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Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world.

Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

Most Recent Episodes

If AI is so good, why are there still so many jobs for translators?
Vaselena/Getty Images

If AI is so good, why are there still so many jobs for translators?

If you believe the hype, translators will all soon be out of work. Luis von Ahn, CEO and co-founder of the language learning app Duolingo, doesn't think AI is quite there... yet. In this interview, Greg Rosalsky talks with Luis about AI and how it's reshaping translation jobs and the language learning industry. We also ask him about headlines earlier this year suggesting Duolingo laid off some of its workers and replaced them with AI.

If AI is so good, why are there still so many jobs for translators?

Listen · 17:12
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How useful, really, are the steps you can take after a data breach?
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How useful, really, are the steps you can take after a data breach?

The dreaded data breach notification... It tells you your personal data's been compromised and suggests steps you can take to minimize the potential harm. On today's episode, Kenny Malone pulls out a data breach letter he received and goes over what it recommends with Amanda Aronczyk. Amanda recently did a show about the legal and illegal markets for data and tells us how useful these steps actually are. It's news you can use to protect yourself, whether or not you've been part of a data breach!

How useful, really, are the steps you can take after a data breach?

Listen · 20:09
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Why I joined DOGE

Sahil Lavingia (right) was a DOGE staffer at the Department of Veterans Affairs for 55 days. He was sworn in on March 17, 2025 by the VA's Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration / Operations, Security, and Preparedness, Mark Engelbaum. Sahil Lavingia hide caption

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Sahil Lavingia

Why I joined DOGE

What was it like to work inside Elon Musk's DOGE? The cost-cutting initiative promised transparency, but most of its actions have been shrouded in secrecy.

Why I joined DOGE

Listen · 27:25
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Are Trump's tariffs legal?
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Are Trump's tariffs legal?

When President Trump announced his sweeping new tariffs this year, many trade law experts were startled. Typically, presidents don't have the authority to impose broad tariffs with a snap of their fingers.

Are Trump's tariffs legal?

Listen · 24:53
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When Chinese manufacturing met Small Town, USA
Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi/NPR

When Chinese manufacturing met Small Town, USA

Over the past decade, politicians from both parties have courted American voters with an enticing economic prospect – the dream of bringing manufacturing and manufacturing jobs back to America. They've pushed for that dream with tariffs and tax breaks and subsidies. But what happens when one multinational company actually responds to those incentives, and tries to set up shop in Small Town, USA?

When Chinese manufacturing met Small Town, USA

Listen · 31:03
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Trump's crypto interests (Two Indicators)
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Trump's crypto interests (Two Indicators)

Today on the show – our crypto president. Just before President Donald Trump began his second administration in January, he and his business partners launched the $TRUMP coin. It's a memecoin that quickly raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. And there's a lot of earning potential still left on the table. Is that even legal?

Trump's crypto interests (Two Indicators)

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The U.S.-China trade war, according to game theory
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The U.S.-China trade war, according to game theory

Over the last few months U.S.-China trade relations have been pretty hard to make sense of – unless you look at what's happening through the lens of game theory. Game theory is all about how decisions are made, based not just on one side's options and payoffs, but on the choices and incentives of others.

The U.S.-China trade war, according to game theory

Listen · 28:24
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Why does the government fund research at universities?

2024-10-03 — Aerial view of Brookings Hall, the East End, Forest Park, the Medical Campus and downtown St. Louis. Thomas Malkowicz/Thomas Malkowicz/WashU hide caption

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Thomas Malkowicz/Thomas Malkowicz/WashU

Why does the government fund research at universities?

American universities are where people go to learn and teach. They're also where research and development happens. Over the past eight decades, universities have received billions in federal dollars to help that happen. Those dollars have contributed to innovations like: Drone technology. Inhalable Covid vaccines. Google search code.

Why does the government fund research at universities?

Listen · 27:11
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The secret world behind those scammy text messages

Messages a victim of an online scam known as "pig butchering," exchanged with a person who would later turn out to be a scammer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 9, 2024. BASTIEN INZAURRALDE/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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BASTIEN INZAURRALDE/AFP via Getty Images

The secret world behind those scammy text messages

You might have seen these texts before. The scam starts innocently enough. Maybe it's a "Long time no see" or "Hello" or "How are you." For investigative reporter Zeke Faux it was – "Hi David, I'm Vicky Ho. Don't you remember me?"

The secret world behind those scammy text messages

Listen · 34:24
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