The Indicator from Planet Money - Why Trump’s potential tariffs are making business owners anxious

A freshly re-inaugurated President Trump is reportedly considering making his first moves on tariffs: a 10% tariff on Chinese imports and a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, both of which he says could start as early as next week.

If the U.S. slaps tariffs on foreign products, U.S companies that import foreign goods, and their customers, will bear the cost. But, before any of that happens, businesses can also face a less tangible cost—uncertainty.

Today on the show, we hear from a couple business owners who experienced Trump's first trade war. And we'll learn how the uncertainty from tariffs, or just the threat of them, can have ripple effects throughout the economy.

Related episodes:
How Trump's tariffs plan might work
Trump's contradictory trade policies

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60 Songs That Explain the '90s - “Umbrella”—Rihanna

Rob celebrates pop icon Rihanna while looking back at her smash hit “Umbrella.” While combing through Rihanna’s expansive career, Rob also discusses whether Jay-Z’s guest verse on “Umbrella” is the worst of his career. Later, Brittany Spano joins the show to answer the difficult question of what song is Rihanna’s best, and much more.


Host: Rob Harvilla

Guest: Brittany Spano

Producers: Jonathan Kermah and Justin Sayles

Additional Production Support: Olivia Crerie

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Go ask ALICE about grocery prices

Grocery prices have gone up 27 percent since before the pandemic. And high prices are especially painful for lower income households, who have less wiggle room to adjust their spending. But their experience isn't always reflected in broad measures of inflation.

Today on the show, we look at a different way of measuring price increases that's designed to capture the pain that many households feel daily, including at the supermarket.

Read more about the ALICE Essentials Index.

Related Episodes:
A food fight over free school lunch
Feeling inflation in the grocery store

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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The Indicator from Planet Money - Add to cart: Greenland

President Donald Trump's proposal that the United States take "ownership" of Greenland has raised a lot of eyebrows. Can the U.S. just buy itself this big territory? Is that a thing? Turns out if you look at U.S. history, it's absolutely a thing.

Today on the show: how massive land deals called "sovereignty purchases" have shaped the country we live in today, and why the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland is a lot more complicated than it would have been in the past.

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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