Are we emphasizing “the negative”? In a sense, yes, but what else are we to stress when our values, our principles, our very being are under attack from a relentless foe?
Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes that reportedly hit more than 2,000 targets across Iran. In response, Iran struck sites across the Middle East. What, exactly, is the United States doing in Iran, especially now that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed? Nahal Toosi, senior foreign affairs correspondent and columnist at POLITICO, lays out what’s likely to happen next and why it matters.
And in headlines, Senator Lindsey Graham insists regime change is not the goal in Iran, Democrats mostly oppose the war (with some notable exceptions), and someone struck it big in a prediction market gamble on when the U.S. would strike Iran.
Two economists get into the business—and stakes—of organ donation, and they argue why the government should financially compensate their families.
FYI, we are going on a book tour! Planet Money’s first ever book comes out in April. We’ll be celebrating in about a dozen cities. There’s a limited edition tote bag included with your ticket, while supplies last. Details, dates and how to get your ticket at planetmoneybook.com.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
How much would it change your life and approach to health if you had instant access to your quantified biometrics? RFK Jr. and the Department of Health and Human Services have bet the difference would be huge, and loosened regulation on them—leaving TBD no choice but to strap in and give ‘em a try.
Mario Aguliar, health tech correspondent for Stat News
Dr. Sandeep Kishore, associate professor at the University of California San Francisco
Dr. Jordana Cohen, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at University of Pennsylvania.
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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, and Patrick Fort.
That’s the claim made by Dr Oliver Vince, co-founder of a company called Basecamp Research, who are collecting genetic data to train AI systems. The hope is that they’ll be able to use this to discover new medicines.
But is this number a good one? Rob Finn, from the European Bioinformatics Institute, explains what is being counted and how you go about counting them.
Credits:
Presenter and producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: Dave O’Neill
Editor: Richard Vadon
Training for the Olympics is a Sisyphean task, but if you’re a curler, pushing a rock is kind of your thing. And who knows? Your big break might come in your 50s.
Guest: Rich Ruohonen, Minnesota curler (and lawyer) who represented the US in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
When the Massachusetts colony issued its own unredeemable paper money in 1690, it was with the promise that it would soon be redeemable in specie. Like all paper money issued by government, it lost value and the confidence of the people.
On Thursday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified in front of the House Oversight Committee to answer questions during their investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Secretary Clinton said, “I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein,” and referred to the GOP-led committee’s handling of the Epstein files as “partisan political theater.” Following her deposition, she told reporters that Republicans asked her about UFOs and the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. Bart Jansen, White House correspondent for USA Today, laid out what we should expect next in the Epstein investigation.
And in headlines, the U.S. and Iran hold more indirect talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, a federal judge rules that the Internal Revenue Service illegally shared confidential taxpayer data with the Department of Homeland Security, and a new Kansas law invalidates driver’s licenses and birth certificates held by some transgender residents.
It’s … Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!), our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: How Minnesota workers were affected by Operation Metro Surge, why coffee’s getting more expensive, and what happens when a sci-fi AI scenario meets the stock market.
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 Julia Ritchey and Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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