Planet Money
NPR
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
Episodes
Mentioned books
123 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 36min
Don't hate the replicator, hate the game
A scientist created an international, crowdsourced contest to re-run social science studies and test whether published results hold up. Teams race to execute original code, probe robustness, and spot missing variables or duplicated data. The story explores publication incentives, p-hacking, and how community scrutiny could change research norms.
94 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 18min
The ICE hiring boom
Sergio Martinez Beltran, an NPR immigration reporter who covers enforcement and detention policy, explains ICE’s rapid hiring surge and shortened training. He describes plans for massive detention warehouses and the economic pitch to towns like Folkston, Georgia. Short scenes explore recruitment tactics, reduced field and language training, and local debates over jobs versus moral cost.
124 snips
Feb 21, 2026 • 26min
The Supreme Court struck down a bunch of Trump's tariffs. Now what?
Cara Dyer, small-business owner of Storytime Toys, explains how recent tariff rulings upended her importing and sourcing choices. She recounts scrambling to redesign products, scale back imports, and weigh refund options. The conversation covers legal limits on presidential tariff power, emerging markets buying refund claims, and what new tariffs might mean for small firms.
90 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 27min
How to get what Greenland has, with permission
A look at why Greenland matters: its rare earth minerals and strategic Arctic location. The conversation covers where critical minerals sit beneath the ice and how global powers, investments, and military presence shape access. Listeners hear why control is not the same as cooperation and why partnerships and processing capacity may matter more than owning land.
115 snips
Feb 13, 2026 • 32min
Betty Boop, Excel Olympics, Penny-isms: Our 2026 Valentines
A classic cartoon finally enters the public domain and sparks playful art and pun ideas. Competitive spreadsheeting gets sportslike coverage and curious behind-the-scenes details. A love letter to the penny explores its language and cultural life. Smart reporting tracks government use of powerful surveillance tech and how procurement records reveal who buys what.
111 snips
Feb 11, 2026 • 31min
The Invention Invention
Michael Mattioli, a law professor who studies patents and antitrust, gives historical context on Singer, patent pools, and legal rules shaping innovation. The conversation follows sewing-machine wars, how patent pools solved blocking patents, and the rise of modern standards like MPEG. Short stories connect 19th-century fights to today’s tech cooperation and regulation.
139 snips
Feb 7, 2026 • 33min
Iran, protests, and sanctions
Asfandjar Batmigelich (Yar), an Iranian-American researcher on Iran and West Asia, discusses how decades of U.S. sanctions shaped Iran’s economy and social life. He traces currency collapse, banking isolation, and moments of opening and tightening. The conversation highlights how economic pain fed recent widespread protests and who gained or lost amid sanctions.
56 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 29min
Riding with the repo man (update)
Stephanie Waldrop, a car buyer who got a subprime loan and faced repossession after job and income changes. The conversation revisits her story and the tense world of repossessions. Listeners hear nighttime repo rides, how dealers and lenders view subprime buyers, and why technology and loan terms have made repos more common.
313 snips
Jan 31, 2026 • 28min
Can Trump make buying a home more affordable?
They dig into two recent White House moves aimed at making homebuying cheaper and whether those actions could actually lower mortgage rates. The show investigates how big investors buying single-family homes may shape prices in certain markets. Listeners hear a personal housing struggle that highlights why affordability matters and why supply remains the core challenge.
116 snips
Jan 28, 2026 • 28min
Can transforming neighborhoods help kids escape poverty?
Raj Chetty, economist who studies poverty and mobility, discusses HOPE VI and large-scale research on neighborhoods. The conversation covers how transforming housing and mixing incomes changed social connections. They explore why nearby affluence and cross-class ties matter for children's long-term outcomes. Policy implications beyond housing are also considered.
