A phantom debt menace

Make Me Smart

Increasingly popular buy now, pay later services allow shoppers to split their purchases into smaller, recurring payments. We’ll get into why these loans are blurring economists’ understanding of today’s consumer debt landscape. We’ll also discuss President Joe Biden’s climate and infrastructure spending spree, and the knock-on effects of parents dying from drug overdoses. Plus, singer Tyla’s sandy Met Gala look, and forgotten 100-year-old love letters make us smile.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “More than 320000 U.S. children lost a parent to drug overdose from 2011-2021” from Axios

• • “Playbook: Biden’s race to Trump-proof his legacy” from Politico

• • “Biden’s biggest challenge: How do you even spend $1.6 trillion?” from Politico

• • “‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Has Americans Racking Up Phantom Debt” from Bloomberg

• • “Video: See moment Tyla is carried up Met Gala steps” from CNN

• • “Tyla’s sand-covered Met Gala 2024 gown was chopped in half after the red carpet” from Page Six

• • “When to use buy now, pay later services” from Marketplace

• • “Hidden love letters spark historical mystery in Baltimore” from The Baltimore Banner

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