In the United States, recidivism rate, or the likelihood that a criminal re-enters the prison system after being released, is among the highest in the world. The state with the highest reincarceration rate (within 3 years) is Delaware at 55.9 percent. While the lowest is Virginia at 17.9 percent.

Earlier this month, Make Me Smart host, Kimberly Adams, moderated the 2026 Second Chance Forum at Georgetown University on the importance of second-chance employment programs to lowering recidivism rates in the United States. Adams sat down with two top law enforcement officials from across the aisle: Delaware Attorney General and Democrat, Kathy Jennings and Pennsylvania Attorney General and Republican, Dave Sunday.

Today’s podcast is an edited version of their conversation. To listen to the full panel discussion, click the link below:

• 2026 Second Chance Forum: Barriers to Breakthroughs — How Second Chances Are Driving Success

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The U.S. Federal Reserve meets this week — so do central banks in Japan, England, Canada, and the European Union. Most will keep rates unchanged for now, as war in the Middle East shakes up the global status quo. But as other banks weigh imminent rate hikes, the U.S. may move in the opposite direction. More on why in today’s episode. Plus: Consumer sentiment crept up in April, Medicaid cuts slash pediatric care options, and five Big Tech firms post earnings this week.

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Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

The Trump administration has reportedly been in talks to bail out Spirit Airlines, either with a big loan or by buying it. The budget airline had already been struggling, and now faces even tougher times with higher fuel costs. But does that justify bailing it out? Plus, an upstate New York toy and doll shop owner reflects on the stop-start jolts of U.S. trade policy and the challenges of the tariff refund process.

We've talked a lot about the rollercoaster of tariffs. But behind every economic story is a human one, too. This morning, we check in with Joann Cartiglia, who runs a toy and doll shop in upstate New York. She's looking at around $15,000 in tariff refunds. Still, uncertainty, precarity, and debt have put her in "the scariest financial situation" of her life and mean that retirement has “been kind of taken off the table.” But before that conversation: a Federal Reserve meeting and a royal visit with the president.

The International Math Olympiad is a yearly competition for students, most of them high school age, who compete to solve six difficult math problems. They're chosen from a pool of math problems submitted by different countries that participate in the competition.

The problems that don't make the cut previously have mostly just been lost; there was no one place you could go to find them.

But now a team at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab has gathered over 30,000 of those problems together in one dataset so both humans and AI models can look through and study them.

Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Mark Hamilton, a visiting researcher at MIT CSAIL who has been part of the work to gather problems. He’s also a Research Scientist at Google's DeepMind laboratory.

“Million Bazillion” listeners and brothers John and Peter want to know where game shows get their prize money. It’s the perfect opportunity to answer this question as Ryan and Bridget find themselves competing on a chaotic game show with a chance to win $1 million on the line. While they take on one challenge after another, the duo uncover the surprising ways game shows get the cash for those big prizes.

If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s question, check out our website. We’ve got conversation starters and a tip sheet!

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It’s been a trend for a year now — home prices are up even though demand is sluggish. As Americans face growing economic uncertainty and rising costs, many are staying put. So why won’t home prices cool off? We’ll explain. Also in this episode: Tighter budgets mean fewer orders at Domino’s, air taxis take to the sky in New York City, and banks fret over new stablecoin legislation.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

As people look to plan their summer vacations, they're being price-conscious. While 60% of Americans plan on traveling, more people will drive instead of flying, and more are opting for shorter trips. Plus, with the end of the Justice Department's investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, successor Kevin Warsh looks poised for a successful confirmation. And later, we head to Maine to hear how a Maine sea urchin processing firm has survived for four decades.