During 2024 taxpayers were on the hook for $1.13 trillion in interest on the debt. That’s nearly $7,400 for each of the 153 million people who file tax returns.
Amtrak subsidies keep many of Amtrak‘s routes alive despite the fact that ridership is down on many of them. These subsidies guarantee that Amtrak will be a second-rate, undercapitalized passenger railroad system.
Caleb O. Brown hosted the Cato Daily Podcast for nearly 18 years, producing well over 4000 episodes. He has gone on to head Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute. This is one among the best episodes produced in his tenure, selected by the host and listeners.
The people who write the rules under which we must live generally ought to be subject to accountability from voters. That’s not a controversial proposition, but how it works in practice is more complicated. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.
Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news, and in life. This week:
We debunk a false claim that the hotel bill for immigrants is the size of the tax bill for Manchester.
An article in the Spectator claimed that 4% of women aged between 18 and 34 in the UK are OnlyFans creators. We track down the source and discover that it is not very good.
Do people in Scotland use much more water than people in Yorkshire? If so, why?
And we examine a popular claim that today’s working mothers spend more time with their children than your stereotypical 1950s housewife did.
Make sure you get in touch if you’ve seen a number you think Tim and the team should take a look at. The email is moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporter: Josephine Casserly
Producers: Nicholas Barrett, Lizzy McNeill and David Verry
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
Tensions continue to escalate between Iran and Israel as the two countries swap missile fire. Israel claims to have killed multiple high-level Iranian officials and has asked for US military support. President Donald Trump is making posts online that vaguely gesture he might give it to them while Republicans argue about whether we should get involved. Pod Save the World’s Tommy Vietor joins the show to try and make sense of all the chaos.
And in headlines: A New York City mayoral candidate is arrested while court watching, Department of Homeland Security flip-flops on worksite immigration raids, polls show nobody likes Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, and Kraft-Heinz removes dye from its products.
Last week, the U.S. Treasury held an auction for 30-year bonds. Some were worried no one would show up to buy these things! That didn't happen, but the 'long bond' isn't exactly thriving at the moment. Today on the show, we look back at why we have such a long maturity bond and why it might be a good idea to start paying attention to it going forward.
Related episodes: Bond market nightmares (Apple / Spotify) Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're coming (Apple / Spotify) Trying to solve the mystery of big bond yields (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
As the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem has made herself the official face of the Trump administration’s military crackdowns on protesters in Los Angeles, raids in majority-Democratic cities, and the deportations of student activists. How has she been able to consolidate so much power so quickly?
Ahilan Arulanantham, Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law
Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplusto get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.
Despite Trump‘s campaign promises and despite DOGE‘s so-called reputation of cutting government waste, the new administration is spending money faster than the supposed spendthrift Biden administration. This is Machiavellianism at its best.
Caleb O. Brown hosted the Cato Daily Podcast for nearly 18 years, producing well over 4000 episodes. He has gone on to head Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute. This is one among the best episodes produced in his tenure, selected by the host and listeners.
What happens when public university officials violate your free speech rights? Often, they get qualified immunity, thus shielding them from the consequences of those actions. Casey Mattox with Americans for Prosperity comments.
A federal appeals court will decide if President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to anti-immigration raid protests will continue. We spoke with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ahead of the appeals court ruling for insight on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, protests, and what her city can do to reset in this moment.
And in headlines: ICE is reportedly running out of money, the President's family is launching a mobile phone and cellular service, and the US and the UK signed a trade deal.