What is even happening with the politics of this economy?!

On today’s episode, we’re discussing a pair of recent rulings about the Trump administration’s efforts to cut foreign aid and fire federal workers, leaving us with a “Through the Looking-Glass” moment, where the nonsensical is reality. Plus, we’ll explain some ways to catch a breath in the midst of uncertain economic times. And, we’ll smile at a math problem solved through the power of anime fans.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Bid to Freeze Foreign Aid” from The New York Times
• “How to handle the stress of tariff escalation and stock market jitters” from The Washington Post
• “‘He Finally Shot the Hostage’: Trump’s Trade War Is a Brutal Reality Check” from Politico
• “OPM retroactively edits probationary firing guidance to note it did not order probationary firings” from Government Executive
• “How Anime Fans Stumbled upon a Mathematical Proof” from Scientific American
• “Steve Carell tells students affected by wildfires that prom tickets are paid for” from The Washington Post

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