Getting a college degree is a lot more expensive than it used to be–30% more, after inflation. Everyone has a theory about why that is (Fancy amenities! Lack of state funding! Student loans!) but what does the data say? In this episode, Clare schools Teo on the forces driving college tuition higher, and explains what could bring prices back down to earth.

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Sources in this episode:

• Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025, College Board
• The College Payoff, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2021
• College Scorecard
• Decoding the Cost of College, New America, 2018
• Can the Trump administration make college cheaper?, Planet Money, 2026
• Key Changes to Federal Student Loans Made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Harvard University
• Interview with Beth Akers, American Enterprise Institute
• Interview with Judith Scott-Clayton, Columbia University
• Interview with Chris Ruhl, Purdue University
• Tuition data from: University of Washington; Western Washington University; Dartmouth College; University of Southern California

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 2.5 million Americans were forced out of their homes by natural disasters in 2023. As wildfires, hurricanes, and windstorms become routine across the country, homeowners are seeing their insurance premiums skyrocket. This has left many wondering: Is homeowners insurance even worth it anymore? Teo explains to Clare what homeowners insurance actually covers and whether the data says it pays off.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• Interview with Angela Giacchetti, Eaton Fire survivor, 2026
• Interview with Jeffrey Callen, Washington state homeowner, 2026
• Interview with Aaron VanTuyl, communications and media manager, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2026
• Proprietary data, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2026
• Community voices: LA fire recovery report, Department of Angels, 2026
• Property insurance and disaster risk: New evidence from mortgage escrow data, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2024
• Next to fall: The climate-driven insurance crisis is here — and getting worse, Senate Budget Committee staff report, 2024
• Earthquake data call report, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2017
• Study of American homeowners, LendingTree, 2026
• Flood insurance manual, National Flood Insurance Program of FEMA, 2025
• Home insurance rates in America are wildly distorted. Here’s why, New York Times, 2024
• See where home insurance policies were dropped in your state, New York Times, 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every road in the United States has a speed limit, but where do these numbers come from? Do they actually make people slow down? And do lower speed limits make roads safer? In this episode, Clare tells Teo about the origins of speed limits, the science and engineering behind them, and how they fit into the bigger picture of staying safe on American roadways.

Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• The first speed limit passed in the United States, cultureNOW
• The first state-wide speed limit, ConnecticutHistory.org
• Statement on Signing the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, The American Presidency Project, 1974
• I Can’t Drive 55, Sammy Hagar
• Impact speed and a pedestrian's risk of severe injury or death, 2011
• Literature review of pedestrian fatality risk as a function of car impact speed, 2011
• Speed Limit Information, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Speed Limit Case Studies Report, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Crash Analysis Database, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Road Segment Counts Database, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Interview with Yinhai Wang, University of Washington
• Interview with Venu Nemani, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Interview with Clara Cantor, Seattle Streets Alliance
• Interview with Michael Smith, Seattle Streets Alliance

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.