Kimberly’s back from Cuba just in time to discuss the onslaught of President Donald Trump’s executive actions, from tariffs to his federal funding freeze. Lawsuits are being filed left and right against the administration’s moves, but will the Supreme Court still serve as a check on the executive branch? Plus, Kimberly unpacks lasting reflections on Cuba’s contradictions as a country with strong social services like universal education yet acute wage disparities.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Trump’s Driving Legal Principle This Time: ‘What Are You Gonna Do About It?’” by Rolling Stone

• “Trump is using a nearly 50-year-old law to justify new tariffs. It may not be legal.” from Politico

• “Will the Supreme Court rule that any laws still apply to Donald Trump?” from Vox

• “Egypt to Cover Tuition Costs for 1,077 Students After Suspension of USAID Scholarship Programs” by Egyptian Streets

Got a question or comment for us? Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

This week, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta sent out a memo warning employees against leaking confidential company information … only for that memo to be leaked! Guest host Meghan McCarty Carino explains how it’s connected to the culture wars playing out between tech leaders and rank-and-file workers in Silicon Valley. And, we’ll get into how President Donald Trump is testing the legal limits of his office by firing certain federal officials. Plus, we’ll weigh in on cozy video games and Punxsutawney Phil during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Trump’s Firings Could Bring Court Cases That Expand His Power” from The New York Times
• “Meta warns that it will fire leakers in leaked memo” from The Verge
• “Mark Zuckerberg whined about leaks at Meta as company promised firings. It took minutes for the threat to leak out” from The Independent
• “Silicon Valley Tech Workers Quietly Protest Their Bosses’ Embrace of Trump” from The New York Times
• “New research backs up what gamers have thought for years: cozy video games can be an antidote to stress and anxiety.” from Reuters
• “What is Groundhog Day?” from The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
• “Starbucks reverses its open-door policy, requiring people to make a purchase if they want to stay” from CBS News
• “Like Any Millennial, Yahoo Wants to Be Seen As Cool Again” from Business Insider
• “Try ‘Phone Free February’ to reduce screen time, improve your health” from The Washington Post

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

On the show today, we check in with Kimberly to hear more about her adventures in Cuba, a country that’s back in the news thanks to President Donald Trump’s commitment to establish a massive migrant detention facility at Guantánamo Bay. We’ll explain how Trump’s promised crackdown on immigration could affect the Cuban economy. Plus, more on how Cubans have managed to make do under a strict U.S. trade embargo, from dealing with medicine shortages to navigating a pandemic without Zoom.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Trump Says U.S. Will Hold Migrants at Guantánamo Bay” from The New York Times
• ​​“Timeline: U.S.-Cuba Relations” from the Council on Foreign Relations
• “Trump moves to end refugee resettlement and parole for Cubans, Haitians and Venezuelans” from The Miami Herald

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