Would you trust an economist with your economy?
02 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trust in experts is down. In all kinds of institutions and professions - in government, in media, in...
Summer School 4: Who are all these regulations protecting?
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
LIVE SHOW: August 18th in Brooklyn. Tickets here. There are occasional incentives in business that m...
The President's Golden Share in U.S. Steel
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
LIVE SHOW ALERT: August 18th, NYC. Get your tickets here. When news broke that a Japanese company, N...
Summer School 3: How government decides what to spend our money on
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Although it seems like the government can spend an endless amount of money, it cannot actually do al...
Why are we so obsessed with manufacturing?
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It seems like politicians cannot agree on a lot. But many seem to agree on... manufacturing. Leaders...
Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this esse...
Summer School 2: How taxes change behavior and the economy
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all know the government uses taxes to pay for things. But what about using taxes to control behav...
Made in America
Fri, 11 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What people might picture when they think of "Made in America" ... might not look like the "Made in ...
Summer School 1: A government's role in the economy is to make us all richer
Wed, 09 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Government. The Big G. We like to imagine the free market and the invisible hand as being independen...
The simple math of the big bill
Fri, 04 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If we think about the economic effects of President Donald Trumps big taxing and spending and domest...
A thought experiment on how to fix the national debt problem
Wed, 02 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's an economic fantasy you sometimes hear in D.C. It often gets trotted out when politicians ar...
When Trump met crypto
Fri, 27 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 2019, President Trump tweeted: "I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies." Today, the...
Econ Battle Zone: Budget Showdown
Wed, 25 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Econ Battle Zone is back! On today's episode Mary Childs and Kenny Malone enter Econ Battle Stadium ...
The U.S. is the world's bribery cop. Is that about to change?
Fri, 20 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The U.S. has been policing bribery all over the world for nearly half a century using a law called t...
Jay & Shai's debt ceiling adventure (Update)
Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:50:59 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Note: A version of this episode first ran in 2023.Every year, the U.S. government spends more money ...
Why I joined DOGE
Sat, 14 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What was it like to work inside Elon Musk's DOGE? The cost-cutting initiative promised transparency,...
Are Trump's tariffs legal?
Wed, 11 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When President Trump announced his sweeping new tariffs this year, many trade law experts were start...
When Chinese manufacturing met Small Town, USA
Fri, 06 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Over the past decade, politicians from both parties have courted American voters with an enticing ec...
Trump's crypto interests (Two Indicators)
Wed, 04 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today on the show – our crypto president. Just before President Donald Trump began his second admi...
The U.S.-China trade war, according to game theory
Fri, 30 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Over the last few months U.S.-China trade relations have been pretty hard to make sense of – unles...
Why does the government fund research at universities?
Wed, 28 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
American universities are where people go to learn and teach. They're also where research and develo...
The secret world behind those scammy text messages
Fri, 23 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
You might have seen these texts before. The scam starts innocently enough. Maybe it's a "Long time n...
How economists (and TikTok) know if a recession is coming
Wed, 21 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Lately we've noticed that something we think about all the time here at Planet Money is having a vir...
The 145% tariff already did its damage
Fri, 16 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Even though the 145% tariff on Chinese imports only lasted a month, it already inflicted its scars o...
What happened to U.S. farmers during the last trade war
Wed, 14 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The U.S. exports billions of dollars worth of agricultural products each year — things like soybea...
Is the reign of the dollar over?
Fri, 09 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For decades, dollars have been the world's common financial language. Central banks everywhere hold ...
What "Made in China" actually means
Wed, 07 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Virtually every product brought into the United States must have a so-called "country of origin." Th...
Why it's so hard to find a public toilet
Fri, 02 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Why is it so hard to find a bathroom when you need one? In the U.S., we used to have lots of publicl...
Planet Money complains. To learn.
Wed, 30 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On today's show: we're ... venting.We at Planet Money are an ensemble show – each with different c...
How 23andMe's bankruptcy led to a run on the gene bank
Sat, 26 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Reporter Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi's Aunt Vovi signed up for 23andMe back in 2017, hoping to learn more a...
A primer on the Federal Reserve's independence
Wed, 23 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
President Donald Trump has been loudly critical of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for years now...
How much for that egg
Fri, 18 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Recently, one of our NPR colleagues wrote a message to all of NPR saying he had extra eggs to sell f...
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
Wed, 16 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
OIRA — the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs — is an obscure, but powerful federal of...
Trade war dispatch from Canada
Fri, 11 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How do you run a business when a trade war is brewing? As President Trump's tariffs kick in - or are...
Do trade deficits matter?
Wed, 09 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
At the heart of President Trump's tariffs is this idea that we should not be buying more from other ...
How the War on Drugs got us... blueberries
Fri, 04 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ever wondered why you can buy fresh Peruvian blueberries in the dead of winter? The answer, surprisi...
Tariffs: What are they good for?
Wed, 02 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What are tariffs good for?For years, mainstream economists have basically said: tariffs are not good...
PM x Radiolab: Can the economy grow forever?
Fri, 28 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Earth can sustain life for another 100 million years, but can we? This episode, we partner with Radi...
Planet Money buys a mystery diamond
Wed, 26 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The deal seemed too good to be true. There's a website that's been selling top quality diamonds at b...
Can we just change how we measure GDP?
Fri, 21 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's one statistic that rules them all when it comes to keeping track of the economy: gross domes...
Escheat show (Update)
Wed, 19 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Note: This original episode ran in 2020.Walter Schramm did everything right as an investor — at le...
How Tupperware took over our homes, with Decoder Ring
Fri, 14 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Tupperware is the stealthy star of our modern homes. These plastic storage containers are ubiquitous...
The last time we shrank the federal workforce
Wed, 12 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If you cut every single federal job President Donald Trump wants to cut, how much money would that s...
How to start a bank
Fri, 07 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In some ways, starting a bank is a lot like starting any other business. Who will you hire? Where wi...
The Parable of Peanut the Memecoin
Wed, 05 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Memecoins are having a moment. Everyone from Hawk Tuah to President Donald Trump to animal influence...
The Memecoin Casino
Fri, 28 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What do Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, social media sensation Hawk Tuah, and the President of the United ...
The controversy over Tyson Foods' hiring of asylum seekers
Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:09 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Last year, Tyson Foods shuttered a meat processing plant in Perry, Iowa. The company said it made th...
The rise and fall of Long Term Capital Management
Sat, 22 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's this cautionary tale, in the finance world, that nearly any trader can tell you. It's about ...
Can the president override Congress on spending?
Wed, 19 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
So the president can't spend more money than Congress has agreed and voted to spend. But can the pre...
The Big Government Money Pipe Freeze
Fri, 14 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There has been chaotic uncertainty around billions of dollars allocated by Congress. The Trump admin...
The 'Crypto Wizard' vs. Nigeria
Tue, 11 Feb 2025 12:03:02 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The trip that changed Tigran Gambaryan's life forever was supposed to be short — just a few days. ...
