Airports Ask for Donations for TSA Agents & Google Maps Gets AI Makeover

March 13, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The partial government shutdown is now hitting TSA agents in the wallet, and airports are scrambling to help—but federal ethics rules make it illegal for agents to accept donations from travelers. Meanwhile, Google Maps is rolling out a conversational AI feature that lets you ask it questions like "where can I find a coffee shop with outlets?" and get a natural-language answer, a move that could further squeeze review sites like Yelp. And Nintendo stock jumped 17% this week on the surprise success of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, a cozy, non-battle game that has investors betting it will drive sales of the Switch 2.

TSA Agents Miss Their First Paycheck as Airports Try to Help

The partial government shutdown is now hitting TSA agents directly. The Department of Homeland Security has been unfunded for weeks due to a standoff on Capitol Hill over ICE tactics, and TSA agents are set to miss their first full paycheck today. In response, airports are scrambling to support them. Denver International Airport posted on X asking travelers to donate $10 and $20 store and gas gift cards. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport opened a food pantry for TSA workers. The problem is that federal ethics rules explicitly prohibit TSA agents from soliciting or accepting gifts from travelers. Denver tried to get around this by placing donation bins away from the actual security checkpoint, but the le

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What you'll learn

1 (00:51) **Happiest U.S. Cities & Tax Act** - WalletHub releases its ranking of the 10 happiest cities, led by Fremont, CA, and Bismarck, ND, based on 29 indicators including depression rates and leisure time.
2 (02:50) **Airports Ask for Donations for TSA Agents** - Major U.S. airports set up food pantries and gift-card drives for TSA workers facing their first missed paycheck due to the partial government shutdown.
3 (07:53) **Google Maps Gets AI Makeover with "Ask Maps"** - Gemini powers a new natural-language search feature that answers contextual questions (e.g., coffee shops with outlets, pickleball courts with lights) without leaving the app.
4 (11:47) **Stock of the Week: Nintendo** - Nintendo stock jumps 17% on the surprise hit "Pokémon Legends: Z-A" (a cozy Animal Crossing/Minecraft hybrid) and the final trailer for the Super Mario Galaxy movie.
5 (17:03) **Dog of the Week: Safe Haven Stocks** - Traditional safe-haven sectors (healthcare, consumer staples) have fallen 4-5% since the Iran war began, while tech rose 1.5%.
6 (20:55) **War in Iran: Oil, Jones Act, & Housing Spillover** - Oil closes above $100/barrel for the first time since 2022 as Iran's new Supreme Leader vows to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.
7 (22:55) **Sports Betting Experiment: A Cautionary Tale** - The Atlantic's McKay Coppins gambles $10,000 through an NFL season for a piece on sports-betting apps, ending with a losing $4,735 bet on the Patriots.

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Show Notes

Episode 799: Neal and Toby talk about the funding gap happening in Congress that’s hurting many federal employees’ paychecks. Some airports are asking for donations to help their TSA agents. Then, Google Maps finally is getting an AI makeover thanks to Gemini. Plus, Nintendo shares pop thanks to its dark horse hit Pokemon Pokopia. Meanwhile, safe haven stocks used to be where investors flock during geopolitical uncertainty, but not anymore.

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