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A record number of Americans with poor or just okay credit are behind on their car payments. And once last year’s numbers are tallied, an estimated 3 million cars will have been repossessed in 2025. That would be on par with how bad it got during the Great Recession. What’s going on? And why now?
Today on the show, we focus on the micro part of the story to answer the macro question. First, we hear a favorite story of ours from 2019. We follow the lifecycle of a delinquent car loan from three different perspectives: the salesman, the driver, and the repo man. Then we’ll hear an update from them in 2026 as we try to find out why so many Americans are behind on their car payments.
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This episode is hosted by Kenny Malone and Preeti Varathan. It was originally produced by Darian Woods and edited by Bryant Urstadt. Our update was reported by Vito Emanuel and produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, and edited by Planet Money’s executive producer, Alex Goldmark.
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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder’ is a dark new novel about sisterhood
In today’s interview, author Nina McConigley tells NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe that she wanted to write a sister book. How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is the author’s dark debut novel about two Indian-American sisters growing up in rural Wyoming in the 1980s. There, they experience abuse that drives them to seek revenge. In today’s episode, McGonigley and Rascoe discuss split identities and the complex feelings that arise from life under colonialism – and from surviving abuse.
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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 - How do extreme G-forces affect Olympic bobsledders?
Olympic sliding sports – bobsled, luge and skeleton – are known for their speed. Athletes chase medals down a track of ice at up to 80 or 90 mph. With this thrill comes the risk of “sled head.” Athletes use the term to explain the dizziness, nausea, exhaustion and even blackouts that can follow a brain-rattling run. Untreated, this can turn into concussions and subconcussions. But there’s still a lot more to learn about this condition. So today, host Emily Kwong speaks with two experts about the medical research into sled head – and how the sport would need to change to protect athletes’ brain health.
Check out more of NPR’s Olympics coverage.
Interested in more Olympic science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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Check out more of NPR’s Olympics coverage.
Interested in more Olympic science? Email us your question 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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Consider This from NPR - President Trump’s Kennedy Center plans are unclear, so far
President Trump wants to close the Kennedy Center for two years. He says a massive renovation is coming.
But so far, there are few details about what that renovation will look like, physically, and what it will mean to the nation’s performing arts center and its patrons.
David Graham has been sifting through the clues, and he talks with NPR about what is known, and what could be lost in the upheaval.
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 Henry Larson and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Sarah Handel.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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State of the World from NPR - Fallout in the U.K. over the Epstein files
While there has been political turmoil in the U.S. over the latest release of photos and emails in the “Epstein files”, the consequences in the U.K. have been more concrete. There, a prince had already been stripped of his title over his connections to the late accused sex trafficker. Now a member of the House of Lords has been forced to step down. We get the latest from London.
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1A - ICE And The ICE Watchers
Thousands of people have signed up to document and protest the actions of immigration agents in Minnesota.
They say they are legal observers, exercising their constitutional rights. The government claims they’re impeding the lawful work of a federal agency.
Where is the line between observer and disrupter? And what are the limits to how federal agents can respond?
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They say they are legal observers, exercising their constitutional rights. The government claims they’re impeding the lawful work of a federal agency.
Where is the line between observer and disrupter? And what are the limits to how federal agents can respond?
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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1A - ICE And The ICE Watchers
Thousands of people have signed up to document and protest the actions of immigration agents in Minnesota.
They say they are legal observers, exercising their constitutional rights. The government claims they’re impeding the lawful work of a federal agency.
Where is the line between observer and disrupter? And what are the limits to how federal agents can respond?
Find more of our programs online. 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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They say they are legal observers, exercising their constitutional rights. The government claims they’re impeding the lawful work of a federal agency.
Where is the line between observer and disrupter? And what are the limits to how federal agents can respond?
Find more of our programs online. 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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Up First from NPR - Government Shutdown Day 4, US-Iran Nuclear Talks, Guthrie Investigation
A partial government shutdown enters its fourth day as House Republicans weigh whether to back a Senate deal that would reopen most agencies while giving Congress two weeks to negotiate changes to immigration enforcement.
The U.S. is set to reopen nuclear talks with Iran, as regional powers push diplomacy even while President Trump warns military action remains on the table.
And investigators in Arizona say 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, may have been abducted from her home as an urgent search continues.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
The U.S. is set to reopen nuclear talks with Iran, as regional powers push diplomacy even while President Trump warns military action remains on the table.
And investigators in Arizona say 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, may have been abducted from her home as an urgent search continues.
Want more 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, James Hider, Miguel Macias, Martha Ann Overland, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:54) Government Shutdown Day 4
(05:31) US-Iran Nuclear Talks
(09:06) Guthrie Investigation
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Short Wave - Autism: debunking Trump claims, and what scientists still don’t know
Autism has a long history of misinformation that continues to today. The Trump administration has perpetuated some of this misinformation in the last year. Among other things, officials have claimed certain groups of people don’t get the condition and that taking Tylenol while pregnant causes autism to later develop in children. Today, NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton sets the record straight with host Emily Kwong on what scientists do and don’t know about autism.
If you liked this episode, check out our episodes on an Autism researcher’s take on Trump’s claims about Tylenol and a Fragile X treatment that may be on the horizon.
Interested in more science in the news? Email us your question 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.
This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Damian Herring.
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If you liked this episode, check out our episodes on an Autism researcher’s take on Trump’s claims about Tylenol and a Fragile X treatment that may be on the horizon.
Interested in more science in the news? Email us your question 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.
This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Damian Herring.
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The Indicator from Planet Money - All these data centers are gonna fry my electric bill … right?
Data centers are getting a lot of heat right now. There’s neighborhood pushback against them for water usage and environmental concerns, and some politicians on both sides of the aisle aren’t fans for the same reasons. There’s also fear that they could drive up the cost of electricity bills.
But that last bit isn’t set in stone.
Data center electric bill upcharge is not a guarantee. In fact, it is even possible for data centers to cause power bills to go down. Today on the show: the future of your power bill.
Related episodes:
No AI data centers in my backyard!
What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill
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. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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