The fight for a legendary shipwreck's treasure
Fri, 07 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The San Jose was a marvel of 17th century technology. The Spanish galleon weighed more than a thousa...
How the scratch off lottery changed America
Wed, 05 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Americans spend more on scratch lottery tickets per year than on pizza. More than all Coca-Cola prod...
How DeepSeek changed the market's mind
Sat, 01 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On Monday, the stock market went into a tizzy over a new AI model from Chinese company DeepSeek. It ...
Re-imagining the energy grid ... through batteries (Two Indicators)
Wed, 29 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When it comes to solar and wind power, renewable energy has always had a caveat: it can only run whe...
The "chilling effect" of deportations
Sat, 25 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
After being sworn into office, President Trump signed a whole host of executive actions and orders t...
After the fires
Thu, 23 Jan 2025 03:43:30 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The fires in Los Angeles are almost out. Residents are starting to trickle back into their burned-ou...
Tariffs, grocery prices and other listener questions
Fri, 17 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Donald Trump is just about to begin his second presidency. And it may be safe to say that every sing...
The Land of the Duty Free (classic)
Wed, 15 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(Note: This episode originally ran in 2018.)Is it really cheaper to shop at an airport Duty Free sto...
The case for Fed Independence in the Nixon Tapes
Sat, 11 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
You know Watergate, but do you know Fedgate? The more subtle scandal with more monetary policy and, ...
ZIP Codes!
Wed, 08 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The ZIP code is less like a cold, clinical, ordered list of numbers, and more like a weird overgrown...
The potato-shaped loophole in free trade
Fri, 03 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ever since free trade opened up between the US and Mexico in the 1990s, trillions of dollars of good...
If AI is so good, why are there still so many jobs for translators?
Mon, 30 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If you believe the hype, translators will all soon be out of work. Luis von Ahn, CEO and co-founder ...
The Rest of the Story, 2024
Fri, 27 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
After the gift exchange comes another great holiday tradition: returns season. Once again, we are jo...
The Indicators of this year and next
Wed, 25 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This year, there was some economic good news to go around. Inflation generally ticked down. Unemploy...
The habitat banker
Fri, 20 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Our planet is in serious trouble. There are a million species of plants and animals in danger of ext...
How sports gambling blew up
Wed, 18 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Sports gambling isn't exactly a financial market, but it rhymes with financial markets. What happens...
A Nobel prize for explaining why there's global inequality
Sat, 14 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Why do some nations fail and others succeed?In the late 1990s and early 2000s, three economists form...
Worst. Tariffs. Ever. (update)
Wed, 11 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Smoot Hawley Tariffs were a debacle that helped plunge America into the Great Depression. What c...
There Will Be Flood
Fri, 06 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Windell Curole spent decades working to protect his community in southern Louisiana from the destruc...
George Soros vs. the Bank of England
Wed, 04 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
As people learn more about Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, one story come...
How useful, really, are the steps you can take after a data breach?
Mon, 02 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The dreaded data breach notification... It tells you your personal data's been compromised and sugge...
Why you bought your couch
Wed, 27 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
You probably own a chair or a table or a sofa. And you probably think you know why you bought it. Be...
Title Pirates
Sat, 23 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A couple years ago, Gina Leto, a real estate developer, bought a property with her business partner....
The long view of economics and immigration (Two Indicators)
Wed, 20 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Mass deportations. What would actually happen—economically—if the President-elect follows throug...
The great German land lottery
Fri, 15 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Every ten years, a group of German farmers gather in the communal farm fields of the Osing for the O...
The strange way the world's fastest microchips are made
Wed, 13 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This is the story behind one of the most valuable — and perhaps, most improbable — technologies ...
What markets bet President Trump will do
Sat, 09 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On the day after the election, Wall Street responded in a dramatic way. Some stocks went way up, oth...
Moving to the American dream? (update)
Wed, 06 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Back in the 90s, the federal government ran a bold experiment, giving people vouchers to move out of...
The veteran loan calamity
Fri, 01 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ray and Becky Queen live in rural Oklahoma with their kids (and chickens). The Queens were able to b...
So your data was stolen in a data breach
Thu, 31 Oct 2024 00:13:08 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If you... exist in the world, it's likely that you have gotten a letter or email at some point infor...
Why do hospitals keep running out of generic drugs?
Fri, 25 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's something strange going on in hospitals. Cheap, common drugs that nurses use every day seem ...
Romance on the screen and on the page: Two Indicators
Wed, 23 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On today's show, we have two stories from The Indicator, Planet Money's daily podcast. They just lau...
The Subscription Trap
Fri, 18 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Over the past two decades, there's been a sort of tectonic economic shift happening under our feet. ...
We asked 188 economists. And the survey says...
Wed, 16 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(For our story on this year's Nobel in Economics, check out our daily show, The Indicator!)Let's fac...
So imPORTant: Bananas, frogs, and... Bob's??
Fri, 11 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Even in our modern world with planes and jets and drones, the vast majority of goods are moved aroun...
Can cap and trade work in the US?
Wed, 09 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Recently, the state of Washington embarked on an ambitious new plan to combat climate change. Taking...
What's up with all the ads for law firms?
Fri, 04 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The lawyer commercial is almost an art form unto itself. Learned practitioners of the law doing what...
How Venezuela imploded (update)
Wed, 02 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(Note: A version of this episode originally ran in 2016.)Back in 2016, things were pretty bad in Ven...
What's THAT got to do with economics?
Fri, 27 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
"Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy."That is the bold promis...
Veep-onomics
Wed, 25 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Next week, JD Vance and Tim Walz will face off in the only confirmed vice presidential debate ahead ...
How to save 10,000 fingers
Fri, 20 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Table saws are extremely dangerous. The government estimates that injuries from table saws send some...
Can money buy happiness?
Wed, 18 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more abo...
99 Percent Invisible: The White Castle System of Eating Houses
Mon, 16 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today we have a guest episode from 99 Percent Invisible.It is about White Castle, the burger chain. ...
Rate Expectations
Fri, 13 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates to get inflation under control. One side effect is that ta...
Is AI overrated or underrated?
Wed, 11 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Are the promises made by AI boosters all hype, or are we actually under-appreciating the transformat...
Summer camp capitalism
Fri, 06 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Summer camp is a classic rite of passage in the U.S. It's a place of self-discovery, where kids come...
Bingo! (Presidential debate edition)
Wed, 04 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Campaigns can be a jargony slog. And this year, we are seeing a lot of economic terms being thrown a...
How to fix a housing shortage
Fri, 30 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When Cody Fischer decided to get into real estate development, he had a vision. He wanted to build a...
Summer School 8: Big ideas and life lessons from Marx, Keynes and Smith and more
Wed, 28 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Take the 2024 Planet Money Summer School Quiz here to earn your personalized diploma!Find all the ep...
