Planet Money - So imPORTant: Bananas, frogs, and… Bob’s??

Even in our modern world with planes and jets and drones, the vast majority of goods are moved around the planet in cargo ships. Which means our ports are the backbone of our global economy. The longshoremans' strike closed the eastern ports for only three days, but those three days raised a lot of questions.

Like - why is a discount furniture store the fourth largest importer on the East Coast? How come so many bananas come through Wilmington, Delaware? Why do we need live frogs delivered into the US six times a month? And... how do we even keep track of all of these imports? On today's episode, we get into #PortFacts!

This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Amanda Aronczyk. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Audrey Quinn, and fact-checked by Dania Suleman. Engineering by Cena Loffredo and Kwesi Lee with an assist from Valentina Rodriguez Sanchez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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The Gist - Who Wants to Be A College President?

There was a time when "College President" was a cushy job, but that time is officially over. Now its a headache rapped in a time suck surrounded by a protest. Bill Funk, of Funk Associates, is a recruiter of college presidents, and he's here to acknowledge that, indeed, this is the most difficult period he's ever experienced for hiring college presidents. Plus, Trump speaks in Detroit, disparagingly, about Detroit. Also on the show, where have all the critters gone? The WWF finds a 73-percent decline in vertebrates, but Mike has enough backbone to question that stat.


Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Consider This from NPR - TikTok executives know about app’s effect on teens, lawsuit documents allege

For the first time, internal TikTok communications have been made public that show a company unconcerned with the harms the app poses for American teenagers. This is despite its own research validating many child safety concerns.

The confidential material was part of a more than two-year investigation into TikTok by 14 attorneys general that led to state officials suing the company on Tuesday.

The lawsuit against the popular video sharing platform claims it was designed to keep young people hooked on the service. Documents uncovered by Kentucky Public Radio show that the company's internal research may help support this accusation.

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Consider This from NPR - TikTok executives know about app’s effect on teens, lawsuit documents allege

For the first time, internal TikTok communications have been made public that show a company unconcerned with the harms the app poses for American teenagers. This is despite its own research validating many child safety concerns.

The confidential material was part of a more than two-year investigation into TikTok by 14 attorneys general that led to state officials suing the company on Tuesday.

The lawsuit against the popular video sharing platform claims it was designed to keep young people hooked on the service. Documents uncovered by Kentucky Public Radio show that the company's internal research may help support this accusation.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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Consider This from NPR - TikTok executives know about app’s effect on teens, lawsuit documents allege

For the first time, internal TikTok communications have been made public that show a company unconcerned with the harms the app poses for American teenagers. This is despite its own research validating many child safety concerns.

The confidential material was part of a more than two-year investigation into TikTok by 14 attorneys general that led to state officials suing the company on Tuesday.

The lawsuit against the popular video sharing platform claims it was designed to keep young people hooked on the service. Documents uncovered by Kentucky Public Radio show that the company's internal research may help support this accusation.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - The cost of living, lead pipe removal, and a more expensive Mega Millions

It's ... Indicators of the Week! It's that time of week when we look at the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.

On today's episode: Inflation slowly coming down, getting the lead out of water pipes, and a more expensive Mega Millions.

Related Episodes:
Lotteries And Happiness
Indicator exploder: jobs and inflation

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The Journal. - The Money Laundering Behind TD Bank’s $3 Billion Fine

TD Bank’s U.S. entity pleaded guilty and agreed to pay more than $3 billion in penalties, acknowledging it failed to properly monitor money laundering by drug cartels and other criminal groups. WSJ’s Dylan Tokar unpacks the investigation that led to such a historic deal.


Further Listening:

-The Suitcases Full of Cash Flowing Through Airports 


Further Reading:

-TD Bank Agrees to $3 Billion in Penalties and Growth Restrictions in U.S. Settlement 

-TD Pays Hefty Penalties as Prosecutors Detail Nearly a Decade of Lax Controls 

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Motley Fool Money - The Future of Cars and Search

Investors get their first glimpse at Tesla’s robotaxi ambitions and how regulators might be looking to break up search giant Google. 


(00:42) Jason Moser and Andy Cross discuss:

- Why Jamie Dimon is trying to get investors past the rate story in banking.

- Tesla’s splashy We, Robot product event, and how the company’s new Cybercab offering might fit into the company’s long-term strategy. 

- Earnings updates from Delta, Pepsi, and Domino’s.


(19:03) The DOJ’s taking a much closer look at Alphabet’s Google and its online search empire. Andy and Jason talk through what a Google break-up would mean, and why it’s a bit weird to be talking about Google the monopoly as its power seems to be waning.


(32:06) Jason and Andy field a question from a listener on following earnings and offer up two stocks on their radar: Netflix and Meta.


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Stocks discussed: JPM, WFC, TSLA, DAL, PEP, DPZ, NFLX, META

Host: Dylan Lewis

Guests: Jason Moser, Andy Cross

Engineers: Rick Engdahl 

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CrowdScience - What’s the fairest voting system?

2024 is the biggest election year in history. From Taiwan to India, the USA to Ghana, by the end of the year almost half of the world’s population will have had the chance to choose who governs them. But there are a huge number of possible voting systems – and listener James wants CrowdScience to find out which is the fairest. To do so, we create a fictional country called CrowdLand to try out different electoral systems. Presenter Caroline Steel consults mathematician David McCune and political scientists Eric Linhart and Simon Hix, and we hear from listeners around the world about how they vote in their respective countries. Can we find the perfect voting system for CrowdLand? Contributors: Prof David McCune, William Jewell College, USA Prof Eric Linhart, University of Technology Chemnitz, Germany Prof Simon Hix, European University Institute, Italy Actors: Charlotte Bloomsbury Ross Virgo Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Florian Bohr Editor: Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Manager: Donald MacDonald

(Image: Hand of a person casting a vote into the ballot box during elections, Thailand Credit: boonchai wedmakawand via Getty Images)