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The game theory that led to nuclear standoffs
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The Indicator from Planet Money

The game theory that led to nuclear standoffs

Last week, Vladimir Putin vowed to make new nuclear weapons and consider placing them close to NATO countries. Meanwhile, here in the US, the government boosted its nuclear weapon spending by 18% between 2022 and 2023.

The game theory that led to nuclear standoffs

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The economic implications of Europe's jolt right

Italian Prime Minister, from the right-wing populist party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) Giorgia Meloni standing with other European leaders Thierry Monasse/Getty News Images hide caption

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Thierry Monasse/Getty News Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

The economic implications of Europe's jolt right

Europe is expecting a wave of victories from far-right candidates in upcoming national elections. Voters are showing they're worried about income inequality, immigration and the effects of participating in a global economy. Today, we take a look at what the swing to the right means for Europe's economy and the European stance on globalization.

The economic implications of Europe's jolt right

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How the end of Roe is reshaping the medical workforce
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The Indicator from Planet Money

How the end of Roe is reshaping the medical workforce

It's been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion, triggering a parade of restrictions and bans in conservative-led states. Today on the show, how the medical labor force is changing post-Roe and why graduating medical students, from OB-GYNs to pediatricians, are avoiding training in states with abortion bans.

How the end of Roe is reshaping the medical workforce

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Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages?

Friends and relatives of Cuban refugees line the dock in Key West, Fla., in this April 30, 1980, file photo, as another boat heads into the U.S. Customs docking area at the Truman Annex. Associated Press hide caption

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Associated Press

Planet Money

Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages?

We wade into the heated debate over immigrants' impact on the labor market. When the number of workers in a city increases, does that take away jobs from the people who already live and work there? Does a surge of immigration hurt their wages?

Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages?

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Indicators of the Week: Debate Edition

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Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Indicators of the Week: Debate Edition

Indicators of the Week is BACK! This week we're doing something just a little bit different. You see, it's the same 'ol Indicators of the Week you're used to, but as a nod to last night's presidential debate, this time, it's debate style.

Indicators of the Week: Debate Edition

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Do polluters pay, or do they get paid?

Activists demonstrate for the Loss and Damage Fund, which provides a flow of money from rich to less rich nations to address the impacts of climate change. Peter Dejong/AP hide caption

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Peter Dejong/AP

The Indicator from Planet Money

Do polluters pay, or do they get paid?

For years, rich nations have sent money to lower-income countries to help deal with the impacts of climate change. But it turns out, these wealthy nations are finding creative ways to funnel some of that financing back into their own economies. Today, we look at how the climate crisis is reviving a debate over how money should flow from rich to less-rich nations.

Do polluters pay, or do they get paid?

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What's going to happen to the Trump tax cuts?

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(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

What's going to happen to the Trump tax cuts?

The last major overhaul of the tax code was in 2017, when Republicans passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Much of that is set to expire next year, and that means a big debate over tax policy is looming.

What's going to happen to the Trump tax cuts?

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Robert Lang sits on an armchair with a laptop computer resting on his lap. One of his hands is on a computer mouse that sits on one of the armchair's armrests.

Robert Lang, a cabinetmaker in Cincinnati, is having to give less to charity to make ends meet. Robert Lang hide caption

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Robert Lang

Inflation is forcing Americans to be less generous these days

Inflation is chipping away at the value of gifts, putting a squeeze on donors and nonprofits alike.

charity and inflation

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Tracking the underground bike theft economy

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picture alliance

The Indicator from Planet Money

Tracking the underground bike theft economy

A few years ago, bike enthusiast Bryan Hance got a tip. A whole bunch of expensive bikes that were stolen in the Bay Area had suddenly turned up ... for sale on a Facebook page in Mexico. The revelation started Bryan down a years-long investigation where he would uncover an intricate, large-scale criminal operation out of Jalisco, Mexico.

Tracking the underground bike theft economy

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The tower of NVIDIA
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The Indicator from Planet Money

The tower of NVIDIA

For a moment last week, semiconductor chip designer NVIDIA eclipsed Microsoft to become the world's most valuable company. How did it get there?

The tower of NVIDIA

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The Vapes of Wrath
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Planet Money

The Vapes of Wrath

When the vape brand Juul first hit the market back in 2015, e-cigarettes were in a kind of regulatory limbo. At the time, the rules that governed tobacco cigarettes did not explicitly apply to e-cigarettes. Then Juul blew up, fueled a public health crisis over teen vaping, and inspired a regulatory crackdown. But when the government finally stepped in to solve the problem of youth vaping, it may have actually made things worse.

The Vapes of Wrath

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Boeing's woes, Bilt jilts, and the Indicator's stock rally
Darian Woods/Darian Woods

The Indicator from Planet Money

Boeing's woes, Bilt jilts, and the Indicator's stock rally

Indicators of the Week are back! We are here, as always, to bring you the most fascinating snapshots from the week of economic news.

Boeing's woes, Bilt jilts, and the Indicator's stock rally

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A captive market: The high price of prison phone calls

While Jovaan Lumpkin was in prison, his mother spent thousands of dollars in phone calls to stay connected. His mom, Diane Lewis, continues to advocate to make these calls free for prisoners and their families. Adrian Ma/NPR hide caption

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Adrian Ma/NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

A captive market: The high price of prison phone calls

When Diane Lewis' son, Jovaan, was sentenced to prison, she told him to call her every day. What he didn't know at the time is that those collect calls often meant Diane was unable to pay her other bills. Today on the show, how prison phone calls got so expensive, and the movement to make them free.

A captive market: The high price of prison phone calls

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Why is everyone talking about Musk's money?
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Planet Money

Why is everyone talking about Musk's money?

We've lived amongst Elon Musk headlines for so long now that it's easy to forget just how much he sounds like a sci-fi character. He runs a space company and wants to colonize mars. He also runs a company that just implanted a computer chip into a human brain. And he believes there's a pretty high probability everything is a simulation and we are living inside of it.

Why is everyone talking about Musk's money?

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Invest like a Congress member
Darian Woods/NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

Invest like a Congress member

There are some new funds that track stock trading by members of Congress and their family. So we thought, why don't we get in on that? Today on the show, we crack open the Planet Money Investment Jar to learn more about how our political leaders play the market, investing in funds tracking Democratic and Republican stock trades.

Invest like a Congress member

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Spud spat

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Steve Eason/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Spud spat

The federal government classifies potatoes (whether they be baked, waffled, curly, fried) as a vegetable.

Spud spat

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