The trade fraud detective
Fri, 23 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When David Rashid took over US autoparts maker Plews and Edelmann, the company was losing business t...
Summer School 7: The Great Depression, the New Deal and how it changed our economy
Wed, 21 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow along on TikTok here ...
The hidden world behind your new "banking" app
Fri, 16 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
You might have seen ads for online banking services that seem to offer a lot of great stuff — acco...
Summer School 6: China, Taiwan and how nations grow rich
Wed, 14 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past sea...
Will the Olympics break breakdancing?
Fri, 09 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For some sports, picking the winner is simple: It's the athlete who crosses the finish line first, o...
Summer School 5: 250 years of trade history in three chapters
Wed, 07 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past sea...
What to do when you're in a class action
Fri, 02 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Maybe you got a boring slip of paper in the mail. Maybe you got a spammy-looking email promising you...
Summer School 4: Banker vs president and the birth of the dollar
Wed, 31 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past sea...
Summer School 3: The first stock and perpetual life
Fri, 26 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past sea...
What Kamala Harris' economic agenda might look like
Wed, 24 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Last weekend we were all thrown for a loop when President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential ...
The color monopoly
Sat, 20 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 2022, artist Stuart Semple opened up his laptop to find that all his designs had turned black ove...
Summer School 2: The golden ages of labor and looms
Wed, 17 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Who has the power? Workers or bosses? It changes through the ages, though it's usually the bosses. T...
Rooftop solar's dark side
Fri, 12 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
4.5 million households in the U.S. have solar panels on their homes. Most of those customers are hap...
Summer School 1: An Economic History of the World
Wed, 10 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Planet Money Summer School is back for eight weeks. Join as we travel back in time to find the origi...
How flying got so bad (or did it?)
Fri, 05 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We often hear that air travel is worse than it's ever been. Gone are the days when airplanes touted ...
The two companies driving the modern economy
Wed, 03 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
At the core of most of the electronics we use today are some very tiny, very powerful chips. Semicon...
Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages?
Sat, 29 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We wade into the heated debate over immigrants' impact on the labor market. When the number of worke...
The Carriage Tax (Update)
Wed, 26 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(Note: A version of this episode originally ran in 2019.)In 1794, George Washington decided to raise...
The Vapes of Wrath
Fri, 21 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When the vape brand Juul first hit the market back in 2015, e-cigarettes were in a kind of regulator...
Why is everyone talking about Musk's money?
Wed, 19 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We've lived amongst Elon Musk headlines for so long now that it's easy to forget just how much he so...
What's with all the tiny soda cans? And other grocery store mysteries, solved.
Fri, 14 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's a behind the scenes industry that helps big brands decide questions like: How big should a b...
Bringing a tariff to a graphite fight
Wed, 12 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Graphite is sort of the one-hit wonder of minerals. And that hit? Pencils. Everyone loves to talk ab...
How much national debt is too much?
Fri, 07 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Most economic textbooks will tell you that there can be real dangers in running up a big national de...
The history of light (classic)
Wed, 05 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For thousands of years, getting light was a huge hassle. You had to make candles from scratch. This ...
How the FBI's fake cell phone company put criminals into real jail cells
Fri, 31 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There is a constant arms race between law enforcement and criminals, especially when it comes to tec...
So you've been scammed, now what?
Wed, 29 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We are living in a kind of golden age for online fraudsters. As the number of apps and services for ...
The junkyard economist
Fri, 24 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On today's episode, we ride through the streets of San Francisco with a long-time junkman, Jon Rolst...
Anatomy of a layoff
Wed, 22 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
By one estimate, 40 percent of American workers get laid off at least once in their careers. And whe...
The hack that almost broke the internet
Fri, 17 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Last month, the world narrowly avoided a cyberattack of stunning ambition. The targets were some of ...
Why Gold? (Classic)
Wed, 15 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the past few months, the price of gold has gone way up – even hitting a new high last month at ...
Zombie mortgages are coming back to life
Fri, 10 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Karen McDonough of Quincy, Mass., was enjoying her tea one morning in the dining room when she saw s...
Inside video game economics (Two Indicators)
Wed, 08 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Why do video game workers offer labor at a discount? How can you design a video game for blind and s...
The birth of the modern consumer movement
Fri, 03 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today on the show, the story of the modern consumer movement in the U.S. and the person who inspired...
Hire Power (Update)
Wed, 01 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(Note: This episode originally ran in 2021.)Millions of American workers in all sorts of industries ...
The case of the stolen masks
Fri, 26 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
About thirty years ago, Yagya Kumar Pradhan woke up to the news that the temple he and his clan used...
How unions are stopped before they start (Update)
Wed, 24 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(Note: This episode originally ran in 2023.)Union membership in the U.S. has been declining for deca...
FTX and the Serengeti of bankruptcy
Fri, 19 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For the last year and a half, the story of FTX has focused largely on the crimes and punishment of S...
Grocery prices, credit card debt, and your 401K (Two Indicators)
Wed, 17 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What's going on with consumers? This is one of the trickiest puzzles of this weird economic moment w...
TikTok made me deduct it
Fri, 12 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
TikTok, and other apps like it, are filled with financial advice. Some of it is reliable, some... le...
How much does this cow weigh? (Classic)
Wed, 10 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This episode originally ran in 2015.About one hundred years ago, a scientist and statistician named ...
Japan's Lost Decades
Fri, 05 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Last month, Japan's central bank raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years. That is a rea...
The real estate industry on trial
Wed, 03 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 2019, Mike Ketchmark got a call. Mike is a lawyer in Kansas City, Missouri, and his friend, Brand...
How much of your tax dollars are going to Israel and Ukraine
Fri, 29 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's been a lot of disagreement in Congress and in the country about whether the U.S. should cont...
The trouble with Table 101 (Update)
Wed, 27 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(Note: This episode originally ran in 2020.)In the restaurant game, you need to make the most of eve...
What is Temu?
Fri, 22 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It is rare that a new e-commerce company has such a meteoric rise as Temu. The company, which launch...
How Big Steel in the U.S. fell
Wed, 20 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Steel manufacturing was at one point the most important industry in the United States. It was one of...
The billion dollar war behind U.S. rum
Fri, 15 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that rum m...
Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)
Wed, 13 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It's showing signs of boom and bust seemin...
On the Oscars campaign trail
Fri, 08 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When you sit down to watch the Oscars, what you are really watching is the final battle in a months-...
Is dynamic pricing coming to a supermarket near you?
Wed, 06 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Dynamic pricing is an increasingly common phenomenon: You can see it when Uber prices surge during r...
Shopping for parental benefits around the world
Fri, 01 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It is so expensive to have a kid in the United States. The U.S. is one of just a handful of countrie...
The secret world behind school fundraisers
Thu, 29 Feb 2024 01:54:59 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Fundraising is a staple of the school experience in the U.S. There's an assembly showing off all the...
