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President Trump has been storming through corporate America — taking a stake in Intel, demanding a cut of Nvidia’s sales, restricting skilled workers, among other big footed policies.
Meanwhile, corporate leaders have mostly just … rolled over.
Today on the show: As Trump rewrites the rules of doing business, why aren’t business leaders doing more to speak up?
Related episodes:
How close is the US to crony capitalism?
Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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“Sell America.” There’s new talk of how Europe could turn the economic screws on the U.S. after President Trump’s play for Greenland. Selling U.S. Treasury bonds is one way. Another is a legal tool. It’s been called the EU’s bazooka.
On today’s show, taking stock of Europe’s financial arsenal. How could America’s largest foreign lender lighten Americans’ wallets?
Planet Money wrote a book and is going on tour, come see us: tickets and tour dates here.
Related episodes:
Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths
Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine
Lunch with the man who coined TACO
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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Pakistan has had some major economic bumps as of late, including a near default in 2023. At the root: seriously low tax collection. Millions of Pakistan residents opt out of paying income taxes entirely. This is a problem a lot of lower- and middle-income countries face. On today's show, we talk about why there are so many tax dodgers in Pakistan and what the government is trying to do about it.
Related episodes:
Is the US pushing countries towards China?
A brief history of income taxes
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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It’s time for … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: Why does Davos feel interesting this year? What if we did cap credit card interest rates? And we’re paying most of those tariffs, aren’t we?
Also, big news! Planet Money wrote a book and we’re going on tour this spring. Find tickets and info at planetmoneybook.com.
Related episodes:
Trump's backup options for tariffs
Globalization At Davos: What Happened?
The carbon coin: A novel idea
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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Beef is back on top. Well, at least on top of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new food pyramid, unveiled alongside updated national dietary guidelines. Red meat really never left the great American menu. But how’d it climb all the way up there?
On today’s show, America’s storied love affair with beef. And how big business and government have long influenced what winds up on our plates.
Related episodes:
Why beef prices are so high
Who’s buying all the beef?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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President Donald Trump is dead set on acquiring Greenland, and while national security is the stated reason, the country’s untapped mineral wealth could offer another explanation.
Today on the show: is Greenland really an untapped land of riches? We talk to one Australian geologist who discovered the great costs and potential rewards of extracting these minerals himself.
Related episodes:
Add to cart: Greenland
Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez and Julia Ritchey. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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In early January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening bans on defense contractors paying dividends or buying their stock back.
Today on the show, we learn about the Trump Administration’s frustrations with the weapons supply chain, find out what a defense industry investor makes of the move, and ask whether this reflects the state tightening its grip on the industry that arms the U.S. military.
Related episodes:
Are we overpaying for military equipment?
Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war?
How to transform a war economy for peacetime
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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Welcome back to Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: Influencers for ICE, China’s tremendous trade surplus, and America heads back to the moon.
Related episodes:
We resolve to watch these 2026 indicators
China's trade war perspective
Who owns the moon?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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203 years ago, President James Monroe declared the Western Hemisphere off limits to powerful countries in Europe. Fast forward, and President Trump is reviving the Monroe Doctrine to justify intervening in places like Venezuela, and threatening further action in other parts of Latin America and Greenland. On today’s show, how is Trump redefining the Monroe Doctrine and what does it mean for the world?
Related episodes:
Add to cart: Greenland
Is the Panama Canal a rip-off?
Venezuela didn’t steal U.S. oil. Here’s what happened
Can Europe stand without the U.S.
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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Economic decisions aren’t only driven by hard data. A compelling story can change economic behavior and outcomes. In today’s episode, we explore real-world examples of “narrative economics” like how the Suez Canal ended up getting built. And we ask: why do narratives sometimes matter more than truth or data?
Related episodes:
This indicator hasn’t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble
Tariffs. Consumer sentiment. Cape Ratio. Pick The Indicator of The Year!
The Beigie Awards: Manufacturing takes center stage
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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