According to mainstream economists, inflation aids economic growth while deflation impairs growth. Austrian economists, however, point out that in much of US history, economic growth was accompanied by deflation.
Advocates for US military intervention have invoked the war against the Barbary pirates as justification. Yet, an examination of that conflict shows that President Jefferson’s actions were limited and followed the direction of Congress.
Americans are moving at record lows for work. What’s driving people to, well, not drive cross-country for jobs? On today’s Jobs Friday, we explore the rising homebody economy.
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 Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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Was Jackson’s victory over the Second Bank of the United States a triumph for liberty, or did it merely expand federal authority under the guise of constraining it? His legacy is complicated, but there is much we can learn from it.
The Renaissance period is seen as mostly positive by historians, but the sinister development of absolutism and the imperial state complicates the legacy of that time.
Although the political establishment claims the Comey indictment represents an unprecedented moment in our history, the truth is much different. Federal prosecutors have a long history of bringing unjustified, politically-motivated prosecutions.
The federal government shuts down as the Supreme Court returns. Our panel looks at the Trump team’s plan to use the shutdown for mass layoffs —and previews a new Supreme Court term packed with big fights over tariffs, emergency powers, and the future of “independent” agencies.
Featuring: Ryan Bourne, Gene Healy, Thomas Berry, and Jeffrey Miron
It's Day 2 of the government shutdown. And we'd like to note that despite the government closing shop, House Republicans have been on vacation since last week, while House Democrats have been showing up to work. Vice President JD Vance told members of the press Wednesday that the real bad guys in the shutdown fight are Democrats, specifically Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Because, according to Vance, it's Schumer standing in the way of low-income Americans getting much-needed health care assistance, assistance that Republicans cut in President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill." Both Democrats and Republicans have dug in their heels on this shutdown. Democrats want Affordable Care Act subsidies extended and Medicaid cuts reversed. And Republicans are fine with the government being closed – and want to fire thousands of federal employees. So to talk more about the shutdown, its impact on everyday Americans, and what comes next, we spoke to New Jersey Democratic Sen. Andy Kim.
And in headlines, federal officials say they plan to reopen an Obama-era immigration program, Israel tries to intercept yet another flotilla attempting to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the Supreme Court ruled that Trump can't just fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook… because he doesn't like her.