A controversial idea at the heart of Bidenomics
Fri, 23 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Réka Juhász is a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, and she studies wha...
Two Indicators: Economics of the defense industry
Wed, 21 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Department of Defense's proposed budget for 2024 is $842 billion. That is about 3.5% of the U.S....
How the Navy came to protect cargo ships
Fri, 16 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Genco Picardy is not an American ship. It doesn't pay U.S. taxes, none of its crew are U.S. nati...
It's giving ... Valentines
Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:34:16 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
L, is for the way you Listen to Planet MoneyO, is for the Only podcast I hearV, is Very, very, fiduc...
A lawsuit for your broken heart
Fri, 09 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Keith King was upset when his marriage ended. His wife had cheated, and his family broke apart. And ...
Morally questionable, economically efficient
Wed, 07 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There are tons of markets that don't exist because people just don't want to allow a market – for ...
Groundhog Day 2024: Trademark, bankruptcy, and the dollar that failed
Fri, 02 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's Groundhog Day, and the eyes of the nation have turned to a small town in western Pennsylvania. ...
The Chicken Tax (Classic)
Wed, 31 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Note: This episode originally ran in 2015.German families in the 60s loved tasty, cheap American-rai...
Bonus: Janet Yellen on Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
Mon, 29 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Our friends at NPR's news quiz Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! recently had a very Planet Money guest on ...
Rescues at sea, and how to make a fortune
Sat, 27 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
At around 1 a.m. on the morning of November 15, 1994, Captain Prentice "Skip" Strong III woke to a d...
Hear us out: We ban left turns and other big ideas
Wed, 24 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On today's episode, we have three big economic ideas for your consideration – ideas that could pot...
Econ Battle Zone: Disinflation Confrontation
Sat, 20 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
After very high inflation, the United States is finally feeling some relief in the form of "disinfla...
Mid-East conflict escalation, two indicators
Wed, 17 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On today's show, we look at two indicators of the economic disruptions of the war in Gaza and try to...
The Maine Potato War of 1976
Sat, 13 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When you think of a potato, one state probably comes to mind: Idaho. But for much of American histor...
The Universal Basic Income experiment in Kenya
Wed, 10 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's this fundamental question in economics that has proven really hard to answer: What's a good ...
The case of the serial sinking Spanish ships
Fri, 05 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Picture the Pacific Ocean of the 16th century. Spanish Galleons sail the wide open seas, carrying pr...
The Rest of the Story, 2023
Fri, 29 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's that time of year again! Our annual year-end tradition of checking in on the stories we've repo...
The Indicators of this year and next
Wed, 27 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today on the show, hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator debate the economic indicators of this ...
We buy a lot of Christmas trees (Update)
Fri, 22 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
*Note: This episode originally ran in 2020*'Tis the season for Americans to head out in droves and b...
Dollarizing Argentina
Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:35:54 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Argentina has been on a decades-long search for economic stability, but it always seems to be out of...
How to be better at hybrid work, according to research
Tue, 19 Dec 2023 00:58:12 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The research keeps coming in on remote work. New evidence suggests working from home, at least full-...
What econ says in the shadows
Sat, 16 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Economics Job Market Rumors is a website that's half a job information Wiki, where people post about...
Why '90s ads are unforgettable
Thu, 14 Dec 2023 02:46:07 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's __________.The best part of waking up, is _______ in your cup!G...
The U.S. economy's biggest superpower, explained
Mon, 11 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What if you could borrow money on the cheap and use it to pay for just about anything? The U.S. gove...
Why do doctors still use pagers?
Fri, 08 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Remember pagers? They were huge in the 80s — these little devices that could receive short message...
Two food and drink indicators
Wed, 06 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today on the show, we have two episodes from our daily podcast, The Indicator, about things we spend...
Why are we so bummed about the economy?
Fri, 01 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Would you say that you and your family are better off or worse off, financially, than you were a yea...
So you want to sell marijuana across state lines
Wed, 29 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the state of Oregon, there is a glut of grass. A wealth of weed. A crisis of chronic. And, jokes ...
A very Planet Money Thanksgiving
Wed, 22 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Here at Planet Money, Thanksgiving is not just a time to feast on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes,...
Economic fact in literary fiction
Sat, 18 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Some of the most influential and beloved novels of the last few years have been about money, finance...
China's real estate crisis, explained
Wed, 15 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
China's economic growth for the past few decades has been extraordinary. And much of that growth was...
The alleged theft at the heart of ChatGPT
Fri, 10 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When best-selling thriller writer Douglas Preston began playing around with OpenAI's new chatbot, Ch...
Never have I ever
Wed, 08 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The world of economics has these two different sides. One one side, there are the economists in thei...
FTC Chair Lina Khan on Antitrust in the age of Amazon
Fri, 03 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When Lina Khan was in law school back in 2017, she wrote a law review article called 'Amazon's Antit...
Antitrust in America (classic)
Wed, 01 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Earlier this fall, the Federal Trade Commission filed a high-stakes lawsuit against Amazon.In that s...
All you can eat economics
Fri, 27 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
You might expect to find economic concepts in the pages of an economics textbook. But you know where...
Cutting school... by 20%
Thu, 26 Oct 2023 00:08:11 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Right now, a lot of school districts across the country are making a pretty giant change to the way ...
How unions are stopped before they start
Fri, 20 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Union membership in the U.S. has been declining for decades. But, in 2022, support for unions among ...
Indicator exploder: jobs and inflation
Wed, 18 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When someone says "the economy is doing well"—what does that even mean? Like, for workers, for emp...
Maria Bamford gets personal (about) finance
Fri, 13 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Note: There is swearing in this episode.In 2017, The University of Minnesota asked comedian Maria Ba...
Why the price of Coke didn't change for 70 years (classic)
Wed, 11 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Prices go up. Occasionally, prices go down. But for 70 years, the price of a bottle of Coca-Cola did...
A man, a plan, wind power, Uruguay
Fri, 06 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 2007, Uruguay had a massive problem with no obvious fix. The economy of this country of 3.5 milli...
The flight attendants of CHAOS
Wed, 04 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When contract negotiations between Alaska Airlines and their flight attendants' union broke down in ...
A trucker hat mystery, the curse of September and other listener questions
Fri, 29 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ba-dee-yah! Say do you remember? Ba-dee-yah! Questions in September!That's right - it's time for Lis...
The natural disaster economist
Wed, 27 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There seems to be headlines about floods, wildfires, or hurricanes every week. Scientists say this m...
A black market, a currency crisis, and a tango competition in Argentina
Sat, 23 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Nobel-prize winning economist Simon Kuznets once analyzed the world's economies this way — he ...
"Based on a true story"
Wed, 20 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When a group of amateur investors rallied around the stock for GameStop back in 2021, the story blew...
