Planet Money - How the War on Drugs got us… blueberries

Ever wondered why you can buy fresh Peruvian blueberries in the dead of winter? The answer, surprisingly, is tied to cocaine. Today on the show, we look at how the War on Drugs led to an American trade policy and a foreign aid initiative that won us blueberries all year round.

And for more on trade and tariffs check out Planet Money's homepage. We've got articles looking at how much the new tariffs will raise prices and shows on everything from diamonds to potatoes to why you bought your couch.

This episode was produced by Sylvie Douglis with help from Willa Rubin. It was edited by Marianne McCune and engineered by Jimmy Keeley. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

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Music: Source Audio: "Martini Shaker," "You the Man," and "Leisure Girls."


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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Big Chicken: A Fowl Conspiracy

Chicken! It's one of the world's most popular food stuffs, and nowadays it's a global, multibillion dollar industry. But a dark side comes with all that success -- including problems that, one day, may threaten civilization as we know it. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they explore the Stuff They Don't Want You To Know about Big Chicken.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Consider This from NPR - A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar

The country of Myanmar has been in crisis for years. A civil war has been going on since 2021.

And then, last Friday, a devastating earthquake hit, leaving at least 3,000 people dead. The tragedy only deepened the humanitarian crisis in the country.

One person watching the situation closely is Kim Aris. His mother is Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the country's de facto leader before the military ousted and imprisoned her after a coup four years ago.

When Aris spoke to NPR earlier this week, he wasn't even sure where his mother was, or whether she was safe.

The earthquake has brought more devastation to Myanmar raising questions about whether the country's military can stay in power – and about the future of its ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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Consider This from NPR - A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar

The country of Myanmar has been in crisis for years. A civil war has been going on since 2021.

And then, last Friday, a devastating earthquake hit, leaving at least 3,000 people dead. The tragedy only deepened the humanitarian crisis in the country.

One person watching the situation closely is Kim Aris. His mother is Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the country's de facto leader before the military ousted and imprisoned her after a coup four years ago.

When Aris spoke to NPR earlier this week, he wasn't even sure where his mother was, or whether she was safe.

The earthquake has brought more devastation to Myanmar raising questions about whether the country's military can stay in power – and about the future of its ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.


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Consider This from NPR - A devastating earthquake brings more uncertainty to Myanmar

The country of Myanmar has been in crisis for years. A civil war has been going on since 2021.

And then, last Friday, a devastating earthquake hit, leaving at least 3,000 people dead. The tragedy only deepened the humanitarian crisis in the country.

One person watching the situation closely is Kim Aris. His mother is Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the country's de facto leader before the military ousted and imprisoned her after a coup four years ago.

When Aris spoke to NPR earlier this week, he wasn't even sure where his mother was, or whether she was safe.

The earthquake has brought more devastation to Myanmar raising questions about whether the country's military can stay in power – and about the future of its ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.


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The Daily Signal - ‘You’ve Got to Fight’: Reagan Veteran Praises Trump’s War on the Deep State

Don Devine is proud that The Washington Post once attacked him as President Ronald Reagan's "terrible swift sword of the civil service," but even he is blown away by the muscular reforms of the Trump administration.

 

That doesn't stop him from giving advice on how to slay the deep state leviathan, however. Devine, who served as the second director of the Office of Personnel Management under Reagan from 1981 to 1985, warned that public-sector unions will always oppose efforts to bring the administrative state to heel, so any conservative will have to take on these issues with steely resolve.

 

"They're going to be fighting you no matter what you do," Devine told The Daily Signal.

 

"The unions in the government, which shouldn't even be there ... The unions, that's their job, all right? If you do anything, they're going to go to the courts after you."

 

"So, what's the answer? You got to do it anyway, you got to fight them," he explained. Public-sector unions, who represent federal government employees, have filed multiple lawsuits to block Trump's reforms on everything from DOGE getting access to federal data to the firing of probationary employees to the removal of collective bargaining privileges.

 

Trump has just the stomach to face this threat, however, Devine said.

 

Tune in to find out what happens next!

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The Gist - Funny You Should Mention Season 2 – Alex Edelman

Comedian Alex Edelman joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. Alex’s hit one-man show Just For Us was a Broadway sensation and is now streaming on Max. In this conversation, we talk about the anatomy of a bad set, the five constituencies for a joke, and what it takes to turn a pile of bits into a fully realized piece of theater. Plus: how being “right” can be the biggest obstacle to being funny.


Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap, April 4, 2025

The Chicago Teachers Union reaches tentative contract deal with Chicago Public Schools. Teen violence in Streeterville has alder calling for earlier curfew. Jewish students at DePaul sue the university over alleged antisemitic attack. Reset dives into these and other top local stories with ABC 7 News anchor Ravi Baichwal, WBEZ senior education editor Kate Grossman and Better Government Association president David Greising. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: Donald Trump’s Trade Parity ‘Golden Age’ Explained

Adversaries and allies alike have been ripping off the United States with “asymmetrical tariffs” for decades. Now, Trump is fighting back.


“Whatever a particular country tariffs us, we reciprocate and just mirror image them. In other words, it’s their choice, not ours,” VDH says.

On this edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” Victor Davis Hanson explains the history behind tariffs and how other countries have taken advantage of America’s no-tariff policy for years.

“It was all predicated in the postwar period. We were so affluent, so powerful—Europe, China, Russia were in shambles—that we had to take up the burdens of reviving the economy by taking great trade deficits,” Victor Davis Hanson says.

We can’t afford to remain neutral in the trade war that’s been happening for decades.

“If tariffs are so destructive of their economies, why is China booming?” Victor Davis Hanson asks.


If you can’t get enough of Victor Davis Hanson from The Daily Signal, subscribe to his official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@victordavishanson7273

He’s also the host of “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” available wherever you prefer to watch or listen. Links to the show and exclusive content are available on his website: https://victorhanson.com/

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