Shows Us the Way We Work Isn’t Working,” answers the Make Me Smart question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Tariffs on China set to rise to at least 104% on Wednesday, White House says" from CNN Business
• "Stock Market Today: Dow, S&P 500 Swing Wildly; Trump Threatens More China Tariffs" from The Wall Street Journal
• "What is the status of the Trump administration's tariffs?" from Marketplace
• "Where We Stand: The Fiscal, Economic, and Distributional Effects of All U.S. Tariffs Enacted in 2025 Through April 2" from The Budget Lab at Yale
• "Trump Tariff Tracker" from the Atlantic Council

Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.