How to launder $600 million on the internet
Sat, 16 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Erin Plante is a private detective who specializes in chasing down stolen cryptocurrency. In March o...
China's weakening economy in two Indicators
Wed, 13 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In China, data on the economy is sometimes difficult to come by. The Chinese government has put a pa...
Is economists' favorite tool to crush inflation broken?
Fri, 08 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When economists and policymakers talk about getting inflation under control, there's an assumption t...
The prince of prints and his prints of Prince
Wed, 06 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 1981, photographer Lynn Goldsmith took a portrait of the musician Prince. It's a pretty standard ...
How to fight a patent pirate
Fri, 01 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Back in the 1990s, Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar was in his office in New Delhi when he came across a puzz...
Summer School 8: Graduation and the Guppy Tank
Wed, 30 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Congratulations to the Planet Money Summer School Class of 2023! Today, you become masters of busine...
The secret entrance that sidesteps Hollywood picket lines
Sat, 26 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Across Hollywood right now, writers and actors are picketing in front of studio lots. They're walkin...
Summer School 7: Negotiating and the empathetic nibble
Wed, 23 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How do you get the best deal? How do you know you're getting the best deal? Whether you're talking d...
Vacation, and why the U.S. takes so little of it
Fri, 18 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Do you work more for more money? Or work less for more time? For some, this is the ultimate economic...
Summer School 6: Operations and 25,000 roses
Wed, 16 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
"It's difficult to control everything," says our guest professor for this week, Santiago Gallino. "W...
The new Biden plan that could still erase your student loans
Fri, 11 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This summer, the Supreme Court struck down Biden's plan to forgive student loan debt for millions of...
Summer School 5: Tech and the innovator's dilemma
Wed, 09 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For anyone running a business, technology is both threat and opportunity. Today, we run through tech...
A tarot card reading for the U.S. economy
Fri, 04 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Predicting the future of the economy is always a dicey proposition. That is especially true after mo...
Summer School 4: Marketing and the Ultimate Hose Nozzle
Wed, 02 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In this session of Planet Money Summer School, we are getting the word out about your brand. How do ...
Tackle your medical debt with Life Kit
Mon, 31 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's an estimated $195 billion of medical debt in America. But just because a medical bill comes ...
Did two honesty researchers fabricate their data?
Fri, 28 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Dan Ariely and Francesca Gino are two of the biggest stars in behavioral science. Both have conducte...
Summer School 3: Accounting and The Last Supper
Wed, 26 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Usually, the first class that an MBA student takes is accounting. That involves, yes, equations and ...
Planet Money Paper Club
Fri, 21 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We here at Planet Money love economics papers. And that is also the case for so many of the economis...
Summer School 2: Competition and the cheaper sneaker
Wed, 19 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For episode 2 of Planet Money Summer School, we are talking strategy. You have your million dollar b...
Surprise, you just signed a contract! How hidden contracts took over the internet
Sat, 15 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When you make an account online or install an app, you are probably entering into a legally enforcea...
Summer School 1: Planet Money goes to business school
Wed, 12 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Find all episodes of Planet Money Summer School here.Planet Money Summer School is back! It's the fr...
The quest to save macroeconomics from itself
Fri, 07 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When it comes to big questions about the economy, we're still kind of in the dark ages. Why do some ...
Two Indicators: After Affirmative Action & why America overpays for subways
Wed, 05 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Two stories today.First, as we start to understand post-affirmative action America, we look to a nat...
Supply, demand, extinction
Fri, 30 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Back in the 90s, Ivan Lozano Ortega was in charge of Bogota's wildlife rescue center. And he kept ge...
Planet Money Live: Two Truths and a Lie
Wed, 28 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The shocks of the pandemic economy gave us a bunch of enormous natural experiments, which helped to ...
Mike The Mover vs. The Furniture Police
Fri, 23 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 1978, a young man named Mike Shanks started a moving business in the north end of Seattle. It was...
Twins (classic)
Wed, 21 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Twins are used to fielding all sorts of questions, like "Can you read each other's minds?" or "Can y...
The 60-day job race
Fri, 16 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
People come from all over the world to work in U.S. tech. And during the tech boom years, the indust...
Two Indicators: The economics of innovation
Wed, 14 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Innovation is crucial for game-changing advancements in society, whether it's treatments for serious...
The town that changed economics
Fri, 09 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the early 90s, when a young economist named Michael Kremer finished his PhD, there had been a few...
The Spider-Man Problem (update)
Wed, 07 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(Note: This episode originally ran back in 2022.)This past weekend, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Ve...
AI Podcast 3.0: Dial M for Mechanization
Fri, 02 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's the thrilling conclusion to our three-part series on AI — the world premiere of the first epi...
AI Podcast 2.0: The host in the machine
Wed, 31 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In Part 1 of this series, AI proved that it could use real research and real interviews to write an ...
AI Podcast 1.0: Rise of the machines
Fri, 26 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We used to think some jobs were safe from automation. Though machines have transformed industries li...
Green energy gridlock
Wed, 24 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Lyle Jack wants to build a wind farm on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. But to make the ...
Predictions: Jobs!
Fri, 19 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's time for another installment of ... Planet Money Predictions! *air horn* Last year, we invited ...
How AI could help rebuild the middle class
Wed, 17 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For the last four decades, technology has been mostly a force for greater inequality and a shrinking...
Inflation and the Profit-Price Spiral
Fri, 12 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Economists say that inflation is just too much money chasing too few goods.But something else can ma...
The Day of Two Noons (Classic)
Wed, 10 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
(Note: this episode originally ran in 2019.)In the 1800s, catching your train on time was no easy fe...
How to fight a squatting goat
Sat, 06 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Back in 2005, Burt Banks inherited a plot of old family land in Delaware. But when it came time to s...
Two Indicators: the influencer industry
Wed, 03 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut, a doctor or maybe a fa...
Financial advising while Black
Fri, 28 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
After a successful career in advertising, Erika Williams decided it was time for a change. She went ...
The zoo economy (classic)
Wed, 26 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Note: This episode originally aired in September, 2014.Zoos follow a fundamental principle: You can'...
The quest for the factory-built house
Fri, 21 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Imagine if we built cars the same way we build houses. First, a typical buyer would meet with the ca...
Tax Code Switch
Wed, 19 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This past January, researchers uncovered that Black taxpayers are three to five times as likely to b...
The life and possible death of low interest rates
Sat, 15 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Right now, the economy is running hot. Inflation is high, and central banks are pushing up interest ...
Two innovation market indicators
Wed, 12 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Right now, the economy is all over the place. And when things get confusing, we look to basic econom...
Your banking questions, answered
Sat, 08 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's been a month since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank touched off the worst episode of banking...
The battle for Puerto Rico's beaches
Wed, 05 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Puerto Rico's beaches are an integral part of life on the island, and by law, they're one of the few...
