Episodes

  • The President's Golden Share in U.S. Steel

    The President's Golden Share in U.S. Steel
    Jul 25 2025
    LIVE SHOW ALERT: August 18th, NYC. Get your tickets here.

    When news broke that a Japanese company, Nippon Steel, was buying the storied American steel company U.S. Steel, it was still 2023, just before an election.

    And right away, politicians from both sides of the aisle came out forcefully against the deal, saying the company should remain American. Before leaving office, President Biden even blocked the sale.

    But in a dramatic twist a few weeks ago, President Trump approved it. With a caveat: the U.S. would get what Trump called 'a golden share' in U.S. Steel.

    On our latest show: what even is a "golden share"? When has it been used before, and why? And, could deals like this be a good way to get foreign investment in American manufacturing...or is it government overreach?

    Related episodes:
    - When Uncle Sam owned banks and factories
    - How Big Steel in the U.S. fell

    This episode was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Marianne McCune. Research help from Emily Crawford and Emma Peaslee. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

    Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes, sponsor-free listening and now Summer School episodes one week early by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

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    28 mins
  • Summer School 3: How government decides what to spend our money on

    Summer School 3: How government decides what to spend our money on
    Jul 23 2025
    Although it seems like the government can spend an endless amount of money, it cannot actually do all the things it wants to do. So the big question in this week's lesson is: How do we decide? Why does the government spend so much money on some things and not on others? And honestly, is there any limit?Get tickets to our August 18th live show and graduation ceremony at The Bell House, in Brooklyn. (Planet Money+ supporters get a 10 percent discount off their tickets. Listen to the July 8th bonus episode to get the discount code!)The series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Eric Mennel. Our project manager is Devin Mellor. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark and fact-checked by Emily Crawford.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

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    37 mins
  • Why are we so obsessed with manufacturing?

    Why are we so obsessed with manufacturing?
    Jul 18 2025
    It seems like politicians cannot agree on a lot. But many seem to agree on... manufacturing. Leaders of both political parties have been working to try and make the U.S. a manufacturing powerhouse again.

    On today's show, what is so special about manufacturing? Is it particularly important for the economy? And if manufacturing jobs are so great, then why have companies been struggling to fill the manufacturing jobs we already have?

    For more on manufacturing in the U.S:

    - Made in America, an episode about what manufacturing work in the U.S. can be like for garment workers and how much they're paid to make each piece of clothing "made in the U.S."
    - Why aren't Americans filling the manufacturing jobs we already have?
    - What makes manufacturing jobs special? The answer could help rebuild the middle class
    - Can bringing back manufacturing help the heartland catch up with 'superstar' cities?
    - And, for more, check out the Planet Money newsletter's manufacturing series at npr.org/manufacturing.

    Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

    Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts,     Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

    Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes, sponsor-free listening, and now early access to new episodes of Summer School by signing up for Planet Money+ in     Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

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    23 mins
  • Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media

    Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media
    Jul 18 2025
    Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this essential American service survive and thrive. Visit donate.npr.org now.

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    2 mins
  • Summer School 2: How taxes change behavior and the economy

    Summer School 2: How taxes change behavior and the economy
    Jul 16 2025
    We all know the government uses taxes to pay for things. But what about using taxes to control behavior? This week on Summer School, Professor Darrick Hamilton of The New School, helps us explore the true power of the tax code. Can taxes help lift people out of poverty? What about saving the planet?

    Get tickets to our August 18th live show and graduation ceremony at The Bell House, in Brooklyn. (Planet Money+ supporters get a 10 percent discount off their tickets. Listen to the July 8th bonus episode to get the discount code!)

    The series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Eric Mennel. Our project manager is Devin Mellor. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark and fact-checked by Emily Crawford and Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Robert Rodriguez    .

    Always free at these links:     Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

    Find more Planet Money:     Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

    Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ i    n Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

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    37 mins
  • Made in America

    Made in America
    Jul 11 2025
    What people might picture when they think of "Made in America" ... might not look like the "Made in America" we have today.

    The U.S. does have a domestic manufacturing industry, including a garment manufacturing industry.

    In today's episode: We buy a garment made by factory workers in the U.S. – a basic purple sports bra – and learn how many people it took to make it, how much workers got paid to work on it ... and whether garment manufacturing is a job Americans want, or even know how, to do.

    Plus: why domestic garment manufacturing exists at all in the U.S., and whether the industry can grow.

    Other episodes:

    - What "Made in China" actually means

    This episode was reported and hosted by Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Willa Rubin with production help from Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune, and it was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez who also helped with research. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

    Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening and now Summer School episodes one week early by subscribing to Planet Money+     in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

    Find more     Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

    Listen free at these links:     Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

    Help support     Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

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    31 mins
  • Summer School 1: A government's role in the economy is to make us all richer

    Summer School 1: A government's role in the economy is to make us all richer
    Jul 9 2025
    Government. The Big G. We like to imagine the free market and the invisible hand as being independent from political influence. But Nobel laureate, Simon Johnson, says that influence has been there since the birth of economics. Call it political economy. Call it government and business. Call it our big topic each Wednesday through Labor Day.

    We're kicking off another semester of Planet Money Summer School asking the biggest question: Why are some nations rich and others poor? With stories from India, New York City and Peru, we look at the ways in which government bureaucracy can help make or break an economy.

    Tickets for Planet Money Live at the Bell House available here. Planet Money+ supporters get a 10 percent discount off their tickets. Go to plus.npr.org to sign up, if you haven't already, and listen to the July 8th bonus episode to get the discount code.

    Always free at these links:     Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

    Find more Planet Money:     Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

    Planet Money+ supporters get early access to new episodes of Summer School this season! You also get sponsor-free listening, regular bonus episodes, and you'll help support the work of Planet Money.

    Sign up for Planet Money+ in     Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

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    36 mins
  • The simple math of the big bill

    The simple math of the big bill
    Jul 4 2025
    If we think about the economic effects of President Donald Trumps big taxing and spending and domestic policy bill, we can roughly sum it up in one line. It goes something like this:

    We will make many big tax cuts permanent and pay for those tax cuts by cutting Medicaid and a few other things and also...by borrowing money.

    A lot of money.

    Even more than we've already been borrowing over the past twenty years. (And that was already a lot, too!)

    Today: simple arithmetic with profound ramifications. Tax cuts, spending cuts, and whether they balance out. (Spoiler: no.)

    We look under the hood to see how all this is calculated. And we ask: how will a bigger deficit play out for all of us, in our normal, regular lives?

    We've covered a bunch more having to do with the big taxing and spending bill and the federal debt recently on Planet Money and our short daily show The Indicator:

    - So, how's this No Tax On Tips thing gonna go?
    - A thought experiment on how to fix the national debt problem
    - The paperwork trap: A sneaky way to cut Medicaid in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill'?
    - The debt limit, the origins of the X Date, and why it all matters
    - What's a revenge tax?
    - Is the federal debt REALLY that bad?

    Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening and now Summer School episodes one week early by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

    Listen free at these links:     Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

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    32 mins