After President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, economists and statisticians across the board were horrified. Because the firing raises the spectre of potential manipulation – and it raises the worry that, in the future, the numbers won't be as trustworthy.
So: we looked at two countries that have some experience with data manipulation. To ask what happens when governments get tempted to cook the books. And...once they cook the books... how hard is it to UN-cook them?
It's two statistical historical cautionary tales. First, we learn how Argentina tried to mask its true inflation rate, and how that effort backfired. Then, we hear about the difficult process of cleaning up the post-cooked-book mess, in Greece.
For more:
- Can we just change how we measure GDP?
- The price of lettuce in Brooklyn
- What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update)
- Can we still trust the monthly jobs report? (Update)
- How office politics could take down Europe
- The amazing shrinking economy might stop shrinking
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Consider This from NPR - Investigating the Russia investigations. What’s left to learn?
The question of whether Russian interference in the 2016 election was a decisive reason Donald Trump won the presidency is one that has dogged Trump for the better part of a decade.
It's also been the subject of numerous investigations.
But even though that question has been asked and answered, the current Trump administration is launching another investigation in an effort to reach a different conclusion.
Last month, Trump's Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, declassified documents and she leveled an unprecedented accusation: The Obama administration knowingly pushed the idea of Russian interference as false narrative to sabotage Trump's campaign.
And this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi has authorized an investigation into the investigation of his 2016 campaign's relationship Russia.
What is there left to learn?
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It's also been the subject of numerous investigations.
But even though that question has been asked and answered, the current Trump administration is launching another investigation in an effort to reach a different conclusion.
Last month, Trump's Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, declassified documents and she leveled an unprecedented accusation: The Obama administration knowingly pushed the idea of Russian interference as false narrative to sabotage Trump's campaign.
And this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi has authorized an investigation into the investigation of his 2016 campaign's relationship Russia.
What is there left to learn?
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1A - The News Roundup For August 8, 2025
After months of delays, President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs went into effect on Thursday.
A planned strategy meeting among top Trump administration officials whether to release the transcript from the Department of Justice interview with Ghislaine Maxwell was cancelled.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government considers a total takeover of the Gaza strip. The UN warns the move could risk "catastrophic consequences."
Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of Donald Trump's Friday deadline for peace in Ukraine.
And Rwanda has agreed to accept 250 migrants from the United States becoming the latest nation to strike a deal to take in Trump administration deportees.
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A planned strategy meeting among top Trump administration officials whether to release the transcript from the Department of Justice interview with Ghislaine Maxwell was cancelled.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government considers a total takeover of the Gaza strip. The UN warns the move could risk "catastrophic consequences."
Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of Donald Trump's Friday deadline for peace in Ukraine.
And Rwanda has agreed to accept 250 migrants from the United States becoming the latest nation to strike a deal to take in Trump administration deportees.
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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State of the World from NPR - Why is Chile’s Birth Rate Plummeting?
Much of the attention on the world's plunging birth rate is on east Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. But Latin American countries, like Chile, are also seeing a decline in fertility. We go to Chile’s capital to understand the personal decisions behind the countries plummeting birth rate trend.
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Up First from NPR - Gaza Occupation Decision, Redistricting Update, Trump Orders New Census
Israel's cabinet has voted to expand the war in Gaza by taking control of Gaza City, Republican efforts to redraw Congressional districts ahead of next year's midterms continue to escalate, and President Trump is calling for a "new" census that excludes people who are in the U.S. without legal status.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today's episode of Up First was edited by Hannah Bloch, Ben Swasey, Janaya Williams and Ally Schweitzer. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenburg. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.
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Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today's episode of Up First was edited by Hannah Bloch, Ben Swasey, Janaya Williams and Ally Schweitzer. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenburg. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.
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The Indicator from Planet Money - More for Palantir, less for mRNA, and a disaster database redemption arc
It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today's episode: Palantir crosses a billion dollars in quarterly revenue (what do they actually do again?); mRNA vaccine research gets a big cut in RFK Jr's health department; and a climate disaster database gets a new lease on life.
Related episodes:
How Palantir, the secretive tech company, is rising in the Trump era
An indicator lost: big disaster costs
Moonshot in the arm
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 Cooper Katz McKim. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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On today's episode: Palantir crosses a billion dollars in quarterly revenue (what do they actually do again?); mRNA vaccine research gets a big cut in RFK Jr's health department; and a climate disaster database gets a new lease on life.
Related episodes:
How Palantir, the secretive tech company, is rising in the Trump era
An indicator lost: big disaster costs
Moonshot in the arm
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 Cooper Katz McKim. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR's Book of the Day - 2 new books were inspired by dark moments in Japanese and Japanese American history
Authors Tracy Slater and Julia Riew published two very different books last month that were inspired by a similar time in history. First, Together in Manzanar is set during the incarceration of Japanese Americans following Pearl Harbor. The book tells the real-life story of a mother who had to decide whether to go to a concentration camp with her 3-year-old Japanese American son or stay back with her daughter, who was white. In today’s episode, Slater speaks with NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer about this family’s story. Next, The Last Tiger is a fictional book for young readers about the Japanese occupation of Korea. In today’s episode, its co-author Julia Riew talks with NPR’s Scott Simon about writing the book with her brother and how their grandparents shaped the story.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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Short Wave - Why Do Some 80 Year-Olds Have Extraordinary Memories?
The human brain tends to slow down as we age — even healthy brains shrink. That can make learning and memory harder as people age. But some people’s brains shrink more slowly than their peers. This lucky group is called “SuperAgers.” They’re people aged 80 or older. But they have the memory abilities of someone 50-to-60 years old. This week in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, researchers from Northwestern University’s SuperAging Program summarized some of the secrets they’ve learned in the last 2.5 decades.
Want to hear about more stories about human health and aging? Email us and let us know at shortwave@npr.org.
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Want to hear about more stories about human health and aging? Email us and let us know at shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
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1A - Why Accurate Labor Statistics Matter For The US Economy
The president of the United States fired the head of the government's main economic statistics agency after a recent report showed a less than positive picture of U.S. employment.
The civil servant President Donald Trump fired was former Commissioner of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer, a labor economist nominated to the role in 2023 by President Joe Biden. The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed her in 2024. Commissioners often serve under multiple presidents.
The president defended his reasoning for the firing on social media – though he didn't provide evidence to back up his claims.
We discuss the consequences when the president fires the person at the head of the government's main agency for economic statistics.
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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The civil servant President Donald Trump fired was former Commissioner of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer, a labor economist nominated to the role in 2023 by President Joe Biden. The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed her in 2024. Commissioners often serve under multiple presidents.
The president defended his reasoning for the firing on social media – though he didn't provide evidence to back up his claims.
We discuss the consequences when the president fires the person at the head of the government's main agency for economic statistics.
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - How some online networks target and radicalize kids
The FBI is investigating at least 250 people who may be tied to online networks that target children.
These networks encourage kids to hurt themselves, other minors or even animals. In some countries, they have been tied to mass casualty and terrorism plots.
NPR's domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef has spoken with a family that experienced this firsthand.
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These networks encourage kids to hurt themselves, other minors or even animals. In some countries, they have been tied to mass casualty and terrorism plots.
NPR's domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef has spoken with a family that experienced this firsthand.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
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