The safety net for banks
Sat, 01 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the first half of March, three banks - Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate - all ...
A Great Recession bank takeover
Thu, 30 Mar 2023 01:32:00 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Earlier this month, we saw the largest bank collapse since the 2008 financial crisis. For many of us...
The battle over Osage headrights
Sat, 25 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Richard J. Lonsinger is a member of the Ponca tribe of Oklahoma, who was adopted at a young age into...
Inside a bank run
Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:33:09 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Sometimes you hear these stories about an airplane that suddenly nosedives. Everyone onboard thinks ...
Planet Money Records Vol. 3: Making a hit
Sat, 18 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Since we started Planet Money Records and released the 47-year-old song "Inflation," the song has ta...
How Silicon Valley Bank failed
Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:35:11 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest bank in America, the bank of choice for tech startups and b...
Dude, where's my streaming TV show?
Sat, 11 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Over the past year, dozens of shows have been disappearing from streaming platforms like HBO Max and...
The value of good teeth
Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:23:04 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
As a kid, Ryanne Jones' friend accidentally hit her in the mouth with a hammer, knocking out her two...
Seinfeld-onomics
Fri, 03 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The 90s sit-com Seinfeld is often called "a show about nothing." Lauded for its observational humor,...
CBOhhhh, that's what they do
Wed, 01 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If you are a congressperson or a senator and you have an idea for a new piece of legislation, at som...
Meow Money Meow Problems
Sat, 25 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
More than 20 years ago, something unusual happened in the small town of Dixfield, Maine. A lady name...
Hollywood's Black List (Classic)
Wed, 22 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This episode originally ran in 2020.In 2005, Franklin Leonard was a junior executive at Leonardo DiC...
Jay & Shai's debt ceiling adventure
Sat, 18 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Every year, the U.S. government spends more money than it takes in. In order to fund all that spendi...
Two Indicators: Inside the Fed, then and now
Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:35:32 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A lot of the time, economic policy can seem pretty impersonal — cold, hard, data-driven. But at th...
Our 2023 valentines
Sat, 11 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Every Valentine's Day, we at Planet Money consider the things that we love, the things that we can't...
The ice cream conspiracy
Wed, 08 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Take a look in any supermarket ice cream freezer section and you may see a mystery. There are big co...
Baby's first market failure
Fri, 03 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Anyone who has tried shopping for day care knows that it is tough out there.For one, it is hard even...
Groundhog Day 2023
Wed, 01 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's Groundhog Day, and once again, the eyes of the nation have turned to a small town in Western Pe...
To all the econ papers I've loved before
Fri, 27 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A great economics paper does two things. It takes on a big question, and it finds a smart way to ans...
The story of "Monopoly" and American capitalism
Thu, 26 Jan 2023 01:00:03 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Monopoly is one of the best-selling board games in history. The game's staying power may in part be ...
Charles Ponzi's scheme
Sat, 21 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Some of history's biggest financial scams owe their name to Charles Ponzi. Here's the story of the m...
Big Rigged (Classic)
Wed, 18 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Driving a truck used to mean freedom. Now it means a mountain of debt.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in ...
Two Indicators: The 2% inflation target
Fri, 13 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If the Fed had a mantra to go along with its mandate, it might well be "two percent." We look into h...
Planet Money Movie Club: It's a Wonderful Life
Wed, 11 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Welcome to the Planet Money Movie Club, a regular series from Planet Money+ in which we watch an eco...
The economics lessons in kids' books
Fri, 06 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
All sorts of lessons (even about economics) can be learned from kids' books. On today's show, we vis...
The Rest of the Story, 2022
Sat, 31 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's that time of year again! Our annual year-end tradition of checking in on previous stories to he...
Which economic indicator defined 2022?
Wed, 28 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
2022 was a year of big economic changes. But what economic story most defined the year? Our hosts fr...
In defense of gift giving
Sat, 24 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Cold economic reasoning says, supposedly, that gifts are inefficient transfers of wealth. But Planet...
Two Indicators: The fight over ESG investing
Wed, 21 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
"ESG" investing – Environmental, Social, Governance – has attracted a lot of attention from inve...
The sports ticket price enigma
Fri, 16 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Inflation is making prices go up, except not for...sports tickets? So, we set out on a daylong sport...
Spam call bounty hunter
Wed, 14 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Telemarketing calls are not only annoying; in some cases, they are illegal. Congress even gives you ...
The case of the missing cheese racks
Fri, 09 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Jelle Peterse's company ships cheese all over the world, but they don't always get their cheese rack...
When women stopped coding (Classic)
Wed, 07 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A lot of computing pioneers were women. For decades, the number of women in computer science was gro...
My Favorite Tax Loophole
Sat, 03 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's a big difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. But sometimes even avoiding taxes (l...
Messi economics
Thu, 01 Dec 2022 02:14:03 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Soccer star Lionel Messi is currently hoping to lead Argentina to victory in the World Cup. His path...
One economist's take on popular advice for saving, borrowing, and spending
Wed, 23 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This episode was first released as a bonus episode for Planet Money+ listeners last month. We're sha...
How the cookie became a monster
Sat, 19 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
30 years ago, Lou Montulli set out to solve a fundamental problem with the internet, and accidentall...
Sam Bankman-Fried and the fall of a crypto empire
Thu, 17 Nov 2022 01:03:35 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Sam Bankman-Fried built a reputation as the one reliable crypto bro. But within the span of days, hi...
The E-Book Wars
Fri, 11 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 2019, a group of librarians (quietly) stormed the offices of a major publisher, Macmillan, to pro...
Peak Sand (classic)
Wed, 09 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Sand. It's in buildings, windows, your cell phone. But there isn't enough in the world for everyone....
Planet Money tries election polling
Fri, 04 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Polling is facing an existential crisis. Few people are answering the phone, and fewer people want t...
Two Indicators shaking China's economy
Wed, 02 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Xi Jinping recently secured his third term as China's president – so we're looking at two shocks t...
Planet Money Records Vol. 2: The Negotiation
Sat, 29 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We got our hands on the long-lost "Inflation" song, and now it's time to put it out into the world. ...
Planet Money Records Vol. 1: Earnest Jackson
Thu, 27 Oct 2022 00:15:10 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We try to start a real record label. Just to put one song out there. It's a song about inflation, re...
The high cost of a strong dollar
Sat, 22 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When it comes to international trade and finance, everyone pretty much speaks one language: the U.S....
The money fixers (classic)
Wed, 19 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How do you mend a broken bill? On this classic episode, we visit the Mutilated Currency Division.Sub...
You asked for coupons, Delaware, and the truth about goldfish
Sat, 15 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On today's show, we're answering listener questions from the Planet Money inbox. Like, who really be...
Two Indicators: back to school
Wed, 12 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's fall, so on this episode, we're taking you back to school. First, what sorority rush can teach ...
