The Indicator from Planet Money - Can air traffic controllers keep calm and carry on — without pay?

There’s one job that gets all the attention during a government shutdown: air traffic controllers. Today on the show, we spotlight why this job has taken on outsize political influence and one controller’s experience during the longest shutdown on record. 

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 Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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Short Wave - Fall foliage is still a mystery: Why do some leaves turn red?

Scientists know why leaves turn yellow in the fall: Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But red? Red is a different story altogether. Leaves have to make a new pigment to turn red. Why would a dying leaf do that? Scientists don’t really know. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce reports on the leading hypotheses out there.

Read more of Nell's reporting on this topic

Interested in more seasonal science? Email us your ideas at shortwave@npr.org.

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Consider This from NPR - Nancy Pelosi announces end to nearly four decades in Congress

Nancy Pelosi is arguably the most powerful woman in American history. After her election to Congress in 1987, she accumulated more and more power, eventually rising to become Speaker of the House in 2007, the first and only woman to hold that office. 


Now in her 20th term, Pelosi announced Thursday morning that she will not seek reelection. 

Susan Page is Washington Bureau chief for USA Today and author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power. She joined Consider This host Juana Summers to talk about Pelosi's achievements -- and her legacy.

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.

This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata, Courtney Dorning and Nadia Lancy. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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1A - How Health Insurance Got So Expensive

It’s open enrollment season. And for the 20 million Americans who buy their own health insurance, prices are through the roof.

Rates are up an average of 30 percent for a typical plan in the 30 states where the federal government manages markets. In states that run their own markets, rates are up an average of 17 percent. That’s according to an analysis from the health policy research group KFF.

Meanwhile, the longest government shutdown continues in Washington. Lawmakers still can’t agree over whether to extend subsidies that would make health insurance more affordable. Without those subsidies, experts estimate that more than 4 million people could lose access to insurance.

How did health insurance get so expensive in the first place? And who stands to benefit from higher costs?

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State of the World from NPR - In Dharamshala, Tibetans Worry About Preserving Their Identity

When the Dalai Lama fled Chinese-controlled Tibet over sixty years ago, he settled in Dharamshala, India, setting up a government-in-exile. Thousands of Tibetan refugees followed their spiritual leader there. But now their numbers are dwindling and their are concerns about their future. We go there to understand the pressures their population faces.

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Up First from NPR - State Of The Shutdown, SCOTUS Tariff Arguments, Chicago ICE Ruling

President Trump calls on Senate Republicans to end the government shutdown by scrapping the filibuster, even as he admits the standoff hurt the party in this week’s elections. The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether Trump overstepped his authority by imposing tariffs under a decades-old emergency powers law. And in Chicago, federal judges side against the administration in immigration enforcement cases, ordering cleaner detention centers and tighter limits on the use of force.

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 Jason Breslow, Krishnadev Calamur Cheryl Corely, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas

We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is David Greenburg.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - This indicator hasn’t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble

The “Shiller PE Ratio” is at its highest level since November of 1999. That was at the peak of the online gold rush right before the dot com bubble burst in 2000. Today on the show, we learn what the Shiller PE Ratio is, how it works and whether we should be worried that it’s relatively high right now.

Related episodes: 
What’s a Bubble?
Zombie 2nd mortgages are coming to life, threatening thousands of Americans' homes

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 Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter

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NPR's Book of the Day - These previously unpublished Harper Lee stories were discovered in her NYC apartment

After Harper Lee’s death in 2016, previously unpublished writing was discovered in her New York City apartment. The Land of Sweet Forever includes eight new short stories from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Lee wrote them a decade prior to To Kill a Mockingbird and some of the stories include early versions of Atticus and Scout, the characters who made her famous. In today’s episode, Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd interviews The New Yorker’s Casey Cep, who edited the collection.


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1A - The Ongoing Fight For Justice Of Jeffrey Epstein Survivors

Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, “Nobody’s Girl,” is again shining a light on justice for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Department of Justice says Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Over the summer, she was moved to a minimum security prison in Texas after meeting privately with Trump administration officials.

In the book, Giuffre recounts how she was lured into Epstein’s world after meeting Maxwell at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago spa at the age of 16. She was then subjected to years of abuse where she was sex trafficked, including to England’s former Prince Andrew, whose title was revoked last week in part due to these allegations.

Giuffre took her own life earlier this year. Even before her memoir was released posthumously, she was one of Epstein’s most outspoken accusers. We sit down with Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law about her story and their call for justice. We also speak with Marijke Chartouni, another Epstein survivor who says she was recruited in 2000 and was sexually assaulted by Epstein.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.  

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Consider This from NPR - Tariffs aren’t a presidential power, says California Attorney General

Next year, the Supreme Court will decide whether the President can use a five decade old emergency powers act to shape the U.S. economy.

Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or AYEEPA, last spring when he imposed sweeping tariffs of at least 10 percent across all countries.

Wednesday, the nine justices heard oral arguments in the case. And however they decide it — the ruling could affect economic policy and presidential power for years to come.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a democrat, was at the Court and joined Consider This host Juana Summers to talk about the suit and the steps his state is taking to rein in the Trump administration.

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.

This episode was produced by Brianna Scott and Erika Ryan with engineering by David Greenburg.

It was edited by Courtney Dorning.  

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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