Companies in the United States spend billions in political donations each election cycle with the aim of gaining more influence in government. But all that spending comes with risks. We’ll get into it. And, we’ll explain why many Americans impacted by recent hurricanes will have to wait for disaster assistance from the Small Business Administration and how former President Trump’s plans for mass deportations could send shockwaves through our nation’s food supply chain. Plus, why are tech companies like Amazon and Google investing in nuclear energy?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Why companies spend all that campaign donation money” from Marketplace
• “SBA disaster loan program out of money after hurricanes, Biden says” from Axios
• “Trump’s proposed mass deportations could ‘decimate’ the US food supply” from Grist
• “Trump Faces Tough Questions From Hispanic Voters, but Largely Defends or Dodges” from The New York Times
• “Big Tech has cozied up to nuclear energy” from The Verge
• “Amazon goes nuclear, to invest more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors” from CNBC

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been sitting down with popular podcasts like the “The Breakfast Club,” Call Her Daddy,” and The Howard Stern Show. We’ll get into what the campaign strategy can tell us about voters, our fragmented media environment and the future of news. Plus, lower interest rates mean the end of a golden period for savers. And, the return of panda diplomacy and a new life for a beloved maple tree.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Harris Slams Trump in Interview With Charlamagne Tha God: 5 Takeaways” from The New York Times
• “Former President Barack Obama’s Team Clarifies His Recent Comments Made Toward Black Men” from The Shade Room
• “Savers Bid a Sad Farewell to Higher Yields” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Georgia voters motivated by Harris-Trump contest flock to polls in record numbers on first day” from GPB News
• “D.C.’s new giant pandas arrived at National Zoo: Meet Qing Bao and Bao Li” from The Washington Post
• “A Beloved Maple Tree Had to Come Down, But It Lives On” from The New York Times

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Today we’re talking about a key piece of the global transition to renewable energy: metals. Specifically, metals like copper, lithium and cobalt that we need to build wind turbines, electric vehicles and to improve our energy grid. Vince Beiser, author of the forthcoming book “Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future,” said we’ll need hundreds of millions more tons of these metals. But mining them comes at a cost. On the show today, Beiser explains the environmental and social consequences of mining for these metals, China’s dominance over the supply chain, and ways to make the transition to renewables more fair. Plus, why mining in space is a pipe dream, at least for now.

Then, we’ll get into how the U.S. dairy industry could be upended if former President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations took place. And, how one listener makes voting a party.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “The Green Economy Is Hungry for Copper—and People Are Stealing, Fighting, and Dying to Feed It” from Wired
• “Mining Critical to Renewable Energy Tied to Hundreds of Alleged Human Rights Abuses” from Inside Climate News
• “How does the environmental impact of mining for clean energy metals compare to mining for coal, oil and gas?” from MIT Climate Portal
• “The Indispensable Industry: Mining’s Role in the Energy Transition and the Americas” from the Center for Strategic and International Studies
• “What a Crackdown on Immigration Could Mean for Cheap Milk” from The New York Times
• “Trump’s economic plans would worsen inflation, experts say” from AP News
• “Boeing to Sell at Least $10 Billion in Shares to Plug Cash Drain” from The Wall Street Journal

We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.