Forging Taiwan's Silicon Shield
Fri, 07 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Taiwan is at the center of a global feud. Its main defense may be what some call its "Silicon Shield...
Economic anarchy in the UK
Wed, 05 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister of the UK, was determined to change the British economy. Instead, ...
Would you like a side of offshoring with that?
Fri, 30 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A lot of restaurants took a hit during the pandemic. And when they struggled to find workers, some f...
The miracle apple (Classic)
Wed, 28 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today on the show, how we got from mealy, nasty apples to apples that taste delicious. The story sta...
Econ's Brush with the Law
Fri, 23 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What happens when you take some of the most powerful people in America — federal judges — and te...
The Midnight Connection
Wed, 21 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Texas's energy grid is largely disconnected from the rest of the U.S. That led to disastrous consequ...
Vibecession Vibes Session
Sat, 17 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We're not in a recession, but why are the vibes feeling so off? We put the question to an economist ...
The Good, the Bad, and the Uggly
Thu, 15 Sep 2022 03:33:52 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Eddie Oygur is an Australian businessman who's sold sheepskin ugg boots for years. But one day, he w...
Two Indicators: unlikely economic relationships
Fri, 09 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On today's show - how your social circle is one of the strongest predictors of economic mobility and...
The salvage car Silk Road
Thu, 08 Sep 2022 00:15:06 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A practically brand new Lexus with a New Jersey inspection sticker lands on an auto body lot in Turk...
Breaking down the price of gasoline
Sat, 03 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
High gas prices have fueled speculation and investigations — is anyone raising prices and keeping ...
SUMMER SCHOOL 8: Productivity & Getting Lit
Wed, 31 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Productivity is our economic measure for how far our work goes, as individuals and as a society over...
Wake up and smell the fraud
Fri, 26 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Sometimes online shopping can feel a little unsavory. There are the listings that make you question ...
SUMMER SCHOOL 7: The Fed & Volcker's Socks
Wed, 24 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Federal Reserve plays a very important role in the economy. When things start to look uncertain,...
Inflation Reduction Actually
Fri, 19 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Congress just passed the biggest, most ambitious climate bill in history. And it's called ... the In...
SUMMER SCHOOL 6: Trade & The Better Life
Wed, 17 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
International trade is the web of cross-border relationships that binds economies together. Because ...
Carried interest wormhole
Sat, 13 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The carried interest tax loophole is a way that wealthy Americans – often the people who manage he...
SUMMER SCHOOL 5: Car Parts, Celery & The Labor Market
Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:38:45 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
You can learn a lot about a person from their job. The same can be said of an economy. The market fo...
A new way to pay for college (Update)
Fri, 05 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
College has gotten incredibly expensive. And some colleges are offering students a new way to pay. I...
SUMMER SCHOOL 4: Inflation & Drinking Buddies
Thu, 04 Aug 2022 00:37:00 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Inflation can be one of the scariest forces in the economy. As prices rise and your dollar doesn't g...
We Buy a Superhero 8: Micro-Face: The Musical
Mon, 01 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This episode, Micro-Face: The Musical. A full concert recording of a one-of-a-kind Planet Money supe...
Two recession Indicators
Fri, 29 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
So are we in a recession or not? The jury is still out, but there are some warning signs. GDP is dow...
SUMMER SCHOOL 3: Booms, Busts & Us
Thu, 28 Jul 2022 02:23:00 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Life has its ups and downs. Same for the economy. Today we ask, can the business cycle be tamed? Two...
Little House on the Blockchain
Fri, 22 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It has great bones, three bedrooms and one and half baths, and it comes with its own machine that mi...
SUMMER SCHOOL 2: GDP & What Counts
Thu, 21 Jul 2022 01:24:00 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What even is "the economy"? And how do you measure it? Our path out of the economic darkness and int...
Best by, sell by, use by
Sat, 16 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Wait, wait...don't throw that out! What if much of what you've been told about food expiration dates...
SUMMER SCHOOL 1: Recessions & Rap Battles
Thu, 14 Jul 2022 02:42:46 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's macro time! Today: Keynes vs. Hayek. Season 3 of summer school is here asking the biggest econo...
A tale of two cityhoods
Fri, 08 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
There's a movement underway in Georgia. More and more communities around Atlanta are choosing to kee...
Two crypto crash Indicators
Wed, 06 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Two stories of consternation from inside the crypto world. Can a crypto crash spread to the wider ec...
Suitcases, secret lists, and Citizens United
Fri, 01 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On today's show: the Watergate scandal you haven't heard about – that led directly to Citizens Uni...
When Subaru came out (Classic)
Wed, 29 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the early 90s, Subaru was struggling to stand out in a crowded automobile market. In their great...
Recession referees
Sat, 25 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Whenever the economic data start to look rough, we're forced to confront a familiar question: Are we...
The tale of the Onion King (Update)
Wed, 22 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How one man's quest to dominate the onion market changed commodities trading, and potentially how mu...
The debate over what's causing inflation
Fri, 17 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The last few months have made us acutely aware of inflation. We all agree that it's making our lives...
Let them eat lunch
Thu, 16 Jun 2022 00:23:37 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For many Americans, desk lunches are the norm. You might even be having one right now. But what if i...
The Gecko Effect
Sat, 11 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Years ago advertising was dominated by cars and beer. Today on the show, how a simple slogan and a t...
On the case: Recession, formula, and greenbacks
Thu, 09 Jun 2022 00:25:11 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It was just another day at the office. Then the phone started ringing and the caseload kept growing....
Homer Simpson vs. the economy
Fri, 03 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When the beloved Simpsons family made its TV debut in 1989, it squarely represented middle-class Ame...
The bank war (Classic)
Wed, 01 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the 1800s, populist president Andrew Jackson went head-to-head with the most powerful banker in A...
We Buy a Superhero 7: Collectibles (Live Show!)
Sat, 28 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What transforms a regular object into a collectible? At our live show earlier this month, we went on...
The NRA's Secret Tapes
Thu, 26 May 2022 02:53:00 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Soon after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, leaders of the National Rifle Associa...
Investing in mediocrity
Fri, 20 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Is the key to success in financial markets a matter of luck or skill? One former bond manager shares...
How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic)
Wed, 18 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A sandwich is generally defined as something delicious slapped between two slices of bread. New York...
Buy now, pay dearly?
Sat, 14 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A wave of companies that allow customers to pay for items from their favorite stores in four interes...
A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)
Wed, 11 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When Maddie Messer was 12 years old, she noticed an unfair dynamic in the video games she loved: pla...
The day Russia adopted the free market
Sat, 07 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the early 90s, American economist Jeffrey Sachs was a part of a team that tried to transform Russ...
Escheat show (Classic)
Wed, 04 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If you're looking for money you've forgotten about, there's a chance the government might have it. T...
Planet Money book club
Fri, 29 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Behind every Planet Money episode is a ton of reading. Today, we share some of our favorite books fr...
