For our final episode of 2023, we’re throwing a holiday party with music, festive fascinator hats and drinks. We’ll also get to some big medical news: For the first time, the FDA approved gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease, which affects mostly Black people in the United States. And, the head of OPEC is meddling in climate talks at COP28. Plus, we’ll play a holiday-themed round of our favorite game, Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:




“OPEC Leader Tells Members to Block Any Climate Summit Deal to Curb Fossil Fuels” from The New York Times







“FDA Approves Breakthrough Sickle Cell Disease Gene Therapies” from HuffPost







“US FDA approves two gene therapies for sickle cell disease” from Reuters







“After living with sickle cell disease for 39 years, I’m both excited and skeptical about the newly approved gene therapies” from Stat News







“Buy now, pay later hit an all-time high on Cyber Monday” from Marketplace







“A Brief History of the White Elephant Party” from The New York Times







“Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Wore Squirrel Sweaters, Maybe” from Marie Claire







“Amazon Is Packed with Festive Outdoor Christmas Decorations” from People







“How to get through a holiday party at work without embarrassing yourself” from NPR





We’ll be back with new episodes on Jan. 8. Until then, if you’ve got a question, comment or submission for a state drink, send them our way. We’re at 508-UB-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.