Scientist Alice Hamilton’s investigations into toxins in Chicago’s factories led to some of the first workplace safety laws in the country. She was known for her “shoe leather” epidemiology, wearing out the soles of her shoes from all the trips she made to Chicago homes, factories and even saloons to figure out what was making people sick.
Thirty years ago, the U.S. helped create the World Trade Organization, a group of countries linked by a common set of free trade agreements. But then the U.S., starting with the Obama administration, turned against the WTO. This leaves a void where there should be a referee to settle trade disputes between countries. On today's show, how American grievances paralyzed the WTO's dispute settlement system and what happens when the U.S. no longer wants to play by the rules it once agreed to.
Related listening: A polite message from Canada to the U.S. (Apple / Spotify) Trump's contradictory trade policies (Apple / Spotify) Worst. Tariffs. Ever. (Update) (Apple / Spotify)
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Episode: 2075 Rudolph Ackerman and his amazing chronicles of 19th-century art and technology. Today, architectural historian Margaret Culbertson tells us about a great chronicler of technology and art.
China has set out its target for economic growth this year: around 5 percent. That's a hefty goal for a nation coming off a painful real estate slump. But leaders have their eyes set on other industries to help its economy grow. Today, we dig into the headwinds and tailwinds facing China's economy.
Related episodes: The mess at the heart of China's economy (Apple / Spotify) The race to produce lithium (Apple / Spotify) What's really happening with the Evergrande liquidation (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
The federal government spends millions of dollars each year on wildlife damage management, a program that includes killing thousands of coyotes. Yet this program may actually have the opposite effect on the coyote's population. Today on the show, why the government keeps spending money on a problem it can't fix.
It's Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at interesting numbers from the news.
On today's show, we have Southwest Airlines changing course on their free checked bag policy, skyrocketing fraud, and Americans' insatiable appetite for avocados.