Risky business
Wed, 27 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Two stories on how businesses are using insurance to navigate new kinds of risks. First, how music v...
We Buy a Superhero 6: The Comic Book
Fri, 22 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
After many, many delays, the Micro-Face comic book is here! And we answer the burning question: Why ...
TikTok to the top
Thu, 21 Apr 2022 01:01:27 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Thanks to TikTok, Tai Verdes went from struggling musician to Top 40 hitmaker. But first, he had to ...
The student loan paaaaauuuuuse
Fri, 15 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The pause on federal student loan payments was just extended for the sixth time in two years. So...w...
Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic)
Wed, 13 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ballpark vendors share their strategies and other secrets to selling the most hot dogs at baseball g...
How manatees got into hot water
Fri, 08 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
While on the brink of extinction in the 1970s, manatees found sanctuary in the warm waters of Florid...
Turkey's runaway inflation problem
Wed, 06 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Turkey is facing really high inflation, over 60 percent. Its president is taking an unorthodox appro...
When bricks were rubles
Fri, 01 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For a brief, strange period after the U.S.S.R. collapsed, "real" money was less valuable than tradea...
The Bond King
Wed, 30 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Investing legend Bill Gross revolutionized the bond market, built an empire, and lost it all. Our ve...
Fashion Fair's makeover
Fri, 25 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Fashion Fair was the first big national brand to make makeup for Black women, but it slowly faded in...
Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage rates
Thu, 24 Mar 2022 00:21:42 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Corporate profits are soaring. So are prices. Can corporations just not raise prices? Would that fig...
Tech giants and tiny dogs
Fri, 18 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What a business that makes ramps for wiener dogs teaches us about the massive power of tech giants. ...
Escape from Russia
Wed, 16 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
An American business owner with employees in Russia extracts her colleagues from the country. | Subs...
Grocery delivery wars
Fri, 11 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Behind the scenes at a new kind of grocery store that promises delivery in minutes. | Subscribe to o...
The dollar at the center of the world (Classic)
Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:32:41 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
After World War II devastated the global economy, there was a push for a new universal currency. Thi...
Of oligarchs, oil and rubles
Sat, 05 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Three stories about how the sanctions imposed on Russia are playing out – for regular Russian peop...
'Fortress' Russia put to the test
Wed, 02 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The U.S. is putting Russia's defense plan against sanctions to the test. Meanwhile, Russia's role as...
Putin's big bet: Sanction-proofing Russia
Fri, 25 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The U.S. is imposing economic sanctions on Russia to punish it for invading Ukraine. But Russia has ...
How bad is inflation?
Thu, 24 Feb 2022 00:33:37 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Two stories about the effects of inflation on the economy. We meet a gig worker who's seen an increa...
Predictions: Inflation!
Fri, 18 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's time for another round of "Planet Money Predictions!" Economic forecasters square off to predic...
SPAM strikes back
Thu, 17 Feb 2022 00:29:06 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Hormel Foods makes SPAM, and for generations, the company also created jobs for families in Austin, ...
Waste land (Bonus)
Mon, 14 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Recycling most plastic doesn't work. It never has. In 2020, we ran an episode showing how big oil co...
Our Valentines 2022
Fri, 11 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We profess our love for our curiosities, obsessions, and the things we wish we'd thought of first. |...
A SWIFT getaway
Thu, 10 Feb 2022 00:29:19 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 2016, thieves tried to steal nearly a billion dollars from the Bank of Bangladesh's reserves with...
Uncle Sam wants YOU to fight inflation
Sat, 05 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How war bonds, controlled prices, and a national network of nosy neighbors helped beat inflation dur...
The M&M anomaly (Classic)
Wed, 02 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Despite costing the same price, a pack of peanut butter M&M's weighs 0.06 ounces less than a pack of...
The Spider-Man Problem
Sat, 29 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Spider-Man isn't the first film franchise to be rebooted over and over again. But the infamous off-s...
Two indicators: supply chain solutions
Wed, 26 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Two stories about people trying to overcome supply chain challenges. We follow a ship that is forced...
'Soul Train' and the business of Black joy
Fri, 21 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When Soul Train first launched in 1970, Black audiences weren't understood as a viable target market...
Patent racism (classic)
Wed, 19 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Economist Lisa Cook has been nominated to serve on the Federal Reserve board. In 2020, she talked to...
The rapid testing show
Sat, 15 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Planet Money team fans out across the nation with one goal: to get a Covid test in 24 hours. It ...
No such thing as a free return
Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:29:09 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Lenient policies have shoppers making more returns than ever — around half a trillion dollars wort...
HBO 2.0
Sat, 08 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What happens when the iconic symbol of your brand no longer makes sense? Today, HBO tries to evolve ...
The rest of the story, 2021
Wed, 05 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On protests, pasta and forgiven payments. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.Learn more about s...
The holiday industrial complex (Classic)
Fri, 31 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Where do holidays like National Potato Chip Day and Argyle Day come from? We trace the roots of one ...
The economic indicator of the year
Thu, 30 Dec 2021 01:14:49 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Will it be inflation? Striketober? The supply chain? Our hosts make their case, and the choice is up...
Bell wars (Classic)
Fri, 24 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The two biggest handbell companies in the world have been locked in a feud for decades. Why? | Subsc...
Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza
Thu, 23 Dec 2021 05:29:00 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza Did the supply chain wreck your holiday shopping? P...
No shortages of labor stories
Sat, 18 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We asked for your dispatches from the labor market, and boy did we hear back. | Subscribe to our wee...
We buy a lot of Christmas trees (Classic)
Wed, 15 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Nick and Robert head to the world's largest Christmas tree auction with $1,000 and a truck. And get ...
Two music indicators
Sat, 11 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ticket scalping frustrates fans, but it fascinates economists. It's been a favorite topic of ours in...
Is a Stradivarius just a violin? (Classic)
Wed, 08 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Many music aficionados will tell you that violins and violas made by legendary craftsman Antonio Str...
Consider the lobstermen
Sat, 04 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A tense conflict between Indigenous fishermen and commercial lobstermen flared up in Nova Scotia in ...
A locked door, a secret meeting and the birth of the Fed (Classic)
Thu, 02 Dec 2021 00:35:14 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The story of the back-room dealings that created America's central bank. | Subscribe to our weekly n...
Day of the Debt
Fri, 26 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We make a loan to the U.S. government, and it does not go the way we thought it would. Plus: the sto...
You asked for real raises, free shipping, and a special delivery
Thu, 25 Nov 2021 01:13:35 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's listener question time. We've got answers about "free" shipping, full employment, when a raise ...
A trunk full of truffles (Update)
Sat, 20 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Truffles are one of the most expensive and sought after ingredients in the world. Today, we look bac...
Of boats and boxes
Wed, 17 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We take a trip to ports on the east and west coasts to ask what's on everyone's mind: why are they s...