According to the latest consumer price index, the reported prices of several items, including apparel and household furnishings, increased in June, suggesting some preliminary effects of the Trump administration’s tariff policies. We discuss President Donald Trump’s response calling for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, and why it’s so crucial to preserve an independent central bank. Then, we take a look at Missouri, where the state’s legislature and the governor overturned the outcome of a ballot initiative. What does that say about the state of public participation in the democratic process? And, we celebrate some wins from listeners about a rekindled drive to write poetry and what it means to be a good friend.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Missouri governor repeals paid sick leave law approved last year by voters" from The Associated Press
• "Missouri Rolls Back Paid Sick Leave Entitlement; $15 Minimum Wage Remains" from National Law Review
• “Missouri’s voters restored abortion rights. Their leaders are trying to overrule them” from the newsletter The 19th News
• "D.C. budget update: Tipped minimum wage compromise fails, ranked choice voting funded as budget advances" from WAMU
• "Inflation picks up again in June, rising at 2.7% annual rate" from CNBC

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

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is projected to cut Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion. The law changes eligibility rules, and some predictions estimate at least 10.5 million people will be eliminated from the program.

“For some adults, Medicaid will step in and help pay for care at home, or if care at home is not available, for care in nursing homes,” said Rachel Werner, executive director of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. “With the cuts to Medicaid funding, we are expecting that the availability of care in both of those settings will diminish, and it will be harder for people to get the care they need to live independently.”

States will have to respond to the changes by either making up the funding gap or reducing services.

On the show today, Werner explains how the funding cuts could limit the caregiving options for older Americans who need at-home care and place a larger responsibility on their families. Plus, we discuss how to start planning for long-term care amid all the legislative changes.

Then, we’ll celebrate a listener’s win about her chocolate lab puppy. And, another listener’s quest to find life on Mars.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “How Medicaid Cuts Could Force Millions Into Nursing Homes” from The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania
• “Advocates warn that Medicaid cuts in the big budget law put home-based health care at risk” from Marketplace
• “New AARP Report: Majority of Adults 50-plus Want to Age in Place, But Policies and Communities Must Catch Up” from AARP
• “A Closer Look at the Medicaid Work Requirement Provisions in the “Big Beautiful Bill” from KFF
• “Medicaid cuts: The how and why” from the newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist
• “As the need for nursing homes grows, nurses are in short supply” from Marketplace

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

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.